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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

               Copyright © 2024 Scott Springer and Katrina Milan 

  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

Events and Tourism Review                                     
 
December 2024                                                                                                                                          Volume 7 No. 1      

   

 

The Experiences of First-Time Managers at a Hawaii Tourist Destination 

 

 
Scott Springer 
 

Katrina Milan 
 

Brigham Young University—Hawaii 

Correspondence: scott.springer@byuh.edu (S. Springer) 

 

 
 

 

 

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Recommended Citation 

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Destination. Events and Tourism Review, 7(1), 1-17.  
 

 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

               Copyright © 2024 Scott Springer and Katrina Milan 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Abstract 

 

Hawaii is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Serving the millions of annual 

tourists to Hawaii are managers and supervisors who operate the tourist destinations frequented by 

these visitors. For this qualitative study, 17 individuals serving as first-time managers (FTMs) in a 

prominent tourist destination in Hawaii were interviewed to identify the challenges they faced in 

their transition into management roles and how they have overcome these challenges. The study also 

identified factors that help individuals better prepare for the transition from employees to first-time 

managers. 

 

Keywords: First-time Manager; Tourism; Hawaii; Manager Transition; Challenges 
 

 

Hawaii has long been viewed as a desirable global tourist location. Statistical data (Hawaiian 

Tourism Authority, 2023) subsequent to the COVID-19 pandemic shows 4,858,170 visitors landed 

at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Hawaii’s island of Oahu. Visitors have returned in 

large numbers since the pandemic. According to the Department of Business, Economic 

Development, and Tourism for Hawaii (DBEDT, 2023), more than 870,000 visitors arrived in 

Hawaii in December 2022, a total that represents 91.5 percent of the visitors in the same month in 

2019.     

Visitors to Hawaii come from all corners of the globe. The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA, 

2023) lists its eight Major Market Areas (MMA) as the U.S. West, the U.S. East, Japan, Canada, 

Europe, Oceania, Other Asia, and Latin America. In 2022, 4.5 million visitors arrived to Hawaii 

each year from the western United States; another 1.5 million arrived from Japan. As self-reported 

on in-flight surveys, the most common reason that visitors stay in Oahu, the most populous island of 

Hawaii, for more than two days is “vacation,” with secondary purposes of “anniversary/birthday” 

and “honeymoon”.  

In general, the most popular activities for tourists to Hawaii include eating at luaus, watching 

dance performances, visiting historical sites, hiking, participating in outdoor recreational adventures 

(such as all-terrain vehicles or skydiving), surfing, and visiting world-famous beaches. Of these 

activities, the most popular are high-adventure trips, culture and history related activities, and 

romantic escapades (Go Hawaii, no date). Tourism management serves a fundamental role in the 

popularity of these activities and growth of the number of visitors. In this article, we explore factors 

that influence effective hospitality and tourism management focused on the perspective of first-time 

managers. 

 

Purpose of the Study 

This study analyzed the experiences of 17 individuals serving as first-time managers (FTMs) 

in a prominent tourist destination in Hawaii. The study sought to answer the following research 

questions related to their employment at the Hawaii tourist destination: 

RQ1: What challenges did you face in your transition to a management role and how did you 

overcome them? 

RQ2: What factors would have helped you better prepare for the transition to a management 

role? 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

               Copyright © 2024 Scott Springer and Katrina Milan 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

This article will explore themes that developed from the data resulting from qualitative 

interviews with the 17 participants. Also, a set of recommendations will be provided to aid 

employees who make the transition to become first-time managers in the tourism industry. 

 

Study Location and Participants 

The location for this study was a popular tourist destination in Hawaii that provides visitors 

an inclusive experience about Oceania through cultural performances, food, and other cultural 

activities. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, this tourist destination welcomed approximately 1.3 

million visitors per year and employed up to 1,100 people. About 75% of the employees are students 

at a nearby university. The site of this study is identified in this article as Tourist Destination to 

ensure anonymity.  

All 17 participants for this study were serving in their first formal supervisory or 

management position of any type (not just their first supervisory position at the study site) during 

the time of data collection. The participants were selected for the study using quota sampling based 

on meeting the following criteria: a) they were currently employed as first-time managers or 

supervisors at the tourist site, b) they had been employed in their management positions for 24 

months or fewer, and c) they were willing to submit to two interviews conducted in English. Each 

participant signed a consent letter agreeing to participate in the study. Participants were selected 

using the purposive sampling method.  

