DEVELOPMENT OF RETOOLING PROGRAMME FOR OPERATIVES IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The  general  purpose  of  this  study  was  to  develop  retooling  programme  for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria. Specifically the study identified objectives of retooling programme in the hotel industry, determined the content of retooling programme, determined the delivery system (methods and facilities) that could be employed for implementing retooling programme in hotel industry in Nigeria and the activities  that  could  be  used  for  evaluating  the  retooling  programme.  It  also developed a retooling programme based on the findings from specific purposes 1 –

4. The retooling programme was validated and tried out for its efficacy. By pre-test and  post  test  evaluation.  Five  research  questions  were  answered   and  five hypotheses  were  tested at 0.05  level  of significance.  A modified  Research  and Development design (R and D) was used. Lagos and Abuja constituted the area of the study.  The population  was made  up of 1170  respondents  consisting  of 78 managers,  312  supervisors  and  780   operatives.   The  sample  size  was  538 respondents consisting of 78  managers, 191 supervisors and 269 operatives. The instruments for the study were questionnaire and a 50 multiple choice questions to test efficacy. It was validated by two lecturers each from Department of Vocational Teacher   Education   and   Department   of  Hospitality,   Leisure   and   Tourism Management, University of Nigeria Nsukka and Kaduna Polytechnic, respectively and a  manager  from  Hamdala  Hotel  Kaduna.  Cronbach  reliability  test  was  used  to determine the internal consistency. The reliability coefficients obtained  were 0.72,

0.92, 0.80, 0.72, 0.82, 0.76, 0.87 0.77 for clusters 1-9 and overall of 0.86.  Five

hundred and thirty eight copies of the questionnaire  were administered and  487 copies were  retrieved.  The major  findings included  15 appropriate  objectives  of retooling programme, 33 knowledge and skills content items were highly needed in front office. The finding revealed that 51knowledge  and skill  content items were needed in the restaurant; 42 knowledge and skill content items were needed in the kitchen   while  50  knowledge   and  skill  content   items  were   needed   in  the housekeeping and laundry. It also revealed that 11 delivery methods and 18 facilities for implementing retooling programme were needed for retooling while 14 attitudes content  items were needed for exhibition by operatives in the hotel and 11 activities for evaluating the programme. There is no significant difference  between the mean opinion of supervisors and managers on appropriate objectives of retooling in the hotels. There are  significant  differences  in the mean responses of manager and supervisors on attitudes to be exhibited by operatives, delivery system to be used for retooling operatives and on activities for evaluating retooling programme in the hotel industry.  Findings  also  indicated   that  there  is  significant  difference   in   the performance  of operatives  exposed  to  the retooling  programme  and  those  not exposed.  Based on the findings, two recommendations  for  retooling  programme were made. These included continual retooling and adequate Budgeting for retooling to  ensure  investment  in  staff  development.   It  was  also  recommended  that management should organise visitation to other hotel establishment for operatives as an exchange programme.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

The hotel industry plays an important role especially in a globalized world like ours. Many countries have been prospering over the past years as a result of this development, Nigeria inclusive. The hotel industry is referred to as the commercial sector of the hospitality industry and it is out to make or maximize profit (Walker

1996). The industry is profit oriented and its main objective includes, but not limited

to, the provision of high quality services for people away from home or in  their homes  for  numerous  reasons.  According  to  Akin-Bankole  (2008)  the  hotel  is a powerful  agent  of  change  economically,  environmentally,  socially  and  politically economic recession notwithstanding. As stated by Magaji (2005) the hotel has been contributing to the social and economic development of the nation in several ways and is one of the largest employer  of both skilled and  unskilled labour. This is evident in Nigerian hotels as both skilled and  unskilled are usually employed. It provides comfortable accommodation,  high  quality foods and drinks and provides facilities   for  the  transaction   of   business,   conference,   meetings,   recreation, entertainment, celebrations outdoor catering and event management among others.

