Facing the era of smartness: constructing a framework of required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners

Abstract

Purpose

Concerning the emergence of Industry 4.0 and the concept of “smartness”, the technology competence of hospitality practitioners that was previously neglected and overlooked should be explored. Therefore, this study aims to explore previous hospitality technology competence through a literature review and then to extend, strengthen and build a new framework of the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners in terms of facing smartness.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the previous research on the characteristics of the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners, this study carried out a systematic literature review (SLR) on works published from 2011 to 2020. Then, based on the SLR results, the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners in terms of facing smartness was explored with 26 experts from the government, industry and academia. The data were analysed through thematic analysis based on the perspectives of task–technology fit, and then, the framework was constructed.

Findings

This study reconfirmed that technology competence has been neglected in the previous hospitality competence literature and that the current methods and ways of thinking cannot succeed in this smart era. Moreover, based on fundamental technology competence, a new framework with ten dimensions of technology competencies required for hospitality practitioners in terms of facing smartness was created.

Originality/value

This study identified the required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners, an area that has rarely been addressed in the previous literature. Moreover, specific competencies, especially those needed to face this smart era, are urgent and novel in the academic hospitality field.

面向智能时代的智能性：为酒店从业人员构建一项包含所需技术能力的理论框架

研究目的

关于工业4.0的出现和“智慧”的概念, 酒店从业者的技术能力在前人研究中经常被探索和忽视。 因此, 本研究旨在通过文献回顾, 然后扩展、加强和建立酒店从业人员在面对智能方面所需的技术能力的新框架来探索以前的酒店技术能力。

研究设计/方法/途径

为了调查之前关于酒店从业人员所需技术能力特征的研究, 本研究对 2011 年至 2020 年发表的作品进行系统文献综述 (SLR)。然后, 根据 SLR 结果, 酒店从业人员在面对来自政府、行业和学术界的 26 位专家关于智能进行了探讨。 基于任务-技术契合度 的视角, 通过主题分析和对数据进行分析, 然后构建框架。

研究结果

本研究再次证实, 在以往的酒店能力文献中, 技术能力一直被忽视, 当前的方法和思维方式无法在这个智能时代取得成功。 此外, 在基础技术能力的基础上, 本研究创建了酒店从业者面对智慧所需的十个维度技术能力的新框架。

研究原创性/价值

本研究确定了酒店从业人员所需的技术能力, 这是以前文献中很少涉及的领域。 此外, 特定的能力, 尤其是面对这个智能时代所需的能力, 在酒店管理的学术领域是紧迫而新颖的。

Citation

Hsu, H. and Tseng, K.-F. (2022), "Facing the era of smartness: constructing a framework of required technology competencies for hospitality practitioners", Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 500-526. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-04-2021-0120