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Hospitality Supervision and Training Skill

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INTRODUCTION

The report made is based upon a case study on The Galley which is a 150 seat
canteen style restaurant and is located on the top floor of an eight storey office block.
This building was constructed in the 1970’s to house the employees of an
international shipping company. Galley was a subsidised staff canteen and used to
serve meals and snacks to the company employees and provide buffet lunches in
meetings and functions until 2002. In 2003 Galley was sold to Lunchbox Ltd where
all its 20 staff was re-employed on their existing terms and conditions. Only three
months ago the long serving manageress of The Galley retired and a new young
manageress Jean Porter was appointed. Jean has brought about many changes in
the restaurant within a short period of time which have all been met apathetically by
the staff members. Hence the first part of the report projects a SWOT of the
restaurant, which would give an insight about the strengths, weakness, opportunities
and threats of the restaurant. The second part of the report discusses about the
necessary changes which needs to be carried out by Jean to smoothen and stabilize
the job environment and also ways which should be implemented to manage staff
reactions to the implemented change.

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SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS WEAKNESS

1) The wide range of dishes, hot 1) The inflexible nature of the


breakfast snacks and provision of Galley is a weakness for
themed menus would serve as an the restaurant. As the area
attraction for the guests. around the building
underwent such a rapid
2) The strong 20 staff of the galley
development and even the
restaurant, which hold a long
building underwent some
experience of working in the
changes, but the restaurant
restaurant is a great strength for
was never considered for
the organisation.
changes until Jean was
3) Jean Porter, the newly appointed appointed as the
manageress of the Galley manageress. Had the
Restaurant is a great strength for changes been slow and
the organisation as she is dynamic steady then such a staff
and understands the changing resistance would not have
market economy. Though she is happened on introducing
much younger than the staff of the changes in the restaurant.
restaurant and holds lesser
2) The loss of team spirit and
experience than them, but still she
cohesiveness amongst the
is aware of the change which
staff members is a great
needs to be made to improve the
weakness for the Galley
current business situation.
restaurant.

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

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1) The location of the building in 1) The three new chain restaurants


which Galley Restaurant is and two pubs which have opened
situated is a great opportunity for up in the vicinity of the Galley is a
the restaurant. As the building is threat for the restaurant, as these
just two miles from the city centre food and beverage outlets are
and is surrounded by 30 office attracting the target market of the
buildings, cinema, sports center Galley.
and a number of private
2) The staff reaction to the changes
apartments, therefore the Galley
brought about by Jean is a threat
restaurant can target quite a large
for the business of the restaurant
market for its growth.
and a substantial dip in profits is
2) The building in which Galley also noticed. The staff has
restaurant is located now houses become very undisciplined and
many other offices apart from the have exhibited lack of politeness
international shipping company, towards customers and
which is also an opportunity for colleagues, which is quite
the Galley. Galley now serves not dangerous for the business of the
only to the shipping company restaurant.
employees but also to the
3) All the staff members of the Galley
employees of the other offices
restaurant are members of the
located in the building.
union and are in close touch with
their regional officer; therefore no
stern measures could be taken to
improve the situation or to
implement further changes, as this
could result in worser situation
and even intervention of the union
in the operations of the Galley.

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PLAN OF ACTION FOR JEAN

For securing the long term future of the galley restaurant, a number of changes and
steps need to be taken by Jean Porter, the present manageress of the galley.

As Jean Porter has been appointed three months ago as the manageress of the
galley, and within this short period of three months she had tried to make quite a
number of changes in the restaurant, which had generated a poor response from the
employees of the restaurant. But change is an inevitable part of any business and
change is necessary for continuous development of any organisation. As per
www.mindtools.com, “change is a common thread that runs through all business
regardless of size, industry and age. Our world is changing fast and, as such,
organisations must change quickly too. Organisations that handle change well thrive,
whilst those that do not may struggle to survive”.

Miller et al, 2007, p389 says that small and large organisations have to go through
change in order to adapt to new circumstances, enhance competitive position, be
more cost effective and to improve product and services.

But as seen in the given case study any change made in the organisation undergoes
certain resistance, therefore certain measures needs to be taken to overcome these
resistance forces within the organisation. Two models namely, Kirkpatrick’s model
and Kurtz Lewin’s model have been considered for implementing the plan of action
by Jean.

KIRKPATRICK’S KEYS FOR SUCESSFULL CHANGE

Kirkpatrick (2001) has devised the three keys for successful change, which are
empathy, communication and participation and change.

