The contribution of knowledge forms to career success : the case of hospitality managers

M.A.Abstract: Career success is the goal of any individual in order for them to achieve career growth, future perspectives, recognition, and satisfaction in their working life. Factors that contribute to career success depends on accessing three knowledge forms, and the individual’s ability to use these knowledge forms as a means to facilitate success. These knowledge forms are academic, self and career. The study investigates these knowledge forms, and determines how each contributes to career success for hospitality managers within the hospitality sector. Hospitality managers may be identified as individuals who occupy supervisory or management positions within the hospitality sector (Kavanaugh and Ninemeier, 2007:3-28). The study argues that a full complement of access to, and use of, these knowledge forms are imperative to any career success. The working environment within the hospitality sector is continuously changing in terms of knowledge requirements for success (Albion and Fogarty, 2002:03). These changes require an individual to have a well-constructed level of knowledge in each of the knowledge forms in order to align with the demands of career success within the sector (Tews and Van Hoof, 2011:126). Hospitality managers should know the level of awareness, which is required in each knowledge form that would contribute to success in their career (Tews and Van Hoof, 2011:127). The objective of the study is to determine whether and how each of the knowledge forms contributes to career success in hospitality management. The study used a mixed-method explanatory sequential design, where the quantitative research phase was conducted by purposively distributing a structured questionnaire with close-ended questions to 140 hospitality managers. The sample was divided into 70 hospitality managers who have left the hospitality sector and 70 hospitality managers who still work in the sector. All of the questionnaires (100%) were returned from each group of managers, and it was hence deemed adequate to further design a qualitative research phase. The qualitative research phase used 5% of the participants from the quantitative research phase to conduct semi-structured interviews with open-..