Table 1 lists the participants in the study, their gender, job titles, and the number of months 

they had served as first-time managers at the time of data collection. 

 

Table 1. Participants in the Study 

Participant Pseudonym 

Participant 

Gender Job Title 

Months in 

Current Role 

1 Adam M Food Services Lead 6 

2 Ben M Entertainment Supervisor 4 

3 Christina F Entertainment Supervisor 2 

4 Dan  M Tour Guide Lead 3 

5 Emily F Luau Supervisor 10 

6 Faye F Customer Service Lead 12 

7 Gabby  F Concessions Assistant Manager 12 

8 Helen  F Custodial Supervisor 2 

9 Iris F Food Service Supervisor 18 

10 James M Tour Guide Lead 12 

11 Kai M Concessions Supervisor 3 

12 Luke M Food Services Manager 12 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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13 Marcus M Restaurant Supervisor 6 

14 Noah M Training and Development Manager 15 

15 Oscar M Retail Operations Manager 5 

16 Peter M HR Manager 14 

17 Rose F Food Production Assistant Manager 5 

 

Literature Review 

Literature related to the research questions answered by this study will be addressed in this 

section. The literature falls into two streams: a) challenges that FTMs generally face in their new 

managerial positions, and b) management issues related to hospitality and tourism. 

A number of articles have identified the challenges that FTMs face in their new positions. 

Among these are adjusting to people management, developing managerial and personal 

effectiveness, motivating others, conflict management, and communication (Gentry, Logan and 

Tonidandel, 2014). Unless FTMs are properly trained, they may be unprepared to face the 

responsibilities of their new roles (Schuler, Jackson and Tarique, 2011). FTMs in today’s workforce 

face challenges not seen in previous generations including technological advances and globalization 

(Hershatter and Epstein, 2010). However, FTMs have more opportunities to improve companies’ 

processes than did previous generations thanks to the improvement of information technology and 

quality control processes such as TQM, Lean, and Six Sigma (Harmon, 2010).  

Other studies in the literature focus on the stressors brought upon by leading others. These 

stressors include meeting the expectations of others, especially supervisors and direct reports (Park 

and Faerman, 2019) and changes in the FTM’s personal life such as work hours, sleep time, and 

family responsibilities (Watkins, 2012). Such challenges may increase the stress level of a FTM, 

causing emotional and even physical health to decline (Gentry, Logan and Tonidandel, 2014; Hay, 

2014).  

Companies can do much to help FTMs succeed in their new roles. One study indicates that 

FTMs have a better chance of succeeding in their new positions if they were given time to prepare 

for their responsibilities and gain some supervisory experience (Plakhotnik, 2017). The company’s 

culture and the process of delivering feedback also plays a significant role in a FTM’s successful 

transition into management. When the company’s culture and feedback delivery encourage 

contribution from FTM, the common “sink or swim” approach is eliminated. (Plakhotnik, 2017).  

Other articles have investigated management issues through the lens of hospitality and 

tourism. The hospitality and tourism industry revolves greatly around people. In this highly 

interactive industry, customers’ perception of high-quality service is greatly dependent on the 

interactions between guests and employees (Kandampully, Zhang and Jaakkola, 2017). Adequate 

training and encouragement from the management are vital for employees to optimize the guest 

experience. According to Sürücü, Maşlakcı, and Şeşen (2021), transformational leadership 

positively impacts the creative and innovative behaviors of tourism employees.  

Managers of hospitality and tourism face a number of challenges unique to the industry. A 

study conducted by Lohmann and von Bergner (2012) states that managers in global tourism find 

especially challenging the fields of globalization, tourism impact on nature, safeguarding 

destinations’ core values, adaptation, and managing tourism assets. According to Lekaota (2015), 

the negative attitudes and responses of external stakeholders, such as the local government and 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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residents, are seen to be another challenge faced by managers in the industry. Tourism managers 

need not only to connect with the guests and their own team but also to the local community of the 

destination. Involving the community in tourism planning and design is viewed as a responsibility of 

tourism managers and developers (Lekaota, 2015). 

Tourism managers must be trained to develop an awareness of complex situations and 

translate company policies into practice (McCool & Khumalo, 2015). In addition, researchers 

suggest that tourism managers must develop confidence in the abilities they hold as leaders (McCool 

and Khumalo, 2015; Weerakit and Beeton, 2018) and must encourage collaboration in the 

workplace (McCool and Khumalo, 2015). Sürücü, Maşlakcı, and Şeşen (2021) also emphasize the 

importance of building a team culture based on good relationships between leaders and members. In 

addition to requirements for successful management, developing a deeper and greater understanding 

of the customer attitude, demands, and experiences is vital (Lohmann and von Bergner, 2013).  