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The first key empathy speaks about knowing the employees, putting you in the
shoes of the other person and determining reaction to change. As it was hardly three
months that Jean got recruited as the manageress of the Galley restaurant and she
had started making a number of changes in a short span of time, therefore it is quite
clear that she did not give time to know her employees, neither did she give much
thought about the reactions which may arise due to the made changes.

The second key for effective change is communication. Communication is one of


the most important keys for managing change as it serves as a tool to propagate the
views and ideas of the supervisor to its subordinates. In order to convert the negative
reactions of the employees to positive, Jean should potray the changes as
opportunities for growth and not as problems. Jean first herself should be positive
about the changes and try to inflict this positiveness amongst the employees. She
should not just impose the changes but explain to her staff about the necessities for
the changes and try to win their favour.

The third key for managing change is participation and change. As per
Ichniowski et al, 1996, ‘through direct participation, employees work harder as well
as smarter’. Participation in the planning of change works as motivation for those
who are affected by the change. Therefore Jean should try hard her level best to
involve her employees in the planning of change. As the employees working their
hold a long experience and are also elder to Jean, therefore a feeling of superiority is
residing in their minds which is acting as a barrier in between Jean and them. Hence
participation in the planning of change could be a really effective tool in this case.
Jean could ask their opinion about how to implement changes, but its not essential
that all their ideas needs to be implemented, but then the employees whose ideas
have been rejected must be convinced about why their ideas were rejected.

[Reference: Goodwin,C, Squire III,A,Chapman,E (2005) The Hospitality


Supervisor’s Survival Kit, Pearson, Prentice Hall

HSTS Napier slides, topic 5- managing change]

MANAGING THE CHANGE


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The process of change could be studied within the proposed framework of Kurtz
Lewin. According to Kurtz Lewin and others the three procedures necessary for
change are – unfreezing the existing situation , working of the change agent towards
the desired change and refreezing of the revised situation.

Unfreezing the existing situation

Unfreezing of the existing situation will affect the change agents, e.g. – supervisor as
well as those who will finally be affected by the change, e.g. – employees.
Unfreezing the existing situation requires to analyze the driving and restraining
forces at the workplace. Any existing situation is the result of a variety of forces, any
one of which can be worked on to unfreeze the situation. After the change agent, eg-
supervisor, have unfrozen the situation for the framing of strategies , nextly the
unfreezing of the situation must be done for the people who will ultimately be
affected by the change , e.g.- employees.

Firstly a need for change must be generated in the minds of the affected
employees. Therefore, Jean porter must show the staff of the galley restaurant, of
why they should be dissatisfied with the current situation. She must explain them in a
persuasive manner of why changes are necessary, as the area around the office
building has undergone rapid development in the past two years and hence the
entire business scenario of the place have changed and therefore it is necessary for
the Galley Restaurant to make changes in its delivered products and services in
order to keep pace with the changing business environment. Jean Porter should
exhibit transformational leadership for gaining the commitment of her staff
members. As the staffs working in Galley are quite experienced, therefore measures
like punishment or fear would yield negative results. Using rewards and incentives to
motivate employees give short term benefits and it may not be 100% effective.

[Reference: Kavanaugh,R,& Ninemeire,J, (1994) Hospitality Supervision,


AHMA,(2nd Ed) ]

Transformational leadership

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To exhibit Transformational leadership qualities Jean should communicate and


inspire the staff members about the mission and objectives of the company
Lunchbox Ltd, so that the employees could view the bigger picture and feel a part of
the company rather than only a part of the restaurant. Jean should act as a mentor
and coach to support, develop and empower the workers. As a coach of the team,
Jean should consider herself as a part of that team. She could organise a pre-shift
meeting to go over the previous day’s feedback, the current day status and also
delegation of tasks could tasks could be done. The staff members could also share
their concerns and opinions and they should be given the opportunity to have an
active role in group decision making and this would help in bridging the
communication gap between Jean and her staff. Jean could also organise various
get together activities for the team so that the lost team-spirit could be regained.

