Authors: Evangelia Kasimati, Sophia Tsoukala

Title: The catalytic role of job satisfaction and management in increasing productivity in the public administration of tourism: The case of Greek Ministry of Tourism

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of job satisfaction and management in increasing productivity in the Public Administration of Tourism in Greece. The complex nature of tourism affects the human potential that shapes the Tourism policy. More specifically, the project focuses on the case of the Ministry of Tourism of Greece with geographical context of Attica. As the new concept of Public Management is that the role of public administration consists in offering services, the increase of civil servants΄s efficiency has strategic importance. The quantitative research, aiming to provide comparable data about the sample, uses a questionnaire with specific closed type questions. The forty responses (25% of the total target group) were collected during the period from December 2022 to March 2023. The present research contributes to the academic literature, concerning the field of Public Administration of Tourism as creates (i) suggestions for implementation of programs and policies that will enhance productivity and efficiency, (ii) questions of the different factors that affect performance in various environments and (iii) potential comparison with other countries or areas. Among the conclusions are: 1. the overall satisfaction of workplace is linked to job satisfaction and employee performance, 2. the participants consider that the facilities in which they work are not of high quality, 3. the possibility of choosing the working hours facilitates in the family and social obligations of the employees, 4. the majority of participants hold neutral beliefs about whether monetary benefits are satisfactory and whether overtime is adequately paid. The paper is original as it shows the catalytic importance of the organizational structure on increasing productivity. Our findings are expected to enhance the academic literature on the Greek public sector related to tourism.

Keywords: tourism, job satisfaction, productivity growth, public administration