The role of knowledge sharing in hotel newcomer socialization: a formal intervention program

Purpose Hospitality managers face constant challenges in promoting hotel service principles such as innovation and flexibility to their new employees, as such knowledge is usually tacit in nature and hard to formalize. This study aims to suggest that this problem can be addressed by using a knowledge sharing group intervention. Specifically, the authors propose that knowledge sharing groups can enhance a newcomer's job clarity and positive work attitude by encouraging a stronger sense of perceived importance of and affection toward the hotel service principles. Design/methodology/approach The authors designed a three-month knowledge sharing program in a five-star hotel chain in Hong Kong. Newcomers were randomly assigned into an experimental group (knowledge sharing group) (N = 235) and a control group (N = 233). The authors tested all the hypotheses via path analyses using Mplus 8.0. Findings The results revealed that employees of the experimental group showed a stronger sense of importance of and affection toward the service principles, which in turn resulted in higher levels of job clarity, satisfaction and commitment and lower levels of turnover intention. Practical implications This research provides hotel managers with practical knowledge regarding sharing programs as key socialization intervention mechanisms. By triggering the employees' deeper understanding of hotel policy, this program can help hotels fortify high-quality service and develop realistic and useful materials for their future training activities. Originality/value Although hospitality scholars have consistently acknowledged the positive influence of knowledge sharing, field experimental research on the outcomes of knowledge management for the newcomer socialization process has been scanty. This study seeks to fill this gap by designing and testing a practical knowledge sharing intervention program in the hotel industry.