Rola przywództwa w rozwoju polskich regionów turystycznych

Abstract

The development of Polish tourist regions faces problems resulting from both integral features of the region as a spatial economic system, but also delays resulting from not fully used marketing potential and spontaneous and not planned methods of their organization. The effective development of tourist regions depends, first of all, on their adaptability to constantly changing external conditions and responding to resulting from them challenges. In order to achieve this ability, subjects functioning in tourist regions should make partnerships to integrate reserves existing in the given region, such as capital, knowledge, experience in activity, administrative powers and others. However, cooperation of autonomic and equal status subjects is not easy. It is vital, then to find among all establishments, institutions and people involved in the development of tourism to find one subject (or subjects) which would be able to carry out a mission of organizing and mobilizing enough strength to achieve a common aim and to co-ordinate actions resulting in their accomplishment. A leader in the region cannot be appointed in “a top-down way”. This is the subject that is most aware of its own restrictions, individual resources in context of complementarity of supply and prospective profits resulting from mutual, integrated activity. Decisions or activities of the leader should be based on partnership relations with other institutions influencing the tourist offer of the region. It results from the rule of equal status, which means that no partner can uncompromisingly and uneconomically impose on others rules and principles of management in the development of tourism. The significance of the leader’s functioning in a tourist region can be presented by the identification of the tasks it has to face up to acting as a leading institution in the region. The first imperative is to increase the competitiveness of the tourist region. Specifying the above, it can be concluded that subsequent three tasks result from it: – determination to create an integrated product of the tourist region, – determination to achieve the compliance of individual tasks with develop-mental tasks of the whole region, – determination to develop tourism in the region in accordance with rules of equal development. While completing the tasks described above, the leader in the tourist region performs definite functions, which constitute the fullest characteristics of leadership’s functioning and give a picture of its significance for the development of the tourist region. Five of them can be listed as the most important: 1. A coordinating function (integrating), within which the leader helps subjects interact with each other, supports the unstable partnership structure and their involvement in initiatives for increasing the attractiveness of the region. The leader should stress the fact that each of the subjects contributes uniquely to the partnership group and the proper use of this contribution enables to achieve regional aims. This function also means preventing impediments and conflicts that may appear in the region. In this case, the leader must play a role of a mediator in order to reach a consensus on future activities. 2. An activating function (stimulating), within which the leader should motivate and inspire subjects creating tourist offers of the region to be fully operational. Higher attractiveness of the region does not stem from the fact that better subjects operate in the area but from the fact that the goal-oriented leader motivates them to function better and develop quicker. It can support its subjects by offering legal, marketing and organizational consultancy, providing them with the system of training, introducing the system of standardization of tourist services. The leader may also inspire others to increase their effectiveness in the indirect way by setting a good example as one of the most active subjects to be followed. 3. A project function (analytical) where the leader plays a significant role (which does not mean dominant in each case) in working out a vision of development of the tourist function in the region. It consist in designing the strategy of the region’s development (if the leading function of the region is the tourist function) or development plans in tourism sector (when tourist function is 61 not dominating), defining goals and pursuing the constant development of tourism. The ability of defining weak and strong points of the region, evaluating chances and threats in the surrounding and taking actions is of vital importance. 4. A representative function (acting as a delegate) where the leader as the best informed and influential subject represents the region in events or initiatives within the limits of the region or exceeding the boundaries of the region. The leader should be active in initiating and maintaining contact with central authorities and their representatives, staying in touch with regional subjects, negotiating with important investors. In other words, the leader plays a role of a spokesman of the region for competitive regions and tourists themselves. 5. An information function (research), penetrating all functions described above, where the leader constitutes the main base of activities in the region. That is why it must be perceived as a sender, receiver and coordinator of information flow between cooperating partners. Arranging formal and informal information channels in the region guarantees an integrated transmission of set messages of commercial and marketing significance. The vital role of the source is also to initiate activities to obtain statistical information about the size and structure of tourist movement and tourist expenses in the region. In times, when all economic decisions are preceded by market research; the lack of detailed data about customers and its own service potential practically inhibits effective functioning. The effective performing of the above discussed functions leads to the synergy effect. Due to it and as a result of cooperation of subjects, better economic effects and higher level of satisfying the requirements of tourists are achieved. It is higher than a total amount of individual activities of each of the subjects would come to if they functioned single-handed. An alternative to the leadership is a spontaneous development which is historically the oldest and the commonest (prevailing in case of Polish regions). It may lead to numerous conflict situations, impede relations between tourist functions and other functions of making use of the space in the region, bring about the poor coordination of activities of subjects involved in producing tourist offers and the conscious resignation from creating the integrated tourist product of the region.