A Study to Investigate How Transformational Leadership Relates to Frontline Employees' Behavior in the Hotel Tourism Industry of The Bahamas

Authors

Tyrone G. Sawyer IIFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration

Major/Program

<--Please Select Department-->

First Advisor's Name

George Marakas

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Yan Chen

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Third Advisor's Name

Paulo Gomes

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Ali Parhizgari

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Keywords

business, Bahamas, tourism, hotel

Date of Defense

5-23-2022

Abstract

The role of the tourism industry of The Bahamas is important as it is the prevailing industry in this growing country. According to The Bahamas Ministry of Statistics, in 2018 the country had approximately 1.6 million stopover visitors and 5 million cruise visitors that year, which would make it the largest industry in the country by a far margin. Most of the tourists who visit The Bahamas originate from the USA due to its closeness with the country. The Bahamas, which is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean is 50 miles southeast of Florida.

Transformational leadership, a theory of leadership developed by Bass and Avolio (1985) focuses on a leader working together with teams to identify change and creating a vision through inspiration. Historically, when managers utilize transformational leadership with frontline employees there can be a specific change in the way the organization operates. The committed members of the organization can prove to be crucial to the overall success in implementing a leadership style similar to transformational leadership.

Often, the effectiveness of transformational leadership and transactional leadership are compared within organizations. Transactional leadership relies more on a “give and take” understanding, so that employees can focus more on the duties required by the organization and the incentive they will receive for completing the job. Transformational leadership involves a committed relationship between the leader and his followers. Bernard Bass (1991) identified and wrote about basic elements which underlie transformational leadership: inspiration, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation.

This study examines transformational leadership as it relates to frontline employees in the hotel tourism industry of The Bahamas. Many studies have been conducted in regard to transformational leadership in the hotel tourism industry. The application of this study in The Bahamas can have ripple effects on how middle managers in the Caribbean region can motivate their frontline employees.

Identifier

FIDC010712

Recommended Citation

Sawyer, Tyrone G. II, "A Study to Investigate How Transformational Leadership Relates to Frontline Employees' Behavior in the Hotel Tourism Industry of The Bahamas" (2022). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5086.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5086