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ORGANIZATIONAL!BEHAVIOR!STUDY!
Analysis,!Findings,!and!Solutions!

The!Coffee!House!Caf!
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Zunaira!Ali!
Matthew!BenHShabat!
Kristine!Fencore!
Stephen!McDonald!
Dianan!Mendez!
David!Santiago!
Monica!Woods!

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Contents!
Company!Overview!.....................................................................................................................................!2!
Motivation!...................................................................................................................................................!4!
Culture!.........................................................................................................................................................!6!
Stress!...........................................................................................................................................................!8!
Job!Satisfaction!..........................................................................................................................................!10!
Pay!Satisfaction!......................................................................................................................................!10!
Promotion!Satisfaction!..........................................................................................................................!10!
Supervision!Satisfaction!.........................................................................................................................!11!
Coworker!Satisfaction!............................................................................................................................!11!
Altruism!Satisfaction!..............................................................................................................................!12!
Status!Satisfaction!.................................................................................................................................!12!
Environment!Satisfaction!......................................................................................................................!13!
Overall!Satisfaction!................................................................................................................................!13!
Organizational!Commitment!.....................................................................................................................!13!
Recommendations!.....................................................................................................................................!15!
Adding!feedback!system!........................................................................................................................!16!
Supervision!............................................................................................................................................!17!
Stress!Management!and!Support!System!..............................................................................................!17!
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Company!Overview!
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The Coffee House Caf has been open for about two years now. Carrie, the owner of
Coffee House Caf, was actually a journalist in her previous occupation before coming up with
the idea to open a caf. She spent roughly five to six years formulating the idea that would come
to be known as the Coffee House Caf. Before opening the Caf, Carrie spent a lot of time
traveling to other countries to get ideas for lattes and coffee that would make the Coffee House
Caf unique and special. She traveled to Asia, Africa, and Central/South America to find just the
right beans she wanted featured in her caf. She also wanted to make sure that all the coffee and
espresso ingredients that would be served in the caf would be organic so that customers could
enjoy the finest coffee and espressos possible.
The organizational structure of the Coffee House Caf is very efficient and is
advantageous for its employees and also to help solve any problems that may arise.
The organizational structure of the business starts at the top with the owner and founder
of the caf. Her duties include supervising the people below her, overseeing products that are
carried in the restaurant, and most importantly paying attention to customers. The next position
under the owner is the general manager. The responsibilities of the general manager include
communicating with the owner and the assistant general manager along with overseeing day-today operations of the caf, making sure the schedule of the employees fits to everyones needs,
and also managing supplies throughout the caf. The next position below general manager is the
assistant general manager. The duties of the assistant general manager include supporting the
general manger in the management of the entire cafs operation. Customer service is a big part
of this position by speaking kindly to guests and ensuring the caf is clean and organized. The

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assistant general manager also makes sure that employees are consistently serving high-quality
food and drinks to the customers. The next vital position in the organizational structure at the
Coffee House Caf is the kitchen manager. The kitchen managers duties include maintaining
responsibility for the overall operations for the back of the house and the kitchen area of the caf,
making sure food is properly cooked and looks good, hiring staff, purchasing food and other
items needed to maintain the caf, and making sure staff is trained on proper food preparation
and kitchen safety techniques. The next position on the list in terms of organizational structure is
the bar manager. The bar manager duties include making sure all coffee, beer, and wine is kept in
good condition, keeping up-to-date with licensing legislation and taking legal responsibilities for
the area, making sure healthy and safety rules are observed and up-to-date, managing kitchen
staff, and making sure that all customers in the bar area are satisfied with their experience.
Under the managers is the position staff. These include the bartenders, hosts, servers, bussers,
and line cooks. Hosts/Hostesses responsibilities include greeting customers with a friendly smile,
and making sure customers are seated according to plan. Bartenders responsibilities include
preparing and serving drinks, and maintaining a happy demeanor and interacting with customers
to make sure they are satisfied. Servers responsibilities include waiting on customers, taking
their orders, making sure orders get to them in a timely matter along with getting payment from
the customers. Bussers responsibilities include making sure tables are clean and sanitized and
then set for that table to be filled and used. Lastly, Line cooks responsibilities include prepping
food by gathering and mixing ingredients, cooking food, making sure dishes are ready to be
served, and making sure the kitchen is clean and tidy.
The Coffee House Caf is a local community breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner caf.
Their mission is to provide a warm and casual atmosphere to help welcome their customers and

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make sure they enjoy a relaxed meal or an exceptional cup of coffee. The caf also offers glutenfree and organic options for our customers that help to achieve any customers food choices.