The hotels carry out numerous and increasing diversity of tasks according to Giwa (2005). These numerous tasks are broadly classified into two major groups which  are  managerial  and  operational.  The  managerial  tasks/activities  include planning, organizing, directing, controlling and supervising. These are usually carried out by the  managers  and supervisors  in  the  hotels.  The  operational  tasks  are enormous and are carried out by the operatives in the four major areas of the hotel. Tasks and activities such as receiving guests at the front office (reception), serving

guests in the restaurant, cooking foods in the kitchen making guests comfortable in the rooms and providing conducive environment. The operatives are the lower cadre workforce that actually carry out production and services as may be  required by guests, visitors and tourists (Cole, 2005).  The Majority of these staff members are usually people  with basic  qualification  or  even unskilled.  They are  usually  new entrants into the profession who wish to grow within the profession (Magaji, 2005). These operatives are the target of this study.

The hotel industry is being impacted by emerging technology. According to

Waller, (1999) globalization  has made  the hotel  industry highly sophisticated  in terms of business transactions, new and various machines used to facilitate activities in  the  industry.  These  machines  are  used  to  save  time,  energy  and to  make customer/guests  more comfortable. They are also used to meet  the various and numerous needs and wants of customers. There are now new technologies, tools, equipment  and new  techniques  for carrying  out tasks  and activities,  new trade secrets and innovations which make business in the industry competitive. There are now new skills, knowledge and attitude that make the workforce more competent and proficient in operational tasks. Jobs now make extra demands on job-holders, not  only  in  knowledge  and  skill,  but  may  demand  better  behaviour,  attitude, attention to details and  specialized  knowledge of basic principles and underlying concepts of the  work.  Other new challenging factors as stated by Turrel (1990) within the  industry are methods of operating machines, gadgets, tools, new fast food products, new menus and other emerging innovations like health demands on diet and tastes, outdoor catering services, and event management. To meet and tackle these challenges effectively within the industry, demands retooling of existing workforce especially the operatives.

Retooling is the systematic modification of behaviour through learning  and occurs as a result of education, instruction, development and planned experiences. Retooling is not just learning theory but learning with the manipulation, use and care of machines and tools by the learners (Armstrong, 1999). Armstong further stated that it is a planned  process  to modify  attitude, knowledge  and to acquire  skill through learning experiences and to achieve effective performance in an activity or range of activities. Retooling in the hotel industry as stated by Sethi (2005) implies a programme providing  learning experiences for operatives in order to equip them with attitudes, knowledge and skills to do the job better. These can be done through instruction,   guidance,  demonstration   which  ensures  acquisition  of  knowledge procedures and the skills necessary to do the jobs to the standard required (Henry,

2000). The purpose of retooling in the hotel industry therefore is to develop  the

abilities and competences of the individual and to satisfy the current and  future manpower needs of the industry (Waller, 1999). These competences as stated by Olotu (2008) are lacking in many hotels in Nigeria. Olotu believes most hotels today are not up to standard due to inadequate retooling and to  effectively retool the operatives in the hotels in Nigeria, there must be a  standard and comprehensive programme in place as it is believed that a programme brings about skill acquisition, effective  performance,  good  attitude  and  better  understanding  in  up  to  date technical product knowledge.

A programme is a systematic work plan that gives details and step-by-step

procedures of how to do a task or an event and it is a set of information and/or instructions (Olsen, Teare and Gummesson, 1996). A retooling programme as stated by Power, (1984) for the hotel industry is a technical  intention plan that gives systematic statement or information of training intention and the means by which

they  are  to  be  achieved  and  measured.  It  often  includes  objectives,  retooling content, methods, facilities and evaluation activities. Such a programme would be based on needs assessment of the workforce (operatives), area of needs within the hotel    such    as    the    kitchen,    restaurant,     reception/front     office    and housekeeping/laundry (Power, 1999). Another factor to be considered in retooling as stated by Sethi (2005) is the degree of internal changes, such as new processes, new  market,  availability  of   suitable   skills  within  the  existing  workforce  and commitment of management to retooling. The essence of a retooling programme in the Nigerian hotel industry as observed by Cole (2002) is that such a programme will help the employee to develop confidence in the various tasks. As observed by Cole retooling aims at capacity building which impacts on service and product,  quality delivery, customer satisfaction and improves business performance. It brings about care  in the use of equipment  and materials,  improved  level of  investment  and greater organizational commitment. The operatives will become very conversant with the  inner  workings  of  the  hotel  operations  and  there  will  be  uniformity  and conformity in handling of the same issues, skills and competences to the satisfaction of guests and the management.

