February Cornell Quarterly Article Connects Management Trust with Employee Commitment

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. February 29, 2012

Ithaca, NY - February 28, 2012 - When managers want to make sure that their employees are motivated and committed to the organization, one place to start is by looking in the mirror. A study published in the February 2012 Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ) explores the connection between management trustworthiness and employee motivation and finds that management trust is a large factor in employee commitment.

The article, "Motivational Effects of Empowerment on Employees' Organizational Commitment: A Mediating Role of Management Trustworthiness," is available at no charge by special arrangement with Sage Publishers, which publishes the CQ on behalf of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. The article can be read through the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research website: www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/quarterly/featured/.

The study's authors, BeomCheol (Peter) Kim, Gyumin Lee, Suzanne K. Murrmann, and Thomas R. George, point to the well-known connection between employee empowerment and organizational commitment. Many management scientists see commitment as a critical factor in employee motivation and excellence.

Looking for ways to improve that commitment, the researchers tested the influence of management trustworthiness in connection with employee motivation. To do this, they surveyed 330 employees who work in 29 upscale hotel restaurants in Seoul, South Korea. They found a strong connection between management trust levels and the extent to which employees felt committed to their hotel. This connection involves both employees' attitudes on the job and how much influence employees believe they have in the workplace.

While it's possible that these findings only apply to workers in Korea, one implication of the study is that managers can work on empowering employees as a demonstration of the value the firm places on its workers. This empowerment, which is supported by management trustworthiness, appears to be an essential element of organizational commitment.

Other articles in the February CQ examine employee creativity, ways in which hotels learn from each other, and hotel innovation strategies. The CQ is available by subscription from Sage, and individual articles are available for download or pay per view at http://cqx.sagepub.com/.

Peter Kim is a lecturer at Auckland University of Technology; Gyumin Lee is an assistant Kyung Hee University; Suzanne Murrmann is a professor at Virginia Tech ([email protected]), and Thomas George is an associate professor at The Ohio State University ([email protected]).

About the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly

The primary objective of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly is to publish articles that provide timely and actionable prescriptions for hospitality management practice. The articles we publish are based on important industry challenges that are examined using rigorous methods of inquiry. The content addresses a broad range of topics that are relevant to hospitality, travel, and tourism contexts.

About The Center for Hospitality Research
A unit of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) sponsors research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. Under the lead of the center's 77 corporate affiliates, experienced scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operating practices. The center also publishes the award-winning hospitality journal, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly . To learn more about the center and its projects, visit www.chr.cornell.edu.

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