From strategic planning to strategy implementation in the hotel industry in South Africa

Abstract

This study was initiated due to the need to address process of moving from strategic planning to strategy implementation within the South African hotel industry. The idea of strategy implementation might seem straightforward: namely that the strategy is formulated and then implemented. However, transforming strategies into action is a far more complex and difficult task. Numerous impeders hamper this process. The main deliverable of the investigation was to develop a conceptual and practical strategy implementation model for the South African hotel industry. The intention of the strategy implementation framework was to serve as a tool that assists in the process of moving from strategic planning to strategy implementation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed for data gathering. The first phase involved five in-depth interviews with executives from three to five star rated hotels. The second phase involved the completion of a structured questionnaire by a sample of 61 three to five star rated hotel managers. Although the data gathering covered the entire strategic management process, there was a specific focus on strategy implementation and the impeders associated with this process within the South African hotel industry. The data from both the phases were analysed and a draft conceptual and practical model was developed. The intention of the researcher was to present a model that is both user-friendly and easy to understand, as well as practical for use by all levels of management with varying educational qualifications, within the hotel industry. A draft model was subsequently presented during a focus group session to a group of hotel executives, managers and management consultants for review. The discussions focussed on a number of aspects relating to the model, including but not limited to the ease of understanding of the model and concepts and its practicality in assisting hotel practitioners move from strategic planning to strategy implementation. Based on the discussions from the focus group, a revised and final model was developed. While the research focussed on the hotel industry in South Africa and therefore its primary application is for the South African hotel industry, further research could be done to investigate the potential application of the model in hotels located in other countries. The model might also be adaptable for use in other service industries. In addition, the research focussed on developing a model that would assist practitioners in the hotel industry move from strategic planning to strategy implementation. During the research, it became apparent that the need for customised hotel industry specific strategy implementation tools is a niche requirement. However, further research must be conducted to investigate, review and ascertain the availability of management and practical tools that could help hotel managers in the monitoring of strategy implementation and if not, a model or scorecard could be developed, taking into account the idiosyncratic nature of the hotel industry.