Multiculturalism as a Challenge for Contemporary Leadership – an Analysis within the Context of Hotel Management in the 21st Century

Łukasz Burkiewicz; Agnieszka Knap-Stefaniuk

doi:10.35765/pk.2022.3803.25

Łukasz Burkiewicz Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9115-0837
Agnieszka Knap-Stefaniuk Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9201-9889

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2022.3803.25

Keywords: multiculturalism, leadership, leader, Human Resource Management, hotels

Abstract

Building a competitive advantage in the hotel industry today requires the kind of leadership that is open to multiculturalism of both customers and employees. The main goal of the article is to analyze the role and importance of multiculturalism in contemporary leadership and to define the responsibility of leaders in managing employees in a multicultural environment, in the context of 21st century hotel management. The authors prove that the challenges related to multiculturalism (of employees and clients) are very large, while leadership in the conditions of multiculturalism requires special qualities and skills of leaders. In the first part of the article, the authors explain the concept of multiculturalism and the importance of multiculturalism in managing human resources. The next part describes leadership in a multicultural environment. Then, solutions for managing people in modern hotels are presented. Next, the 21st century hotel is presented as a multicultural environment. The last part describes cultural diversity as a challenge for leadership in the context of the hotel industry.

Author Biographies

Łukasz Burkiewicz, Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow

Doctor of History from the Jagiellonian University, holder of an Executive MBA from Central Connecticut State University (New Britain, CT, US) and the Institute of Business Studies of Krakow University of Technology, graduate of Culture Studies (BA, with a specialization in Mediterranean Studies), History (MA), Management and Marketing (MA), and postgraduate studies in the field of Social Media and Content Marketing (AGH University of Science and Technology). He is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Political Science and Administration at the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and lecturer at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow. His research interests are focused on two general fields: 1) cultural and political events in the eastern Mediterranean basin in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern period, including journeys to Central Asia, and 2) management, marketing, and economics within cultural studies, including cross-cultural management. He has written four books and edited ten books, as well as several scientific articles published in Polish and other scientific journals. He is a member of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Polish Cultural Society. He was awarded the Ministry of Science and Higher Education scholarship for young scientists (2014–2017). Since 2019, he has served as Director of Journals at Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and as editor-in-chief of Perspectives on Culture.

Agnieszka Knap-Stefaniuk, Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow

Doctor of Economics from the SGH Social-Economic College, holder of an MBA from Thames Valley University, graduate of the School of Trainers at Wszechnica UJ. She was a member of the Team for Economic Sciences (PKA) and Head of the Department of Human Resources Management at the Polish Open University, lecturer of the BA, MSc, and MBA studies, a member of the Rector’s Committee and the Scientific Council. From 2007 to 2015 she was Dean of the Krakow Faculty of Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania/Polish Open University; in 2015–2017 she was Dean of the Krakow Faculty of Vistula University and a lecturer of the BA and MA studies in AFiBVistula (Assistant Professor at the Institute of Management). Since 2018, she has been Vice Director of the Institute of Political and Administrative Sciences for Didactic Affairs at the Faculty of Education of the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow. She cooperates with businesses and has served as a trainer, consultant, and facilitator for, e.g., Lexmark, Galeco, Biprocemwap, and Capgemini. She is the author of many publications on Human Resources Management. She specializes in issues related to strategic and international HRM, leadership, motivation, and contemporary challenges in HRM, such as corporate culture, competency management and talent management. She conducts lectures and workshops at universities in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Czechia.

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Multiculturalism as a Challenge for Contemporary Leadership – an Analysis within the Context of Hotel Management in the 21st Century

Abstract

Author Biographies

References

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