As further stated by Sethi other benefits of a retooling programme are that operatives  are  more  focused  on  hotel  needs,  service  quality,  sales  growth and profitability. It improves hotel operations and ability to face the challenges of fast changing technologies and techniques within the industry. Sethi concluded that for hotel industry to exist in the present competitive  global economy, the workforce must be properly retooled  with a good  programme  based on the needs of the operatives, the various departments, the management desires and the various types of customers.

The first step in designing a training and development  programme  in  the hotel industry is to conduct a needs assessment since according to Teare & Atkinson (1996)  a  training  need  assessment  is  a  critical  activity  for  the  training  and development function. A need as stated by Gall, Gall & Borg (2007) is a discrepancy between  an existing  set of conditions  and a desired  set of  condition.  There is therefore a need to assess the competences of operatives in hotel industry in Nigeria before developing a programme for them. This is to ascertain what is currently in place and what is needed in the future. It will involve identification of objectives, designing  programme  content,  selecting  the  technique  to  be  used  to  facilitate learning and materials and facilities to be used in the training and the evaluation of the  programme.  Training  and   development  programme  can  therefore  make employees participate in dynamic interactive process of learning.

In the development of a programme  for retooling, it is essential that  the

components   for  developing   the  performance   are  properly   articulated.   Such components  as  the  objective,  the  content  (which  are  the  competences  like knowledge skill and attitudes) form the delivery system (method and facilities) and activities for evaluation. The objective involves identifying the instructional goals for carrying out the retooling. The content  consist of   knowledge, skills and attitude which are instrumental analysis of tasks and the various activities that take place in the four functional core areas  within the hotel. Selecting the appropriate delivery system to be used in teaching and learning is very important because the method adopted with  facilities available  by the teacher may promote  or hinder learning. These  instructional methods usually sharpen mental activities but may discourage initiative if wrongly selected (Onwuka, 1981). The facilities are the physical means

by which the teacher extends thinking to the trainee and they serve many purposes and additional devices in learning process (Butler, 1992).

Evaluation in developing a retooling programme is the process of determining

the degree to which the objectives of an instructional/educational activity have been achieved  (Olaitan,  2003) or the means of ascertaining  the success or  failure of educational  enterprise    (Wheeler,  1980).  Furthermore,  evaluation  enables  the comparison  of  actual  outcomes  with  the  expected  outcomes  and  to  arrive  at conclusions about the comparison  with a view to future  action.   Evaluation and assessment of trainees performance in relation to the stated training objectives is critical to an instructional system. This is so  because skills taught and learnt vary from one occupation  to another and  even  within the same occupation  (Olaitan,

1996).  Butler (1992) identified five kinds of assessment among which are:

–          before lesson assessment that is diagnostic, predictive and directive in nature thus allowing the student to concentrate on areas of weakness.

–          end-of-course assessment to predict transfer of knowledge and skill to  on- the-job situation and to predict performance  in related or same  course or more advance course.

The need for retooling comes against the backdrop of poor service delivery in the Nigerian hotel industry. This poor delivery could be observed at  virtually all points of the industry, be it at the reception, restaurant, kitchen and housekeeping. In view of the observation above, there is the need for  developing a retooling programme for operatives in hotel industry in Nigeria.

Statement of the Problem

Literature has revealed that the hotel industry in Nigeria is faced with many problems  such  as  poor  quality  of  products  and  service  delivery.  This  poor performance in the industry among others could be traced to the deficiency in the skill of the operatives. The resultant effect of this problem is the drop in patronage and revenue in the hotel industry (Deji, 2002). For instance, most hotels in Nigeria do not have standard retooling programmes and are running on the template of the

60s and 70s (Akin-Bankole 2008). The resultant effect is loss of revenue, waste of

materials, poor performance, low quality products and services and abuse in the use of equipment.