[Reference – Miller, J, Walker, J & Eich Drummond, K (2007) Supervision in


the Hospitality Industry, New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons]

Work toward the desired change

For Jean to work towards the desired change requires that she should try to modify
the employee behaviour and simultaneously analyse affected policies and train staff
in improved job methods and operating techniques ,which have been implemented
by Jean. As a number of new dishes, themed menus and hot breakfast snacks have
been added; therefore proper training must be given to the staff members so that
they can adjust themselves to the changes made. All this becomes easier if Jean
could gain the trust and respect of her employees. For this she should know her
employees well and try to work with the informal group leaders or with the
employees who are highly respected by their peers.

[Reference: Kavanaugh,R,& Ninemeire,J, (1994) Hospitality Supervision,


AHMA,(2nd Ed) ]

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Refreeze the revised situation

Stabilising forces tend to create a new balance in the work situation after the desired
change is being implemented. This process is known as refreezing. But nothing is
stable and hence the external and internal forces tend to create further changes in
the work situation. Therefore as change is a continuous process and is cyclical and
ongoing in nature therefore Jean should make the employees understand the need
and importance of change. The staff should posses the mental framework to accept
changes at any point of time.

[Reference: Kavanaugh,R,& Ninemeire,J, (1995) Hospitality Supervision,


AHMA,(2nd Ed) ]

MANAGING STAFF REACTION

Motivation

Motivation is an important tool for managing staff reactions to changes. As


Jean has abolished the half hour coffee/smoking break and has not even
replaced the two staff members who have been moved to the other operations
of the Lunchbox Ltd, therefore it is very obvious that the staffs have to work
more and their break/rest hours have also been reduced, which has led to
demotivation of the staff. Jean should therefore include the half hour
coffee/smoking break for the staff, so that they could get the required rest
even though they have to work more. The staff could be motivated by
associating their personal goals with the goals and objectives of the company.
This can be done by introducing an element of challenge and interest in the
work.

[Reference: Van der Wagen, L & Davies, C (1998) Supervision and Leadership in
Tourism and Hospitality, London, Hospitality Press

HSTS Napier Slides, topic 10- Motivation]

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Empowerment

Empowerment implies that the employee’s posses the skills, knowledge and
authority to make decisions that would otherwise be made by the management. As
the employees of the Galley restaurant are quite old and experienced, therefore
empowerment would be an effective measure for managing the staff reactions.
Empowerment tends to make the employees more enthusiastic and commited
towards the work and it encourages the employees to handle risk and henceforth
feel a part of the organisation.

[Reference: Miller, J, Walker, J & Eich Drummond, K (2007) Supervision in


the Hospitality Industry, New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons]

Coaching

Coaching means to organise, give moral support, delegate, challenge, and inspire
the team members. Fear or status is not used as a form of motivation by the coach.
The coach of a team is also a member of the team and uses positive energy to
manage the team.

[Reference: Miller, J, Walker, J & Eich Drummond, K (2007) Supervision in


the Hospitality Industry, New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons]

Building trust

Establishing trust is an important step in managing staff reactions to change as


employees who do not trust or respect their supervisors will resist any change
brought by them. Therefore Jean should try ways to win the trust of her employees.
But supervisors who emphasise a thing today and another tomorrow will face
resistance from the employees. But since some changes are initiated by the top
management, here the reduction of wage bill by 5%, therefore in such cases the
supervisor is helpless. But then it is advisable for new supervisors/managers to delay
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changes in order to observe existing employee relationships, factors which would


influence the way work is being done and exactly how standard operating
procedures are carried out. Therefore Jean should develop an atmosphere of trust
not only for implementing change but for the long term future of the restaurant.

[Reference: Kavanaugh,R,& Ninemeire,J, (1995) Hospitality Supervision,


AHMA,(2nd Ed) ]

CONCLUSION
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Hence it is seen in the above discussion what are the strengths, weakness,
opportunities and threats of Galley restaurant. Based upon these factors the plans of
action which should be carried out by Jean and also steps required to manage staff
reactions are discussed. It is been observed that motivation, coaching and team
building go hand-in-hand as one strengthens the other. To create a team spirit
amongst the staff requires a highly motivated work force and it is difficult to motivate
a work force who views itself as a loser. Involving the employees in the change
process and delegation of certain authority to them helps in boosting their spirit.
Decision making should be delegated as it is hard to make people work in a team if
the decision making is retained only with the supervisor or top management.
Therefore team building is a process which when implemented effectively results in
the formation of synergy.

As per Ralph Waldo Emerson,”there is no limit to what can be accomplished if it


does not matter who gets the credit”

[Reference : Tanke,M, Human Resources Management for the Hospitality Industry,


(2nd Ed)]

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