The influence of leader inclusiveness on learning from failure in the hotel industry

Abstract

PurposeInevitably, there is no free-mistakes organization. The hotel industry can be considered a dynamic and labor-intensive sector where mistakes can occur frequently. Therefore, learning from failure or mistakes is considered a crucial component of learning in the workplace. This study aims to explore leaders' behaviors that can encourage employees to engage in learning from failure endeavors.Design/methodology/approachThis is a qualitative study where five semi-structured interviews were undertaken with heads of departments in four-and five-star hotels in Manchester, the UK. Thematic analysis was performed to analyze the collected data.FindingsThe results revealed that three leader behaviors were suggested to encourage employee learning from failure in hotels, namely: being open and accessible to employees, encouraging them to speak up and share their experiences, particularly their mistakes, and giving them constructive feedback instead of criticisms. These behaviors were found to be related to a construct in past studies called leader inclusiveness.Originality/valueThis is an exploratory study that tries to enhance the understanding of what encourages learning from failure at work, particularly in the hotel industry where this has received little attention.