While previous research mentioned has extensively looked into the challenges and critical 

success elements of FTMs, very little research focused on FTMs in the hospitality and tourism 

industry has been conducted. Despite the increasing volume of literature on tourism management, 

there is limited research examining the transition tourism managers experienced in their first 

supervisory role. Furthermore, few studies have investigated the impact of multiculturalism in the 

challenges and successes faced by FTMs. Addressing these gaps are essential for developing a more 

inclusive understanding of the experiences of FTMs in the tourism industry. 

 

Method  

Each participant in the study was interviewed twice using a standard list of questions (see 

Appendix 1). The first interview consisted of a more specific list of questions that sought to 

understand the background, transition to management, challenges experienced, successes, and 

preparation in moving into management of the participants. The second interview consisted of 

follow-up questions based on the participants’ responses from the initial interview. This ensured the 

validity and accuracy of the data coded. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then coded 

using first- and second-coding methods described by Saldaña (2013) to identify relevant themes 

from the data. Some interviews were conducted in person; others were conducted through video 

technology. All interviews were conducted between January 2020 and May 2021. 

 

Findings and Discussion 

The first and second research questions of this study address the challenges of moving into 

management and the potential solutions to overcoming these challenges. Each of the 17 participants 

shared at least one challenge in becoming a first-time manager. These challenges can be grouped 

into two categories: a) general challenges of moving into management, and b) challenges for a first-

time manager that are unique to the Hawaii tourist destination where all were employed at the time 

of data collection. These findings specific to the Hawaii tourist location may be particularly relevant 

for FTMs in other tourist destinations around the world.  

This section will conclude with details from the participants about what factors would have 

helped them transition more effectively into management. Anecdotes and direct quotations from the 

participants interviewed will be shared throughout this section. Pseudonyms are used to maintain 

participant anonymity.  

General Challenges. A person moving from line employee to a management or supervisory 

role typically faces similar challenges in the transition, irrespective of the industry. Some of these 

challenges are discussed in studies mentioned in the literature review (see for example, Hershatter 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

               Copyright © 2024 Scott Springer and Katrina Milan 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

and Epstein, 2010; Harmon, 2010; Watkins, 2012; Gentry, Logan and Tonidandel, 2014; Hay 2014; 

and Park and Faerman, 2019). The participants of this study shared additional challenges they have 

faced in their transitions to management roles. The challenges most frequently mentioned by 

participants in this study were as follows: a) insufficient managerial training, b) a lack of respect 

from peers due to youthfulness, c) supervising peers and friends, and d) learning to involve team 

members in decision making. These four themes are summarized into Table 2. 

 

Table 2. General Challenges of FTMs 

 Themes Supporting Data 

General 

Challenges 

Lack of Training Received no training in managing a team 

“I needed help, but I was not given any—I was just thrown 

out there with, ‘OK, go figure it out,’ and I didn’t know A 

from B.” 

Boss told them to “Just do it," instead of providing 

training. 

Youthfulness Most significant challenge was “being underestimated by 

older managers who judge you for who you are and what 

you did in the past instead of what you can become.” 

Peers not respecting her due to age 

Struggled “being a young manager in a division in which 

there are so many great senior managers.” 

Supervising Peers Experienced difficulty in supervising friends and former 

peers 

“They didn’t really take me seriously.” 

“Before I was a lead, I liked being friends with [my 

employees]. So this has been hard for me to handle the 

people that I supervise.” 

Encountered problems with managing his team when his 

promotion caused him to skip over other management 

positions. 

Relationships with 

Employees 

Establishing meaningful relationships with employees was 

challenging 

Improved relationships with employees through regularly 

conducted one-on-one meetings 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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"I am so connected to the employees and making sure they 

are successful.” 

Focusing on leadership development has strengthened her 

relationship with her team members. 