Motivation!
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Motivation plays an integral part in ensuring the Coffee House Caf remains successful.
The customer experience at the restaurant comes from direct customer interaction with the staff.
Every interaction between the staff and the customer needs to be pleasant one. The hostess, the
wait staff, the bartender, and the management all need to be highly motivated and positive.
When this happens, the positive atmosphere brings customers back. The positive experience
from the customer could also lead to the customer telling their friends about the restaurant, which
creates more customers. When the restaurant is successful, there is a higher sense of confidence
among the entire staff. When the staff is confident and motivated, they become more engaged in
their work. Organizational Behavior defines engagement as the level of motivation an employee
has. Employees with a high level of motivation, put more effort into their work and their work
output is a higher quality.
On every one of my visits to the Coffee House Caf, each member of the wait staff
presented themselves in a professional manner. However, there was something else in common
with the wait staff. They all seemed to have a high level of expectancy. Expectancy is the belief
that exerting a high level of effort will result in a successful performance on a task. I was
curious what motivated the staff to perform at such a consistent, high level. For the most part,
each one of the staffs answers were all alike. First, they really enjoy the culture. Second, they
find that the monetary rewards were above average for the work they did. Third, they knew in
order for the restaurant to be successful, they needed to ensure that the restaurant was successful.

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The wait staff not only had a high level of expectancy, they also had a high level of valence.
Valence is defined as the anticipated value of the outcomes associated with successful
performance. Their anticipated value was the tip they received if they performed well. They
also knew that performing well means repeat customers and repeat customers means more tips.
Having a highly motivated employee is great, but the entire customers restaurant experience is
not performed by a single employee. The restaurant experience for the customer requires the
work of several employees from several different departments. In order to be successful,
employees must work together as a team. The Coffee House Caf uses a hybrid outcome
interdependence for their wait staff, bartenders, and bus staff. The hybrid outcome
interdependence rewards team members based on their individual performance and that of the
team to which they belong. Even though the wait staff, the bartenders, and the bus staff are all in
different departments, they must work together as a team to ensure they are all successful. The
way the Coffee House Caf achieves this is by requiring the wait staff to give a portion of their
pay (tips) to the bus staff and the bartenders. The bus staff quickly cleans the tables when
customers leave so that the next customer can be seated. The bartenders also help the wait staff
with specialty coffee orders and drinks. Since both the bus staff and the bartenders work is
directly tied to an extrinsic pay, they are more motivated to help the wait staff. This team
interdependence contributes to a successful experience for the customer.
Coffee House Caf regularly holds competitions within each department. The winners of
these contests are award monetary prizes. These weekly contests promote a friendly,
competitive atmosphere and contribute to the employees motivation.
The management team also has a hybrid outcome interdependence. The management is
paid per shift work, but they also receive a quarterly bonus. Since the quarterly bonus is based

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on the restaurants sales and not individual performance, the management team must work
together.
Coffee House Caf appears to have a good understanding on what it takes to motivate
individuals who need that extrinsic satisfaction. However, there are individuals who are
motivated by intrinsic outcomes. In all of my visits to the Coffee House Caf, no one asked me
how my meal was or how my experience at the restaurant was. My suggestion for the restaurant
is to the management. The management, and ultimately the restaurant, would benefit by a
manager conducting a quick survey to customers at the tables prior to the check being delivered.
The manager could then take the feedback to the individuals. Good feedback can be used to
reward those individuals who are motivated by intrinsic rewards. Constructive feedback could
also be used to build the skillsets of the wait staff who might not realize they were not
performing at an above average level. All in all, the Coffee House Caf seems to have a good
idea on how to motivate the staff and keep the customers returning. This attention to motivation
will help Coffee house Caf successful.

