1. Incentivize Employee Innovation

Sustainability innovation

Sustainable innovations is more than a PR stunt, it can’t be mere corporate window-dressing. The hospitality industry is a major driver of economic development and has a major impact on several facets of sustainable development (SD). A strong commitment to SD by adopting sustainable practices has the potential to be beneficial for the hotel industry. Although some 80% of firms in the study indicated that they were investing heavily in eco-innovation, examples of hotels fully committed to sustainable management do not abound (yet). For that reason, first movers like Six Senses already have some significant advantages.

External business relationship

From formal business relationships (alliances, R&D projects or consortiums) to informal cooperative relationships, hotels can benefit from the participation within multiple kinds of network relationships. A considerable proportion of executives consider that the implementation of new methods of organizing external relations with stakeholders have an important impact on their business performance. Engagement in the establishment of external relationships helps them obtain, combine and exchange critical knowledge, which is directly related to its economic activity and strategic business priorities.
Abstract
The study of management innovation has gained relevance in recent years, but there is a lack of empirical research analyzing the factors that favor it. This article contemplates two types of antecedents of management innovation in the hospitality industry. In the internal context of the company, the influence of the employees’ knowledge and skills is analyzed, as well as the company’s capacity to integrate this knowledge. In the external setting, an evaluation is performed of the way relationships established with tourist industry agents and external change agents affect the development of management innovation. The data obtained from 27 firms operating hotel establishments in Taiwan show that both the internal resources and the relations with external change agents determine the introduction of management innovations. However, access to knowledge held by tourist industry agents does not influence management innovation.