Talent management and unions: The impact of the New Zealand hotel workers union on talent management in hotels (1950-1995)

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the Hotel Workers Union and its impact on talent management in the New Zealand hospitality sector using the corporatist framework drawing primarily on the works of Schmitter (1979) to construct a critical, historical employment relations approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this paper were gathered as part of a history of employment relations in the New Zealand hotel sector from 1955 to 2000. The main methods were, namely, semi-structured interviews and archival research.

Findings

This study found a historical employment environment of multiple actors in the employment relationship, with hotel unions playing a more complex and nuanced role to influence talent management in the New Zealand hotel sector. The paper suggests that neither the hotel union nor employers effectively addressed talent management challenges in this sector.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes detailed empirical knowledge about historical relationships between hotel unions and talent management issues in New Zealand.

Originality/value

The paper argues that applying a corporatist perspective to the history of the Hotel Workers Union and the issues of talent management that result from that history provides a unique and insightful contribution to the field

Citation

Williamson, D. and Harris, C. (2019), "Talent management and unions: The impact of the New Zealand hotel workers union on talent management in hotels (1950-1995)", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 31 No. 10, pp. 3838-3854. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2018-0877