Culture!
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The Coffee House Caf culture is very relaxed and friendly. We are like a Family,
comes out of pretty much everyones mouth. There is no rivalry but rather friendship and
willingness to help. This is not a stereotypical restaurant or a coffee house.
Regardless of the hierarchy, every staff member of this establishment feels like they are a
part of the Family. Most of the staff will say on the fly that this is the best place they have ever
worked at and feel like they are a part of something really wonderful. The obviously distinctive
restaurant concept and the owners vision, makes the members of the team excited to be there. It

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is obvious that currently there is no place like this anywhere in the Dallas area. This seems to
contribute to the unique culture of the company; people want to be there because it is different.
When asked about the culture, servers will say that they offer a new kind of experience, unlike
other restaurants with cookie cutter persona and predictability.
The vibe at this place is that every customer is important. The initial steps are taken in
training when the new employees learn what makes the organization different its product and
the excellence in delivering it.
Organizational culture is the shared social knowledge within an organization regarding
the rules, norms, and values that shape the attitudes and behaviors of the employees. This
organization has created a platform for employees to be able to remain their usual self, express
their personalities, all while being a part of the organization that thrives on achieving excellence
in everything they do. Part of the concept is to have an inviting arrangement and friendly staff,
who sometimes play up their personality, which contributes to the cultural character. They like to
share their story of where they come from and why are they so happy to be with the company.
Interestingly enough some compare this organization to a five star restaurant but with a more laid
back atmosphere and the best coffee.
A part of their everyday ritual is daily staff meeting to go over updates, challenges and
any other issues that need to be addressed. These types of meetings are meant to be positive and
encouraging, working hard and remembering that they are a part of an incredible organization.
They are valued to deliver excellence in customer service to everyone who steps foot in their
restaurant. It is the customer service culture; people come back for the experience. The value is
in how the staff delivers the message of how important each customer is, it is not forced or fake.
The belief is that a happy customer will bring back a friend, which has resulted in their customer

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base growing weekly to where people are willing to wait in a 40-50 minute long line. Serving
the highest quality organic fair trade coffee, caring for the staff and guests, is what has set this
organization apart and has created communal culture type in the organization.
On the surface the laidback atmosphere and organic company culture seem like the
perfect match for a workplace, yet there is still quite a bit of employee overturn. There are new
employees who sense how fun it is to work there and forget that actually it is work and they need
to attend to customers. For some new employees it is very difficult to adapt to the company
culture, atmosphere and the rituals and they choose to depart from the Caf rather than adapting
to the company culture.

Stress!
Coffee House Caf is just like any other restaurant there are a lot of stressors involved
working as a waiter in the food industry. Certain stress situations include getting the wrong
order, large amount of customers, and the attitudes of customers can negatively stress waiters
and waitresses. These stressors though are daily hassles and from our experience at the shop
those type of hassles were minimal. What type of stress did the waiters of Coffee House Caf
encounter?
From the visit, as soon as we sat down on a Sunday morning we could see the atmosphere
of the waiters. With the customers they were happy, enthusiastic, and warm. Being a community
coffeehouse; the community aspect brings a positive/relax atmosphere that has have a positive
effect in the release of stress for the waiters. Familiar faces, familiar orders it is a community that
keeps the atmosphere natural and relax.

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Being in the food industry from personal experience we know that the front employees
have to be professional, but behind the scenes are were the most issues arise. As a group many of
the employees spoke positive about their experience at the coffee shop. We personally did not
encounter a negative aspect until one of the members overheard an employee venting their anger
to a staff member in the back. The employee was having a difficult time moving at a fast paced
like the manager wanted because he was previously here from the night before and now working
a morning shift. As the employee was finishing his conversation the manager came behind him
and told him to get to work. The employee did not say anything instead returned to his duties.
The member that overheard the conversation spoke to the waiter and asked to know more
about the situation. As the employee spoke his side he mentioned that he was working every
Saturday night shift and opening every Sunday. This can be a difficult routine because the coffee
shop closes at 10 p.m., being a Saturday they hold special events and Sunday mornings are busy
because everybody comes in to have breakfast before church or after church. The only reason he
does not mention anything to the manager is because these two days are very critical to his pay.
Using OBHR we realize the employee was going through time pressure. He was being
pressured to move faster and he felt there was not enough time to the task. The reason being the
shift this specific employee worked was very busy. From our observation the employee coped
through behavioral methods. Problem wise he worked faster, emotionally he vented his anger
with co-workers. This can be a future problem because this can negatively affect the restaurant
and the relationship between the employee and management.