 

Lack of Training. A prominent challenge mentioned by the FTM participants in the study 

was a lack of training in management responsibilities before supervising others. Prior to becoming a 

tour guide lead, James had no experience in creating a team dynamic, developing team goals, and 

dealing with relationship issues that arise in team management, and he received no training in these 

areas when he started his job. He has learned to handle these challenges by learning from others. His 

strategy is simple: “Never be afraid to ask people questions,” he shared. Helen had served in other 

non-supervisory roles at the study site but had no experience or expertise in the responsibilities of 

serving as custodial supervisor. “I needed help,” she said. “But I was not given any—I was just 

thrown out there with, ‘OK, go figure it out,’ and I didn’t know A from B.” Dan, a tour guide lead in 

his first three months supervising others, also did not receive training in management. Instead of 

providing training, Dan’s boss led by telling others, “Just do it.” This lack of direction drove Dan to 

improve. “At the end of the day, I can tell people that I survived. … This is good motivation for 

me.” 

This lack of training prompted some participants in the study to develop the skills of seeking 

guidance from others. James of the guest services department emphasized the importance of 

accepting help from his employees. It is critical, he said, that he learned to “let them help me out, 

because this is not my department, it is our department.”  Peter, a HR manager, believes the 

involvement of every worker is necessary for making group decisions. Seeking the honest input of 

employees often generates conflicting opinions about the matter. To resolve this conflict, he said,  

that usually involves getting somebody else into the conversation. We may call our 

director and say, “Hey, let’s get you in on this and see what you think.” Or, I try to 

get my supervisor involved. So you really kind of bring people into the conversation. 

This really helps us deal with situations. 

 

Youthfulness. Another challenge related to youthfulness, both in age and in experience level. 

Many of the participants of the study were in their 20s and worked with managers and directors 

much older than them. This youthfulness sometimes caused problems and frustrations. For example, 

Noah, a training and development manager in the HR department, shared his most significant 

challenge in his first 15 months as a manager was “being underestimated by older managers who 

judge you for who you are and what you did in the past instead of what you can become.” His 

solution to overcoming this challenge is to “try to understand their point of view, their perspective, 

and how they are seeing the changes.” Gabby, a concessions assistant manager with one year in the 

role, shared similar frustrations with peers not respecting her due to her age. This may be a 

consequence of working in a high-functioning department. She said she has struggled “being a 

young manager in a division in which there are so many great senior managers.” 

Supervising Peers. A common challenge shared by participants was that of supervising 

peers. This challenge was heightened by the fact that the majority of employees at Tourist 

Destination are university students of a similar age; thus, many FTMs interviewed for the study 

were previously friends and colleagues with their direct reports. Adam, a food services lead with six 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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months in the role, was one who supervised friends and former peers. This made it difficult to give 

instructions and directions to his team. For example, he tried unsuccessfully in his first several 

weeks to have his team members move quickly to close up the food establishment so everyone could 

go home together. “They didn’t really take me seriously,” he said. As he started to “be firm, to be 

serious” with his team members, they began to respect his authority and respond to his directions 

more positively. Marcus faced similar problems supervising peers in his six months as a restaurant 

supervisor. He shared, “Before I was a lead, I liked being friends with [my employees]. So this has 

been hard for me to handle the people that I supervise.” His problems were alleviated, at least in 

part, by applying the motto to “always be friends with them and never regard [the management 

position] as power.” Kai, a marketing supervisor, stated that he encountered problems with 

managing his team when his promotion caused him to skip over other management positions. He 

said, “The leader right now that we have is my lead. She was my lead when I was a regular 

employee, and now that I’m supervisor, she’s still the lead.” 

Relationships with Employees. A final challenge that emerged frequently from the data is 

that of learning to establish meaningful relationships with employees. Several participants (Emily, 

Helen, Iris, & Luke) shared that they have learned to do this through one-on-one meetings and 

interviews. According to Iris, a supervisor in the custodial department, the regularly conducted 

individual meetings with employees provided managers with a way through which they can seek 

feedback and ideas from their front-line employees. In addition, Emily, a luau supervisor of 10 

months, stated that these meetings allowed her to establish personal goals with her team members. 

Gabby said she considered her biggest area of success in being a manager as “training the workers 

on how to become leaders.” She told how her previous manager instilled in her the importance of 

leadership development, which is “why I am so connected to the employees and making sure they 

are successful.” She reported that this focus on leadership development has strengthened her 

relationship with her team members. 

Challenges Specific to Tourism. Many of the challenges shared by the participants were 

unique to the tourist destination in Hawaii where the study took place. These challenges may be 

similar to those faced by FTMs at other tourist locations. They include the following challenges: a) 

addressing problems arising from guests and visitors, b) collaborating with upper management, c) 

dealing with language and cultural difficulties, and d) working with limited resources. These four 

themes are summarized into Table 3. 