Furthermore, there are no articulated policies anchored on a well structural retooling system and no budgets are set out by most hotels for retooling employees. Where training takes place, the quality and content of  the  programme used are substandard and inadequate to meet the current industrial demand in a globalized world.  As  stated  by  Johnson  (2003)  many  hotel  operatives  in  Nigeria  are  not proficient in most practical skills as they are usually left alone to learn major tasks on the job, many times by trial and error. This leads to inconsistency of products and services as evident from their activities.

It is pertinent to know that most operatives in the industry in Nigeria have no opportunity of being exposed to retooling that can guarantee effectiveness in skill acquisition because most hotel operators are not very willing to invest on operatives as doing that may amount to loss in investment. This is because once the operatives are effectively retooled, there is tendency for their mobility in the industry and the expected return of investment may not come to the investor directly. The purpose of retooling therefore is to enhance efficiency and generate more income if effectively

carried out. Thus there is need to develop a retooling programme for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria to achieve the objectives. There is also no mastery of practical skills by operatives as most hotels lack modern machines, gadgets, tools and utensils for practical work (Deji, 2002). The retooling  activities some hotels carry-out are not based on relevant and up- to- date  objectives, emerging skills, knowledge  and attitudes  required  in the present  day needs of operatives.  This situation gives rise to customer/guests  complain  of poor services and ineffective performance.

A good hotel should be run by professionals who are well trained and have the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for receiving, serving, providing culinary meals and comfort to guests. Furthermore a standard hotel should have a planned retooling  programme   that  will  always  update  its  personnel   with   the  latest development in the field.

The need for retooling comes against the backdrop of poor service delivery in the Nigeria hotel industry. There seems to be inadequacy in the quality performance of operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria. This calls for the need for a standard retooling programme for operatives in Nigeria hotel which presently does not seem to exist to meet with the current demand in the hotel industry. The aim of the study therefore is to develop a retooling programme for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria. This programme developed will be due for the training of operatives only after its efficacy is ascertained.

Efficacy is the state or quality of being efficacious in producing the desired result. It is very important to determine the efficacy of the developed programme by evaluating  the  programme  on  operatives  to  teat  how  effective  the  retooling programme will be. This will show the strength and weakness of the programme as

well as a parameter that indicates whether the objectives are met and the contents well articulated. The tryout would also bring about positive change in the behavior of the operatives that will lead to desired attainment for better job performance.

Testing  the efficacy  will indicate  how proficient  the operatives  will be  to

practical work and how much the programme will help in building capacity to attain optimum output of the operatives. It will also ascertain the appropriateness of the delivery system as it concerns the methods and  facilities used. At the end of the evaluation  the programme  may need to be  reviewed if necessary to ensure the objectives are met.

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study was to develop a retooling programme which can be used for improvement and development of operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to:

1.      determine the objectives of a retooling programme in the hotel industry in

Nigeria.

2.      determine  contents  (knowledge,  skills  and  attitudes)  for  achieving  the objectives of retooling programme for operatives  in the hotel industry.

3.      determine delivery system (methods and facilities) that could be employed for implementing the retooling programme for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria.

4.      determine   activities  that  could  be  used  for  evaluating   the   retooling

programme in hotel industry in Nigeria.

5.      determine the efficiency of retooling programme for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria.

Significance of the Study

The findings  of the  study will  be  beneficial  to  the  hotel  operatives  who actually carry out the practical skills on the job by enabling them use  the latest technological machines and tools in the industry. The use of the  programme will prevent  errors  during  production  and  service.  The  use  of  the  programme  will increase revenue by reducing material waste by operatives during production. The developed  retooling  programme  when  in  use,  will  bring  about  primary  positive changes  in  individual  operatives  behaviour  to  oneself,  the  customer  and  the management. These favourable changes in  behaviour will further give direct and indirect financial benefits to the operatives by giving them uplift and better wages. The programme will lead to  desired attainment of operatives by giving them the ability to up-sell to the customer. It will enhance operatives by providing more future job  opportunities.  The  operatives  will  be  more  proficient  through  exposure  to practical work  and building  their capacity.  The programme  will make operatives reach their  optimum output by being more flexible. It will assist them to follow written instruction and permit them to progress at their own individual rate.