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Job!Satisfaction!
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Is a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job
experiences? Values are those intangible things employees consciously or subconsciously want
to seek or attain. To evaluate the overall satisfaction resulting from the Coffee House Caf
employees we focused on the Commonly Assessed Work Values. These values are Pay
Satisfaction, Promotion Satisfaction, Supervision Satisfaction, Coworker Satisfaction, Work
Itself Satisfaction, Altruism Satisfaction, Status Satisfaction and Environment Satisfaction. In
order to evaluate the level of satisfaction within each value, we asked employees to provide
feedback on each value and to rate their level of satisfaction on a 1 to 10 scale, 10 being
extremely satisfied and 1 being extremely unsatisfied.

!Pay!Satisfaction!
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Severs and Bartenders at the Coffee House Caf are paid a minimal hourly wage and also
receive tips. Servers and Bartenders did not mind the hourly pay; their focus was on tips since
tips accounted for over 87% of their weekly earnings. They were content with their earnings
since it was enough for their normal expenses and also some luxury items. Even though their pay
was not consistent on a daily basis, good weeks made up for worst ones. The average score from
employees for Pay Satisfaction was an 8/10.

Promotion!Satisfaction!
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89% of employees felt that their time there was temporary since they were students or
had other career interests, so Promotion was not important to them.
The other 11% were committed to moving up and future goals were to get promoted and or at

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least pay raise. These individuals felt that the opportunity to get promoted was possible.
However since the Coffee House Caf is a privately owned restaurant with only one location,
they knew it would take time.
The median score from employees for Promotion Satisfaction was a 4/10.

Supervision!Satisfaction!
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Employees stated that they were neither displeased nor satisfied with management.
Employees stated that managers delegated in a negative way, were too bossy and some of them
were not polite at times when talking to employees. However, even though management was
aggressive, communication between all levels of employees was fluent and objectives for the day
were always accomplished. Management also provided rewards for monthly individual
accomplishments such as most sales, less mistakes and most positive guest comment cards.
Jason, a server stated Upper management is great at getting things done, they provide us with
great incentives but they are just very aggressive with us. The median score from employees for
Supervisions Satisfaction was a 5/10.

Coworker!Satisfaction!
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All employees stated that they enjoyed working with each other for the most part.
However, Drama did arise here and there but the primary reason was because relationships
between coworkers developed often. Most of the employees had been working there since the
restaurant opened and as result most of the coworkers had established great friendships with each
other. Rachael, a bartender stated, Two of my coworkers became my best friends. Clarice,
another server stated, There really isnt that much drama, if two people have an issue with each

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other, the worst that will happen is they will just ignore each other, but before the day is over
they will be friends again The median score for Coworker Satisfaction was an 8/10.
Satisfaction with Work Itself
Employees at the Coffee Shop Caf felt that the daily operations they engaged in as part
of their work were repetitive and very simple. There was nothing neither difficult nor
challenging about their daily tasks. Yes at times when the volume of business increased,
employees had to work faster and smarter but that was something that with experience became
relatively easy to handle. About 80% of the employees had been with the Coffee House Caf
since it opened, so mastery was something that they did not lack and as result their job by now
was significantly easy. Charles, a server stated, working here is easy money The median score
from employees for satisfaction with the work itself was a 9/10.

Altruism!Satisfaction!
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Employees at the Coffee House Caf have established great chemistry and work well
together. They are compassionate for each other and demonstrated that they will help others
when in need. As result these employees have facilitated each others jobs by cooperating and
working together to accomplish goals. Emily a server, stated, I help others as much as possible
not only because I would want others to help when I need help, but because they are my friends
and I do not like to see them unhappy The median score for Altruism was a 8/10.

Status!Satisfaction!
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Employees stated that when it came to status, they did not pay much attention. They were
well aware that working at a restaurant is not the most prestigious career. Emily Stated, I do not

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mind being a server for the time being, I plan on becoming a nurse once I graduate from
college. Again many of the employees at Coffee House Caf had other career plans and
working there was just temporary, so the status did not bother them. The median score for Status
Satisfaction was a 2/10.

