An Organizational Ecology Approach to the Tourism Industry: A Generalist–Specialist Perspective

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the tourism industry through an organizational ecology approach by identifying the characteristics, environmental conditions, competitive dynamics, and strategic implications of generalist and specialist orientations among four- and five-star hotels in Tehran, Iran. This qualitative study was conducted among managers of four- and five-star hotels in Tehran, Iran. Participants were selected using purposive sampling based on their managerial experience, familiarity with hotel operations, and knowledge of competitive and environmental conditions in the tourism industry. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 hotel managers, and recruitment continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The interviews addressed service diversity, target markets, competitive positioning, resource dependence, environmental uncertainty, organizational flexibility, specialization, and adaptation strategies. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Coding and analysis were conducted iteratively through continuous comparison within and across interviews, development of conceptual categories, examination of contrasting cases, and refinement of relationships among niche breadth, organizational strategy, and environmental conditions. The analysis indicated that generalist and specialist orientations represented two distinct but dynamic ecological responses to market and environmental conditions. Generalist hotels were inferred to possess greater resilience under heterogeneous and unstable demand because diversified customer groups and service portfolios reduced dependence on individual market segments. However, this advantage was accompanied by greater managerial complexity and resource coordination requirements. Specialist hotels demonstrated stronger differentiation, clearer organizational identity, focused resource allocation, and closer alignment with specific customer needs, but their narrower niche increased vulnerability to segment-specific disruptions. The findings further indicated that the relative effectiveness of either orientation depended on environmental uncertainty, competitive intensity, resource availability, technological capability, stakeholder relationships, and destination characteristics. The generalist–specialist distinction provides a useful organizational ecology framework for understanding strategic positioning in the hotel industry, suggesting that organizational success depends less on adopting a universally superior strategy than on achieving an appropriate fit between niche breadth and environmental conditions.