 

Table 3. Challenges Specific to Tourism Faced by FTMs. 

  

Themes Supporting Data 

Challenges 

Specific to 

Tourism 

Guests and Visitors. Staff shortage during periods of high visitors. 

“I have to distribute everyone so we have enough workers 

in the areas and places we need,” 

Inventory shortage during high visitors counts 

Entertaining guests while food is cooking as "one of the 

biggest challenges" encountered 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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"A lot of movement in food and labor” to feed up to 2000 

guests 

Collaborating with 

Upper Management 
Inconsistent implementation of policy changes that are 

not well-communicated 

Struggled to align “with what upper management wants to 

see and have happen with what we are able to do with the 

performers we have.” 

Felt underappreciated and overworked by the demands of 

upper management 

Culture and 

Language 

“In the beginning, I had a lot to learn about these cultures. 

Embracing the cultures has really helped me have an open 

mind to everything.” 

Diverse cultural backgrounds impacting different methods 

employees are motivated 

“Choose the right words to say so they aren’t going to be 

offensive.” 

Limited Resources Complained of a small department budget, an undersized 

staff, and outdated technology 

Staffing shortage and equipment issues as the top most 

challenging aspects of new managerial post 

 

Guests and Visitors. A common theme faced by the FTMs in the study was the challenge of 

solving issues that involve the guests and visitors to the tourist location. While guest-facing issues 

are always present in tourism, the responsibility of problem solving these issues often falls upon 

those line managers such as the FTMs in this study.   

Despite welcoming more than 1 million visitors per year, the study site experiences the usual 

highs and lows common in the tourism industry. During periods of high visitors, the study site 

occasionally runs short of workers, a problem that Iris, a food services supervisor, deals with first 

hand. “I have to distribute everyone so we have enough workers in the areas and places we need,” 

she shared. Iris’s team frequently runs out of food, too, during high visitor counts. Guests still need 

to be entertained while the food is cooking. “This is one of the biggest challenges that I have 

encountered.” Throughout her 18 months in a managerial role, Iris has successfully lobbied her 

manager to hire workers during the peak seasons (such as summer) to offset the staffing shortages. 

And with “proper coordination with the kitchen, we don’t run out of food,” she said.  

Handling large volumes of food was the biggest challenge Luke faced as food services 

manager in his first year supervising others. Prior to working at the study site, Luke felt comfortable 

serving crowds of guests, having managed small buffets for several restaurants. But feeding up to 

2,000 guests per day at the study site represented “ a lot of movement in food and labor,” he said. 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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“Getting people to understand that movement is a bit of a challenge.” Relying on his coworkers 

helped him juggle the stressful and demanding responsibilities. His coworkers, whom he described 

as “people that were committed to the restaurant and to high standards,” knew what was expected of 

them, they lived up to these expectations, “and they did it from the heart.” 

Collaborating with Upper Management. Serving hundreds or thousands of guests per day 

requires extensive and effective communication between upper management and line supervisors 

and managers. If policy changes are not well communicated down the organization, for example, 

those responsible for implementing these new practices will not implement them consistently. This 

is especially demanding on the supervisors who oversee this work. Emily expressed that she felt 

frustrated that negative customer reviews would trace back to her team members, and, as a result, 

reflect poorly on her work as their supervisor. Any negative reviews are concerning, of course, but 

the lack of direct control over the situations causing the negative experiences weighed heavily on 

her as a FTM. “I am not the one interacting with the guests. I am supervising people,” she lamented. 

She reported that holding more regular one-on-one meetings with her team members helped close 

this gap and bring her closer to solving the issues that may have triggered the negative reviews. 

Ben’s most significant managerial challenge as an entertainment supervisor also related to 

upper management. He shared that he struggled to align “with what upper management wants to see 

and have happen with what we are able to do with the performers we have.” Taxing him further, 

Ben’s team members often waned in energy and motivation “because we do the same show each 

night and it can be tiresome and repetitive sometimes.” Feeling underappreciated and overworked 

by the demands of upper management worsened this situation for Ben as their supervisor. He 

reported that his tactic was to “look out for the dancers” as best he could. “I want them to know that 

I am there to advocate for them to upper management so there is greater understanding.” 

