Effects of Organizational Culture on Hotel Survivability: Evidence from Western Uganda
Main Article Content
Keywords
Hotel survivability, sustainability, adaptability, employee engagement, Western Uganda
Abstract
Uganda’s hotel industry continues to grapple with challenges such as underdeveloped organizational culture, ambiguous value systems, inconsistent operational procedures and limited talent retention mechanisms, all of which constrain organizational adaptability, competitiveness and threaten long-term survivability. However, limited research exists on strategically leveraging organizational culture as a technique to ensure long-term hotel survivability. This study therefore examines the effects of organizational culture on hotel survivability, focusing on evidence from hotels in Western Uganda. The study was grounded in the Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), developed by Teece, Pisano, and Shuen (1997). This study employed a convergent mixed methods research design underpinned by pragmatism. The target population comprised 400 hotel managerial staff in Western Uganda, from which a sample of 200 managers was drawn for the quantitative strand and 10 executives purposively selected for the qualitative strand. Stratified sampling guided the quantitative selection, while purposive sampling was applied to qualitative interviews. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data, and semi-structured interviews were used for qualitative data. To ensure the quality of the data, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to check for construct validity, and the Cronbach test was used to evaluate reliability. Descriptive and inferential analysis was performed on the quantitative data using SPSS v18.0 and AMOS v26. The qualitative data from the interviews was analyzed through thematic analysis. The results indicated that organizational culture significantly and positively impacts hotel survivability (β = 1.250, p = .004), suggesting that improvements in organizational culture meaningfully enhance hotels’ adaptive capacity, which in turn strengthens their long-term survivability prospects. The qualitative study highlighted sustainability, adaptability, and employee engagement as key dimensions for long-term resource renewal, swift market response, and effective organizational change execution. Strengthening these capabilities improves the competitiveness and survivability of hotels in western Uganda, allowing them to thrive in a dynamic hotel market. Hotel policy makers should prioritize building a resilient organizational culture by embedding sustainability, adaptability, and employee engagement into their strategic and operational frameworks. This study validates dynamic capability theory in growing hotel markets, offering practical insights for hotels in emerging markets to enhance performance and long-term survival through sustainability, adaptability, and employee engagement.
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Esther Nansamba , Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Kabale University, P.O Box 317-Kabale, Uganda
Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Kabale University, P.O Box 317-Kabale, Uganda
Jacqueline Korir , School of Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management, Department of Tourism Management Moi University, P.O Box 3900-30100, Eldoret
School of Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management, Department of Tourism Management Moi University, P.O Box 3900-30100, Eldoret
Brenda Uluma , Department of Tourism Management, School of Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management, Moi University, P.O, Box 3900-30100, Eldoret, Kenya
Department of Tourism Management, School of Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management, Moi University, P.O, Box 3900-30100, Eldoret, Kenya