Metacognitive cultural intelligence and service delivery at casual dining restaurants in Bloemfontein

Abstract

Orientation: Workplace diversity and intercultural interaction are undisputed realities in the new world of work. This is especially true for casual dining restaurants that are labour intensive and customer-oriented, catering for culturally diverse patrons.

Research purpose: The study investigated the impact of perceived metacognitive cultural intelligence of service staff on the service delivery experiences of customers at casual dining restaurants.

Motivation for the study: There is a dearth of research that explores the cultural intelligence of hospitality service staff in the South African context.

Research approach/design and method: A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of 403 customers at casual dining restaurants in Bloemfontein, using QuestionPro. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to examine the relationships between the variables.

Main findings: Statistically significant negative relationships were recorded between metacognitive cultural intelligence and all the service delivery constructs. Metacognitive cultural intelligence was found to have a medium predictive power towards responsiveness and assurance as part of the service delivery construct.

Practical/managerial implications: Due to the complexity of the cultural intelligence construct, the study only focused on metacognitive cultural intelligence and its impact on the service delivery experiences of casual dining patrons. The findings showed service staff lacked metacognitive cultural intelligence, hence affecting all the areas of service delivery. There is thus a persistent need for training and developing intercultural competencies.

Contribution/value-add: Despite current emphasis on diversity management and cultural intelligence, the findings of the study revealed that service staff are not adequately prepared for intercultural interactions.