Culture and Language. Hawaii is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse states in 

the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2022), Hawaii has a population of more 

than 1.4 million people, of which 25.3 percent are White, 36.8 percent are Asian, 10.5 percent are 

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and 25 percent are two or more races. This diversity 

also applies to the study site. Tourist Destination employs individuals from multiple Pacific Island 

and Asian countries, along with employees from Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. In addition to 

welcoming visitors from all over the world, hundreds of Tourist Destination’s employees are 

originally from a variety of countries throughout the Asian Rim and Oceania. Several FTMs in the 

study reported that team communication, always important in the tourism industry, proved 

especially difficult in this multicultural environment. Gabby from California noted the 

multiculturalism in the management team as well as in her own staff. “In the beginning, I had a lot 

to learn about these cultures,” she observed. “Embracing the cultures has really helped me have an 

open mind to everything.”  

Faye, working as a customer service lead at Tourist Destination, stated that leading 

individuals from diverse backgrounds posed challenges for her different personalities of employees 

resulting in different methods they are motivated. In addition to diverse personalities is the 

employees’ culturally diverse backgrounds. Being aware and learning this plays a big part in the 

food and beverage department as they interact with guests from all over the world. Adam, a food 

services lead, expressed his lack of confidence in his communication ability because he is not a 

native English speaker. He said it was especially difficult as an FTM to “choose the right words to 

say so they aren’t going to be offensive.” 

Limited Resources. Managing with limited resources is difficult for FTMs at any 

organization, including at one of the top tourist attractions in Hawaii where the study took place. 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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Peter, a human resources manager of 14 months, complained of a small department budget, an 

undersized staff, and outdated technology. Rose, an assistant manager in food production, identified 

staffing shortage and equipment issues as the top most challenging aspects of her new managerial 

post. These comments from Peter and Rose echoed those of other participants who shared that 

managing with limited resources increased the stress on already demanding jobs. Peter found the 

most useful strategy for overcoming resource issues was to consult with his team. “A lot of times I 

will get stuck on something and I will go ask them and say, ‘Well, this is going on. What do you 

think? If you were in this situation, how would you handle it?’”  

Preparing for Management. Nearly all the participants of this study shared ideas on how 

they might have prepared more effectively for a management position. Three factors in particular 

emerged from the data: a) a need for more management training, b) a desire for practical experience 

in management, and c) the importance of developing certain personal characteristics suitable for 

management. Although the participants spoke specifically of their experiences at Tourist 

Destination, these lessons about preparing employees for management responsibilities may apply to 

other tourism locations, as well. These three factors are summarized into Table 4.  

 

Table 4. Factors that Might Have Prepared FTMs for Management 

  

Factors Supporting Data 

Preparing for 

Management 

Management 

Training 
“More training on having faith in myself as a manager” 

Wished for training in “being more confident.” 

Training in time management 

Needed training in “not being afraid of communication” 

Training in delegation and “how to approach [my 

employees], the way I tell them, and when I tell them.” 

Practical Experience Wished to start in a lower (related) position and gain the 

experience needed before promotion 

wanted direct exposure to the administrative side of the 

business before moving into management 

“If I had known how things run and what purpose they 

have then, it would have been easier for me to understand 

and learn it on my own now.” 

Wanted to shadow other managers to “do what a leader 

does before becoming a leader." 

Desired to have been assigned a formal mentor 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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Personal 

Characteristics 
Wished he had learned better “how to take counsel.” 

Learning humility in interacting with employees 

“If you don’t trust yourself, you won’t be able to see your 

potential.” 

Recognizing your strengths as a leader 

 

Management Training. The most commonly stated factor for a more successful transition to 

management at Tourist Destination was additional supervisory training. This desire for training 

correlates with earlier finding that a top challenge for Tourist Destination employees is insufficient 

managerial training. 

Participants offered specific areas where training would have been helpful before they 

assumed their supervisory responsibilities. Noah wanted “more training on having faith in myself as 

a manager” while Gabby wished for training in “being more confident.”  Christina, an entertainment 

supervisor in her first two months in the position, could have used training in time management, and 

how to “treat everyone equally and not favor some people.” Helen said she needed training in “not 

being afraid of communication” with her employees. Similarly, Faye desired training in delegation, 

specifically “how to approach [my employees], the way I tell them, and when I tell them.” Oscar, a 

retail operations manager of 5 months, also wished he had received training in delegation. Only 

through personal experience did he learn that “sometimes you have to let your employees make 

mistakes and let them figure it out.” 

