How to Motivate Employees in the Scandinavian Hospitality Industry? The Case of SKT.PETRI Front Office Employees

Abstract

The topic being investigated in the thesis is employee motivation in Scandinavian hospitality industry. A gap in the literature, that looks at the topic, supported by empirical studies was identified. Thus, a hospitality company in Denmark was chosen as a single case for a closer investigation.
Employee motivation was analysed through Herzberg’s theory of motivation by identifying the main motivators and hygiene factors. Furthermore, the aspect of the influence of the culture was found to be of a high importance and thus, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions have been used as a framework to analyse the influence of the national culture on the employee motivation.
SKT.PETRI has been used as a case to examine the employee motivation by interviewing 18 Front Office employees. It was concluded that the main motivators to work in Scandinavian hospitality industry are growth possibilities, recognition and work itself, which is establishing interpersonal relations with guests. Likewise, the main hygiene factors identified were working conditions and interpersonal relations with peers, subordinates and superiors. Moreover, salary was deemed as a hygiene factor that is met. It was also concluded that national culture has a significant influence on the motivation to work.