Leadership styles and ethical decision-making in hospitality management

This study examined the ways in which hospitality leaders in Australia seek to influence others in the workplace. One hundred and thirty three hotel managers participated in this study, of which 91 provided answers to all questions. The results indicate that the prevailing leadership styles in Australia are a blend of Machiavellian and Bureaucratic styles and that variance in this choice correlates with the age of the respondent. That is, older managers are less inclined to use a utilitarian or rule-based ethical decision making style, and more inclined to embrace a social contract or personalistic ethic approach. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.