Environment!Satisfaction!
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Employees stated that working at a restaurant is fun. They stated that you interact with
and meet new people every day. The Caf has a vibrant atmosphere in which people enjoy
themselves. The employees stated just being there made their day better because of the people of
around them. The median score for Environment Satisfaction was 10/10.

Overall!Satisfaction!
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The overall all score for Job Satisfaction resulted as 7/10. 80% of employees stated that they
would not go work at any other restaurant. They were very happy to be a part of the Coffee
House Caf.

Organizational!Commitment!
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Commitment is one of the core pillars of an organizations foundation. It not only contributes to
the strength of the company but also its sustainability. The Coffee House Caf understands this
theory and it is evident to their staff.
One method that aids in promoting commitment within an organization is to have
associates pass on positive influence. Coffee House Caf has wait staff that has been a part of
the company since its creation. One of them spoke positively about the work environment quite
often at work and outside of work. His passion for the caf inspired his brother to also believe

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in the vision of Coffee House Caf and he joined the organization as well. Expressing positive
words helped to continue the excitement of the owners dream.
From the time a customer steps into the caf, they can feel an atmosphere filled with
friendship and compassion. Developing an environment where associates feel welcomed and
comfortable to be themselves is important to building up employee commitment. Sometimes, all
people need in order to become involved is to feel genuinely welcome. If employees do not feel
welcome, they will not be committed to stay with the organization. While observing the caf, I
noticed that leadership not went around to customer tables to greet them but leadership also
greeting staff members as they came in to begin their shift. The staff members also
demonstrated this by greeting each other as shifts changed. The erosion model proposes that
there is a correlation between an employees commitment and the number of emotional bond an
employee has at work. People that share a bond with like-minded people that share
commonalities will want to stay together. The caf is working to increase emotional attachment
to the organization by making the caf a friendly work environment.
Leadership that demonstrates the value of their employees will encourage commitment.
Coffee House Caf recognizes the talents of their staff by engaging them with the development
of the companys menu. Staff is encouraged to utilize their creative skills to make new and
exciting items for the menu. Most recently, staff members were able to create a new coffee for
the Valentines Day. The have also been able to have input on bands that perform for their live
music nights. Many staff members feel this aids in their voice being heard and that their
opinions count. People need to feel respected and appreciated in order to stay connected and
committed to a group or organization.

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Retaining committed staff is a benefit to a company. The turnover rate for the restaurant
industry is sixty percent. The coffee house cafs turnover rate is in the range of thirty percent.
This was clearly evident in the few visits made to the caf. The same staff members from
previous visits greeted and waited on us in later visits. Increasing commitment and decreasing
turnover rate has a positive effect on an organization. Keeping the same competent staff helps to
reduce costs of retraining.
The Coffee House Caf has taken heed to the advice of others when it comes to
organizational commitment. Leadership and associates are keeping the vision alive by passing
the enthusiasm along to others. They are listening to their employees and expressing that they
value their employees. All of these factors are building a strong foundation of commitment.

Recommendations!
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The organizational culture, commitment, and job performance at the Coffee House Caf is very
well maintained and benefits the caf overall. However, there might be some gaps or crevices in
the system or the organizations family-like team that are not realized by the management but
can affect the caf in the long run or weaken the roots of the family in unseen future. To
ensure organizational commitment and optimal job performance at organizations, Organizational
Behavior theory enables us to recognize those gaps or crevices in the system by digging deep and
analyzing the work environment behind the scene, not easily visible, and helps us fill the gaps by
introducing solutions and recommendations to any underlying problems at the roots of the
organizations team work and performance.
After spending time to analyze our observations, our team came up with a few
recommendations that can help the caf keep its family together or at least add additional value

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to the customer service just like putting a cherry on top of a cake. The three recommendations we
like to put forward are- 1) add a feedback system for customers to raise the motivation level in
team at individual level, 2) improve supervision to seed supervision satisfaction in employees,
and 3) introduce and practice stress management and support system for employees