The developed retooling programme will be useful to the management and

operators of hotel industry by ensuring quality products and services and in  the realization of the hotel’s goal and objectives. The developed programme if utilized becomes the main source of a good performance and growth of the  hotels. The developed programme will bring about improvement in the use of especially new equipment, utensils and tools. As a result, there will be reduction in the waste of materials, care in the use of equipment and prevent malpractice in the use of the equipment and materials. These eventually will reduce cost in purchase or repairs and  minimizing  damage  to  tools  and  equipment  as  operatives  become  more

conversant with current and latest modern equipment. The developed programme will save production  time as it will provide step-by-step  systematic  approach  to operations such that tasks, skills and activities are properly done in sequence and uniformity with emphasis on safety. The management will experience higher revenue generation because of the higher quality of operatives and therefore room for better expansion of the business and future staff development.

The  contribution  of  this  study  will  ultimately  be  beneficial  to  the  hotel

quests/customers who yarn for good services and products from the hotels to justify money   paid.   The   resultant   effect   of   the   developed   programme   is   that quests/customer get quality products and services from operatives which lead to less complaints.  The customers/guests  experience  the effect of new  technology,  new innovation and better behaviour from operatives and better facilities.

Training institutions and training officers within and outside the industry like

the Technical Colleges, Polytechnics, Universities, Colleges of education, the Home Economist  and all other regulatory  bodies including professional  organizations  in Nigeria such as National University Commission (NUC) National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) will benefit from the study if the programme is adopted and will be used to achieve uniform instructional process for preparing and teaching practical skills  in  all  the  institutions.  This  uniformity  will  ensure  quality  of  teaching. Furthermore,  these  institutional  and  regulatory  bodies  will  find  this  developed programme very handy and useful as it will serve as an input for future curriculum development  and/or  review.  Researchers  will  benefit  as  they  gain  information. Finally  the  developed  programme  will  be  an  invaluable  material  to  new  and inexperienced  instructors  as  they  embark  on  their  retooling  assignment.  The theoretical  significance  of  the  developed  programme  is  that  it  will  provide  an

interaction of the components of the programme developed such that operatives will become more mobile and competent within the industry. At the end of retooling, it will bring about change in behavior at any level and increase the probability of the aim of objectives of retooling.

Research Questions

The study sought answers to the following research questions:

1.      What are the objectives of a retooling programme for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria?

2.      What are the contents (knowledge,  skills and attitudes)  for achieving  the objectives of retooling programme for operatives in hotel industry?

3.      What are the delivery system (method and facilities) that could be employed for implementing the retooling programme for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria?

4.      What  activities  are  used  for  evaluating  the  retooling  programme   for operatives in the hotel industry in Nigeria?

5.      There is no significant difference between the operatives trained with  the

retooling  programme  (experimental  group) and those  not trained  (control group)

Hypotheses

The study tested the following null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.

HO1:   There is no significant difference in the mean responses of supervisors and managers  on the objectives  of retooling programme  for operatives  in the hotel industry in Nigeria.

HO2:   There is no significant difference in the mean responses of supervisors and managers on the attitude required for efficient performance based on location (Lagos and Abuja).

HO3:   There is no significant difference in the mean responses of supervisors and managers  on  the  delivery  system  to  be  employed  for  implementing  the retooling programme.

HO4:   There is no significant difference in the mean responses of supervisors and managers  on the evaluation  process  that could  be  used  to  evaluate  the retooling programme for operatives in the hotel industry.

HO5:   There is no significant difference between the operatives trained with  the retooling  programme  (experienced  group)  and  those  not  trained  (control group)

The Scope of the Study

The  study  covered  the  four  major  areas  within  the  hotel  namely  the reception/front office, restaurant, kitchen, housekeeping/laundry units of the hotel industry. These four areas have relationships among their tasks that make the work of operatives flexible.

The  study  was  delimited  to  these  activities:  receiving  guests,  providing accommodation, providing food and drinks, serving guest among others and basic knowledge, skills and attitudes required in carrying out these specific operations, use of necessary tools, equipment, materials and consumables. Due to the large number of hotels in Nigeria and their distribution in the country, the study focused only on registered hotels in Abuja and Lagos by the Hotel and Personnel Service Employers Association  of Nigeria  (HOPESEA). Both cities are receivers  of large numbers of visitors, tourist and guests.

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