Talent Engagement Approaches and Competitiveness Among Five Star Hotels in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to establish talent engagement approaches and competitiveness among five-star hotels in Nairobi city county, Kenya. Engagement is a heightened emotion and intellectual connection that talent has for their job, organisation, executives, or co-workers that influence them to apply additional discretionary effort to their work. Talent engagement is a challenge for many business organisations worldwide, as there is evidence that the number of employees giving full discretionary effort is falling. This has led to weak hospitality product diversification and differentiation in economies, including Kenya, which negatively impacts competitive advantage. The study adopted a quantitative research design. Respondents were talent and training executives upon whom structured questionnaires were administered. Data analysis was done using; descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation through Spearman’s Rank correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. A bivariate correlation between each approach of the talent engagement against competitiveness among five-star hotels in Nairobi City County revealed very weak and weak negative association except psychological contract. The results implied that hotels had not embraced talent engagement through an exclusive approach of talent management but through inclusive talent management which is basically human resources management. Multiple linear regressions analysis revealed that psychological contract was the most critical approach. The H_{0, ‘}there is no significant relationship between talent engagement approaches adopted, and competitiveness of five–star hotels in Nairobi City County’ was rejected.

Keywords: Talent Management, Talent, Engagement, Motivation, Commitment, and Competitiveness

DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/54-04

Publication date: February 28^th 2021