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A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies of Power Distance in the Hospitality Organisational Context

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Dissertation embargoed until 8th November 2027(786.63 KB)

Date

2024

Authors

Supervisor

Kim, Peter
Zhu, Dan

Item type

Dissertation

Degree name

Master of International Hospitality Management

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

This dissertation systematically examines and synthesizes existing studies on power distance (PD) in the hospitality industry. Hofstede defined power distance as a concept that describes the acceptance and expectation of unequal distribution of power within organisations and institutions (Hofstede, 1977, 1984, 2001, 2011), focusing on its influence on organisational dynamics, leadership styles and employee behaviour. The study aims to map out current knowledge and identify areas for future research, providing a comprehensive analysis of previous research on PD in hospitality organisational context. The review encompasses 51 journal articles from various hospitality settings, sourced from databases such as Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, and Science Direct. Inclusion criteria encompassed research articles relevant to power distance in hospitality, published in English between 1977-2024 using a PRISMA chart, while exclusion criteria omitted incomplete studies, research notes, discussion boards, blogs, and non-English publications to ensure comprehensive, peer-reviewed, and accessible content. Data collection involved manual evaluation of articles for relevance and systematic organisation using Microsoft Excel to manage and avoid redundancy. Data from articles were coded in Excel, including details like author names, publication year, journal name, outcomes of PD, and measures of power distance, with studies classified into quantitative, qualitative, and review/theoretical designs. Descriptive analysis identified patterns in the data, and cross-tabulation analysis examined associations between publication trends, theories, study location, and PD as independent and dependent variables in the hospitality organisation context. The research findings indicate a significant impact of power distance (PD) on various outcomes, such as leader-employee relationships, employee motivation, job satisfaction, and organisational behaviour. It is noteworthy that the majority of PD measurements were conducted using the Likert scale and Hofstede's power distance scores. Likert scale as Quantitative methods were the most commonly used, while Cultural dimension theory (Hofstede, 1980, 1984, 2011) was used mostly for studying PD. Additionally, PD was studied as an independent variable, and there was a spike in PD being used as a moderator as the year trend followed. Research suggests that high PD cultures often exhibit hierarchical structures and communication barriers, while low PD cultures promote more egalitarian interactions and employee empowerment. Despite extensive research, the lack of a unified theoretical approach has left the phenomenon of PD in the hospitality industry under-explored. The study also highlights the dominance of research in Asian contexts and the hotel industry, with a notable gap in cross-cultural studies that could generalize findings across diverse cultural settings. This dissertation serves as a comprehensive source for researchers to identify what has been examined, what remains underexamined, and potential research gaps. For industry professionals, the insights derived from this study can inform the development of culturally sensitive management practices to enhance employee engagement and service quality.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/18247

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Masters Dissertations