How Do HRD Interventions Influence Adaptive Performance: A Case Study of Island Hotels in the Gambia

Abstract

In Small Island tourism destinations, hotel employees are affected by seasonal factors, resource limitations, and disruptions. These factors make adaptive performance an essential but inadequately studied aspect. This paper examines the impact of Human Resource Development (HRD) interventions on adaptive performance competency in island hotels in The Gambia. The qualitative case study examines the significance of formal learning, experiential learning, mentoring, and participatory learning in enhancing employees’ adaptability to evolving customer demands and enhancing service delivery. The results indicate that adaptive performance is more about contextually embedded, socially facilitated HRD practices, which emphasize experiential learning, problem-solving, and collective sense-making, and less about traditional training practices. Informal relationship-based interventions, especially social learning and mentoring practices, play an important role in mitigating the institutional and resource-related challenges that are prevalent in island hotels. This study contributes to the theoretical framework of adaptive performance by applying it to the field of hospitality in emerging destinations and provides valuable insights for the development of destination-specific HRD practices that can help enhance workforce resilience and service quality.