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Faculty & Research

Hospitality Leadership Through Learning
Faculty & Research

Fostering Service Excellence through Listening: What Hospitality Managers Need to Know

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Vol 9 No 6
By: Judi Brownell Ph.D.

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Executive Summary: Amid the “noise” created by increased use of computers and other technology, the ability to listen takes on increasing importance for hospitality employees. Listening is essential in the course of delivering personal, customized service. A survey of eighty-three hospitality managers found the highest agreement with the statement that effective listening is vital to business success. For hospitality organizations, that success is tightly linked to the quality of service produced by employees. At the same time, survey respondents gave their lowest agreement to the statement that most members of their organization listen well. Listening is the foundation of two organizational processes essential to service delivery, one involving the accurate exchange of information and the other facilitating the development of strong relationships. Employees who are good listeners have a willingness to listen and an awareness of their own listening ability (although that may be overestimated). While developing listening competencies is not easy, it is possible for managers to improve their service employees’ listening abilities through modeling effective listening and offering training that is then augmented in the workplace—all the while improving service delivery. In addition to the rapid pace of the hospitality industry and interference from technology, one other barrier to effective listening is the diversity of employees and guests. Not only cultural differences, but also gender and age differences influence listening styles and effectiveness.

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About Judi Brownell Ph.D.

Judi Brownell is a professor and dean of students at the School of Hotel Administration. She teaches courses in organizational behavior and management communication. Brownell has international teaching experience and her on-line eCornell executive courses are taken worldwide. Brownell’s research projects include studies on managerial listening behavior and the competencies required for global hospitality leaders. She has created tools to assess employee-organization fit and the communication of service values. Her current research focuses on listening as it relates to communicating and maintaining service quality standards in the international cruise industry. Brownell has authored several textbooks, published over 80 articles and serves on several editorial boards. She is also past president of the International Listening Association and has received awards for her research in this field. Brownell has conducted training and consulting for a wide range of hospitality organizations. Among her projects, she has designed assessment centers for hospitality leadership development. A seasoned administrator, Brownell has served as the school's associate dean for academic affairs and as its director for graduate studies. She has also been academic area director for both the organization behavior and management communication disciplines.

For more information visit http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/facultybios/faculty.html?id=7