Adding!feedback!system!
Although the cafs employees were really motivated because they were tipped by the
customers they served, customer satisfaction cannot be assumed merely by the fact of being
tipped. The employees at this caf are motivated by the monetary rewards they will get at the
individual or team level if the restaurant is successful. They should instead focus more on the
intrinsic motivation of serving the customer well and make sure the customer is happy.
Assuming the customer satisfaction merely by tips and the fact that they are repetitive is not
enough. Some customers might be coming because they like the food, and others might like the
environment, but to ensure intrinsic motivation of employees, it is important to ensure that the
customer is satisfied by the service of that particular individual serving him/her. Simply
assuming can also lead to employees over-confidence about their service and they would end up
compromising or ignoring some very important factors of their service. For any customer service
job, customer feedback and communication is very crucial to keep optimal customer service and
keep the employees internally motivated to serve well. At this caf, conducting a quick survey of
the customer and obtaining feedback at the tables prior to the check being delivered can bridge
the gap between customer thoughts and feelings and staffs intrinsic motivation and optimal
customer service. This would also benefit staff and management in other ways. Servers will be
aided in continuous psychological empowerment by reflecting continually on their selfdetermination, competence, and their impact of making a difference on their job because the
feedback will make them reflect and assess their performance time to time. Managers will also

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be helped since they would be able to make any requested improvements or rectify their mistakes
based on customer feedback. The result would be great customer satisfaction, reduced
communication gap and a strong, emotionally motivated team.

Supervision!
The second and very important recommendation for the caf is to bring politeness and
friendliness in the way some of the supervisors communicate with the low tier employees. The
staff at the bottom of the organization is very important because it has direct contact with
customers and their satisfaction or disappointment about their supervisors behavior can affect
their job performance and customer dealing. Because the caf has a very friendly and family-like
environment, the supervisors at top level should be very careful in their behavior with the
customer service staff. According to OBHR theory, competence, politeness, and good
communication of supervisors builds supervision satisfaction in employees. Moreover, along
with providing rewards for the employee performance that motivates them, likability of
supervisors and their good personality also motivates employees. It should not be forgotten that
since supervisors or top management has the most complex jobs and their job is often more
stressful than the employees working under them, their rudeness, meanness, or aggressiveness
may be a result of stress, but this stress in management can pass on to the staff through the
managers and supervisors behaviors. Thus, it is very important to manage and cope with stress
and improve behavior at the supervision level. Thus we have the third recommendation for the
caf.

Stress!Management!and!Support!System!
Stress, the psychological response to demands that exceed a persons capacity, can
involuntarily affect an employees job performance despite of the level of motivation he/she has
for the job. As mentioned in the stress report, we witnessed one situation that resulted from

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stress and created an unpleasant situation between employees. More situations can create if the
employees remain physically, mentally, or emotionally stressed. The situation we witnessed was
a result of time pressure, however, work related stress is not the only cause of bad performances
at jobs. Non-work challenges like family time demands, lack of personal development activities,
negative life events, and work-family conflict (unlimited demands of one hinder the fulfillment
of the demands of other) can also cause stress, frustration, and exhaustion to a person. While
some people can cope with stress on their own, others might not be able to do the same. To keep
the work environment more family-like and peaceful among staff members, the management,
after working on the supervisors or managers behavior has discussed in the earlier
recommendation, should include a stress management and support system and motivate job
sharing through which sudden bad or changing performance of an employee is addressed calmly
and communication between a peer or supportive supervisor and the employee is welcomed. The
employee can be provided social support of instrumental manner, to help to address stressful
demand directly, by sharing the work load if the stressor is time or work related pressure and can
be accompanied by emotional support in form of understanding and sympathy. The work
schedule should be balanced and flexible work hours should be offered. Moreover, since it is a
coffee shop, having massage chairs would not only add extra value to the caf, but also help
employees relax during coffee or lunch breaks. This can help release some physical or mental
pressure and stress.
These recommendations are meant to improve certain conditions that prevail in the
family or the organizational team of the Coffee House Caf that can overshadow the
outstanding, family-like, appreciative environment of the caf in the long run. To prevent the
family ties from tearing apart, it is important to work on some gaps right now. Moreover, since

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the main goal of the caf is its customer service, feedback would help make the customer relation
very strong and at the same time provide intrinsic motivation to servers to give outstanding
service because the management will be getting direct customer feedback for their service.
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