A more proactive approach to training may also have helped some participants. Peter, the 

HR manager, admitted he could have been more proactive in his own training. He said he would 

have benefited from researching HR processes, laws, and regulations before leading his HR 

department. He added, “I wish I had taken more time to really research and find things on my own 

instead of just trying to wait for my manager to tell me.”  

Practical Experience. Several FTM participants said they wished they had been afforded 

opportunities to gain practical, hands-on experience in management and supervisory prior to 

assuming their leadership roles. Emily lamented that she didn’t start in a lower (related) position and 

gain the experience needed before her promotion to luau supervisor. Rose, a food production 

assistant manager with 5 months in the role, wanted direct exposure to the administrative side of the 

business before moving into management because “if I had known how things run and what purpose 

they have then, it would have been easier for me to understand and learn it on my own now.” 

Christina, an entertainment supervisor, shared similar sentiments: 

“When I first starting working [before becoming a supervisor], I did not really pay 

attention to all the simple things because I thought, ‘This is my role; I can just focus 

on one thing because other people are taking care of that part of the job.’ But 

looking back and being in this position, those simple things I should have paid 

attention to.” 

Kai, just 3 months into his job as concessions supervisor, said it would have helped him to 

shadow other managers so he could “do what a leader does before becoming a leader” himself. Ben 

wished he had been assigned a formal mentor because “if you have nobody to teach you what to do, 

there is no way you can figure it out.” 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

               Copyright © 2024 Scott Springer and Katrina Milan 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

 

 

Personal Characteristics. Preparation for management is also aided by the acquisition of 

certain personal characteristics suitable for supervisory responsibilities. The FTMs in the study 

identified several that would have especially benefited them in their transition to management. The 

food services manager Luke wished he had learned better “how to take counsel.” Rose echoed this 

idea. After a negative interaction with one of her employees, Rose received advice from a senior 

manager to “eat humble pie and go speak with that employee.” However, she admitted, “I struggle 

with this. I don’t want to eat humble pie.” Marcus commented that an important characteristic is 

learning to trust oneself because “if you don’t trust yourself, you won’t be able to see your 

potential.” Ben, an entertainment supervisor, emphasized that his move to management would have 

gone more smoothly if he had learned to more quickly recognize his strengths as a leader. He added: 

It’s easy to get into the mentality that you are inadequate or unqualified. When you 

are suggested or asked to be a manager, though, it means that there is something that 

is seen in your something that you have to offer. So that helps with the preparation 

knowing that. 

 

Recommendations and Conclusion 

 

The purpose of this study was to understand the challenges faced by FTMs at a Hawaii-

based tourist attraction along with some of the factors that would have helped them prepare more 

effectively for their managerial roles. Findings suggest that transitioning into a management position 

for the first time inevitably brings several difficulties including a lack of training in the 

responsibilities as supervisors, building relationships with team members, and effective 

communication. This section contains three recommendations on how to better prepare FTMs for 

their positions in various areas of tourism.  

The first recommendation is to develop a training program focused on industry knowledge 

and soft-skills development. It is evident that to better prepare managers, prospective or new 

supervisors must be aided with sufficient training, especially in the early stages of their transition. It 

has been acknowledged that tourism managers must be trained to translate company policies into 

practice, even in complex situations (McCool & Khumalo, 2015). When proper training is received 

by tourism managers, customers are not only more likely to revisit the destination but are also more 

likely to provide word of mouth marketing (Ozturk & Gogtas, 2015).  

It is recommended that tourism organizations focus on the following main areas in curating 

training programs: 

1. Industry knowledge training 

Staffing shortages, inefficient movement of inventory, and dependence of the business on 

peak/off seasons are only a few of the industry challenges mentioned by the FTMs. A manager 

transitioning from being a front-line employee requires a clear understanding of these challenges in 

order to make suitable administrative decisions. In addition, hospitality and tourism companies have 

a standard of excellence that needs to be met. Learning and frequently reviewing the organization’s 

standards of excellence as well as becoming familiar with the nature of the hospitality and tourism 

industry is crucial for a new manager’s success.  

2. Soft skills development 

It has been acknowledged that successful hospitality managers need key soft skills such as 

self-confidence and self-awareness that influence their drive and behavior (Weber et al., 2020). 

Specific skills mentioned by FTM participants in this study include communication, confidence, 

trust and relationship building, taking criticism, decision-making, and delegating. Tourism 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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organizations might consider incorporating these components as they create or identify training 

programs that are most suitable for their departments. 

