Assessing Application of Lean and Green Practices in Indian Hotel Industry Using Thematic Analysis

Abstract

AbstractAccommodation industry has been accepted as one of the most profitable industry across the globe. The contribution of this industry to the growth of the economy is widely accepted by many countries and India is not an exception to this. Opportunity and participation of organizations in adoption of Lean and Green management strategies are increasing but it remains a challenge in hospitality industry. Over a period of time various steps have been undertaken to increase the application of green technology in Indian Hotels. Recognizing this very fact, the current paper aims at exploring the Lean & Green practices prevailing in the Indian hotel industry. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect the information from hoteliers, who are contributing to the industry for more than 8 years. Usable responses were (N = 6) analysed by thematic analysis using Nvivo software. The analysis of data revealed that Indian Hotel Industry is already in practice of applying the lean and green practices but still there are certain practices which are not being given much importance like energy conservation, stakeholder involvement, employee trainings and innovative sustainable practices though these practice are currently neglected stage but these can contribute to the future growth of the organization. This paper is an attempt to shift the focus of hotel industry from water and waste management to other important factors as well. The results of this study may not depict the entire picture of lean green practices at Indian hotel industry, as the sample was restricted to few hotels in India. Researchers may undertake further studies with larger hotel samples. Future researches can be done to investigate smaller, lower-ranked hotels, which may experience greater challenges in implementing lean green practices than those considered in this paper.KeywordsLean practicesGreen practicesHotel industryIndiaIndian executives