WOMEN MANAGERS IN THE CROATIAN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Although the managements within the hospitality industry are absolutely dominated by men, women have made significant progress in obtaining some of the leading positions in hotel enterprises over the past decade.The style of leadership of female managers differs from that of male managers. Women regard leadership as a means of transforming the personal interests of the followers into the care and concern for the entire enterprise by using their communication skills, as well as their personal characteristics for motivating employees. This style of interactive leadership involves distributing information and power, inspiring participation and letting people know they are important. Contrary to this, men tend to view leadership as a series of transactions with subordinates. Men are more prone to apply resource controls and the authority of their position in motivating employees. In analyzing the advantages of the female approach to management, modern science has discovered that women as leaders are less autocratic, more aware of /susceptive to the importance and utilization of human potential, and better inclined to team work. The female manager is increasingly becoming more aware of her position in society, her potentials and her skills, and is demanding the appropriate recognition. However, she has not yet achieved an equal status, partly due to prejudice, and partly due to objective obstacles.Recent studies into styles of management place special emphasis on characteristics that are mainly female characteristics and that are considered essential to the new form of 21st century management called “female management”. This type of management is opposed to the so-called “male management” which features domination, agression, the neglection of emotions and the proposition that the end justifies the means.