SERVICES MANAGEMENT


Hiring Preference and Operational Complexity for


Tribal Enterprises Production and Operations Management, 34, 4, April 2024


CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON PROFESSOR


Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration


Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Cornell University


LINK TO PAPER LINK TO CHRIS ANDERSON VIDEO


Co-authors • Christopher Anderson


• Vincent Slaugh • Jacob Ornelas


Professor, Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of


Hotel Administration, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University Assistant Professor, Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School


of Hotel Administration, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University Ph.D. Candidate, Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of


Hotel Administration, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University


Summary Native American tribal enterprises confront a historical legacy of conflict and


VINCENT SLAUGH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR


Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration


Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Cornell University


oppression in daily operations while designing and implementing practices that reflect contemporary operations management concerns. Te special sovereign relationship between Native American tribal governments and the government of the United States is meant to advance workforce inclusion and equity, allowing Native American communities to more fully share in the country’s economic prosperity. However, recent employment data on the Native American workforce shows an unemployment rate of 11.1%, compared to a national rate of 4.4%. Native American-owned enterprises commonly use preference hiring to promote tribal self-sufficiency and include a population historically excluded from the workforce. Tese policies may reduce the gap, but introduce operational challenges, including intercultural ones.


Interviewing tribal casino executives, the authors learn how this socially important practice creates operational challenges and how some casinos have addressed these, including emphasis on workforce training. Te authors then explore how tribal preference affects workforce recruitment and retention. Finally, they present challenges faced by these organizations in day-to-day capacity planning. Enabled by the unique legal circumstances and ownership structure of tribal enterprises, Native American preference hiring represents an extraordinary commitment to including disadvantaged workers and offers lessons for other organizations seeking to promote diversity and inclusion.


CONTENTS TO MAIN | RESEARCH WITH IMPACT: CORNELL SC JOHNSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS • 2024 EDITION 53


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