The effects of implementation of Quality Management on employee productivity in the lodging function of a full service hotel: A case study analysis of the Bergstrom Hotels Corporation

The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative, descriptive case study analysis of a hotel company in Wisconsin that has implemented Quality Management in the operations and administration of its three full service hotel properties. The three questions addressed in this study were: (1) Why did Bergstrom Hotels choose to implement Quality Management? (2) How was Quality Management initiated and supported throughout the company? and (3) What were the results on employee productivity? The last case study question addressed the hypothesis that Quality Management would have the effect of increasing the levels of employee productivity in the lodging functions of the hotel(s). It also addressed the sub-hypothesis of the study which was that management has the ability to measure the productivity of its employees.;Information for the study was collected through the use of multiple sources of evidence. The first source involved semi-structured interviews conducted with Senior Management, Upper Management, Middle Management and Line Employees. The second source involved gathering documentation of quality team meeting minutes, completed project results and archival records of the company's turnover statistics, guest and employee satisfaction surveys.;The results indicated consistency in responses of all employees with regard to case study questions one and three. It was perceived that Quality Management was implemented because it was consistent with the values and beliefs of the President (of the company) and that implementation had a positive impact on the role and status of employees. Results of the study could not conclusively support either the hypothesis or sub-hypothesis. Productivity, as defined by Bergstrom Hotels, involved employee and guest satisfaction. These could not be measured based on the surveys provided by the company. The implications of this, along with recommendations for future research, were discussed.