The second recommendation is to promote a culture of collaboration and inclusion in the 

workplace. This can be done through holding regular one-on-one meetings among FTMs and their 

team members and among FTMs and their superiors. Such meetings allow feedback to come to the 

surface. Because feedback is most advantageous to an organization when it is from someone with a 

high level of knowledge and expertise in the field (Lechermeier & Fassnacht, 2018), FTMs must 

meet with their front-line employees to communicate industry-specific challenges. After all, front-

line employees interact most frequently with guests and are therefore more knowledgeable with 

guests’ buying behavior. One-on-one meetings also increase employee engagement in and 

commitment to the organization, as the data from the interviews at Tourist Destination indicate. 

These meetings are excellent forums for allowing employees to participate in the decision-making 

process of policies that affect them (Amin et al., 2014). Furthermore, policy changes are better 

communicated and implemented through one-on-one meetings. 

In addition, it is recommended that tourism organizations, including the chosen study site, 

continue to focus on training their managers to adapt to issues involving cultural diversity. This may 

be met through cultural workshops that emphasize appropriate ways of communicating and 

motivating employees in the context of culture. Such cultural workshops may be helpful in training 

FTMs to foster a culture of inclusion where both they and the people they are leading feel supported 

and appreciated. 

The last recommendation is to create a mentorship program for prospective FTMs. Multiple 

participants interviewed expressed a desire for direct exposure to the management position or to be 

able to shadow a mentor prior to receiving the manager position. Findings of this study show that 

while FTMs often learn their duties and “figure it out” after some time, they would have preferred 

that they were supported by their superiors in the demands of their new role. This is consistent with 

a previous study by Tughra (2018) indicating that FTMs believe they could have been more efficient 

with handling their challenges if they had received sufficient support from their superiors. A 

carefully designed mentorship program can enable pre-selected FTMs to shadow a superior prior to 

moving into the role of manager, encouraging a smoother transition. The intention behind such a 

mentorship arrangement is to help FTMs feel more prepared or confident in their roles. 

 Overall, FTMs of Tourist Destination in Hawaii faced field-related and interpersonal 

struggles due to their lack of readiness for their first management positions. The recommendations 

above provide potential solutions applicable not only to tourism organizations in Hawaii, but also in 

other parts of the world. Talent, time, and resources are maximized when hospitality and tourism 

organizations invest in programs to support new managers. 

 

Limitations & Further Research 

The main limitation of this study is its singular study location. While the findings and 

recommendations presented have relevance to all FTMs in any industry, some variables such as 

language barriers and multiculturalism in the workforce in the study are unique to Tourist 

Destination. Extending the study to other locations would be helpful to determine how these 

recommendations translate to other industries and geographical destinations. 

Because the data was collected through interviews, another limitation may be the data’s 

subjectivity to respondent bias which could impact the accuracy of information. In future studies, 

this can be avoided by having each participant be interviewed by multiple interviewers. Using 

quantitative surveys on top of interviews can also help participants describe their experiences. 

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

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Events and Tourism Review Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024), 1-17, DOI: 10.18060/27804                                                                                                  

               Copyright © 2024 Scott Springer and Katrina Milan 

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Appendix 1: Standard List of Questions 

 

The following questions were asked of all participants in the interviews: 

 

Background Questions: 

● What is your current title? 

● How long have you served as a manager? 

● How many employees report to you directly? 

● To whom do you report? List the title of this person. 

● Over which areas do you have direct control as a manager? 

● Over which areas do you have no control as a manager? 

 

Transition to Management: 

● Describe the process that led to you becoming a manager. 

● What motivated you to become a manager? 

● What expectations did you have going into your management position? 

● What were your concerns about transitioning into a management role? 

● How would you describe your experience so far as a first-time manager? 

·    

Challenges of Management 

● Describe the challenges you have faced as a first-time manager. 

● What has helped you address or resolve these challenges? 

·    

Successes of Management 

● Describe the areas in which you believe you have most succeeded as a first-time 

manager. 

● To what do you credit these successes? 

·    

Preparation for Management 

● How useful has your education been in preparing you for a management position? 

● How much support do you receive from your current manager and from the 

organization in your managerial position? 

● Looking back, what would have helped you better prepare to become a manager? 

·    

Conclusion 

● What else would you like to mention about your experiences as a first-time manager 

that I have not asked in this interview? 
 

        

 

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