The system model for stages of the menu change at Derby

A sustainable management is the ultimate goal of every organization. They have to think about how to make the successful change, because a change needs always risks instead. The Derby Dining Center could be a good model to apply the system model for changing its menus. In order to complete my model, I refer to the evaluation model of Spears (1995), the organizational change strategy of eight stages from Dr. Barrett (2011), and the article about managing organizational change from Jonathan (2010).

First, I consider the eight stages for the organizational change. However, I would like to largely decrease from eight stages to three steps.

[Step 1: Recognition & Planning]

In the first step, managers can recognize the need to change from the response of customers, satisfaction of customers or employees, or the change the sales. For instance, a number of visitors would be reduced, or the satisfaction score of the recent survey would be worse. In this system, the sign transfers from the output such as the responses to the feedback and to the control part.

1. Increase Urgency: Managers or an owner do not have to be angry from the sign, because the continuous change is the absolutely required process to an organization. Thus, they should share the need for change with each team managers. Mangers have to feel the changing taste of students.

2. Build the Guiding Team: One of options to reduce negative risks from new change is to consist of the guiding team with right and enthusiastic people who represent each part (manager group, employee group and customer group) as a task force team. This guiding team should have both information about new trend and proper skills.

3. Get the vision right: The goal has to be clear in order to throw a pinpoint shot. Also, the map which indicates the point has to be easy for anyone to understand. In this case, the goal will be both "to find the next popular menu of Derby" and "to increase the satisfaction and benefit".
 
[Step 2: Action]

After step 1, the guiding team leads the organizational changing, especially the development of the menu. Major processes are related to the communication, rewards, and many achievements.

4. Communicate for buy-in: We know the importance of the effective communication in an organization. The sales workers, cooks and managers of each team have to join the communication to find the new menu. The guiding team can lead the discussion and experiments. Also, the guiding team can use diverse devices or tools like social media, the internet club, or the opinion board to get diverse idea such as recent trend, students' opinion about the meal at Derby. So the guiding team can move into the all sections to motivate the communication and to share the process.

5. Empower Action: The organization has to set the reward as well as the goal. The rewards involves not only external motivation like money, prize, or promotion, but also internal motivation like opportunities, praise or achievement. I think that the external motivation is more effective because Derby is a hierarchy structure and has lots of part-time employees.

6. Create Short-Term Wins: The strategy needs to set the smaller objects to vitalize the work. The caption of the task force team considers short-term goals like small evaluations for the new products and tastes or temporary competitions.

[Step 3: Maintenance]

Although one change was successful, the needs and preferences of students' always change. Thus, all managers and employees should be ready to find next menu. To improve next change, the good and bad results of prechanges should be memorized.

7. Don’t let up.: The good result of the development of new menu and the well-launched change should be shared. The sharing would make all members keep their good attitude toward next the menu change. Also, Derby should always observe the output and feedback for next changes.

8. Make Change stick: To remain the atmosphere of changing, recording and memorizing is a crucial task because the story can evoke the know-how of the success although lots of members would be changed. Also, recording the problem or the influence from the organizational change can help the next process.

Leadership and "Communicationship"

Only the great leader can establish the great company. The reason is that the leader chooses co-workers to make the business together. Also, the great abilities of the leader can successfully manage the company, because the best achievement of a business eventually relies on the leadership and his / her judgement. In addition, I would like to say that a "communicationship" is so important that the organization trains the great employees.

The "communicationship" is not a formal word in a dictionary, but I believe that there is a difference between communication and "communicationship". We can guess the "communicationship" as an ability to use the communication skills effectively. As we know, there is no doubt that a communication skill is so important for a leader. However, how to communicate with co-workers, an employer, or employees is more essential as much as the leadership, in that contemporaries in an organization have numerous diversities individually.

Therefore, leaders have to learn the "communicationship" with others. A leader should improve not only the knowledge about communication method and its importance, but also the spontaneous attitude toward the communication. Some employees dislike to talk about their problems or their thought to their boss, or others want to share their opinion or feelings. The "communicationship" could be called an ability to lead employees at a table to talk, and to make them feel free to talk their opinion.

When I was a engineer at university broadcasting station, I sometimes had some hardship to work with female co-workers because we had different ideas and solutions with the same task. I did not have communication skill yet, I selected working alone. If I was a leader of the organization, I could not be the good leader or the great one. On the other side, my certain male senior researcher had the good ability of "communicationship" with female people. He always is talkative, understandable, and kind to them. He was not a chief manager of the project, but he assumed the role of the team leader.

Although many good leaders have a professional will and knowledge, the great leaders who have a level 5 leadership have a personal humility as well as the professionalism. However, I agree that it is not easy to improve skill like the "communicationship", in which it would be related to the personality. To be the great leader and to improve the "communicationship", we should learn the attitude as thinking first the organization and other employees, as acting in quiet, and as making a sustained-sound relationship with them.

Understanding the communication as not only the skill but also the ability or the strategy, the leader could be a complete one who has both leadership and the "communicationship".

A pleasure of a negotiation

Negotiations exist in industries, non-profit organizations, local markets, and even at home. There are not only many skills and principles of negotiation but also diverse levels and types. Although a negotiation is described as a battle which I absolutely have to win, I have sometimes experienced the pleasure in a negotiation. The reason why the negotiation can give me amusement is because a negotiation is often like an exciting game.

When I first learned what a negotiation is, I thought that the negotiation is very hard to win. The purpose of a negotiation is clearly to gain more advantage, to obtain benefits, not to lose my parts, or to solve my problems. It makes the negotiation harder that my counterpart is also having similar goals in the negotiation.  Absolutely, we should win the big and crucial negotiation like a peace negotiation, an union negotiation, or a hostage negotiation. However, we have continuously participated in trifling matters.

In South Korea, a trifling negotiation is far common in a traditional-local market.  For example, I say hello delightfully to a clerk or manager entering a grocery store. Determining the item I want to buy, I lead a person-to-person talk or wait for the proper time for the talk. In a dialogue, the clerk says “may I help you” and I answer that “how much is the onion” although the price is well-displayed. The clerk says “it is $5 for 10 onions”, and I reply with his brows knitted “oh, it is too expensive” even though I agree that the price is proper. Examining the onions carefully, I complain the a bit rotten part of an onion. Then, I say “let the price $4”, but the clerk refuses my opinion like “no, it is very cheap and good very fresh onions”. Second, I change the plan “then, give me 12 onions for $5”, but the clerk still says no. Finally, I lightly appear the motion leaving the store giving a pause, and I mutter to myself as “I would need it for tomorrow’s dinner”. The clerk or manager unavoidably suggests the alternative one of either $4.5 for 10 onions or 11 onions for $5 because the clerk has invested the time in the negotiation anyway.

TOS (The Other Side) strategy gives a good plan for the successful negotiation.  In this case, I and the clerk know the need with each other. The salesperson wants to take a talk with customer and sell items as a stated price, but he or she has limited time (the salesperson has to sell in the peak time as much as possible). On the other hand, I (customer) would like to buy a good item as a cheaper price. If I have enough time, I have an advantage on the table of a negotiation. Also, I can use the “bad guy/good guy” approach to win the negotiation in this case.

However, the important value of this conversation is the purpose of a pleasure of a negotiation as I mentioned first. Winning the small negotiation, I gain some achievement rather than get one more onion. Though the clerk loses one onion to me, but the store gives me the pleasure and secures a regular customer. This is a win-win result of this negotiation. Hospitality industry also meets numerous customers every day. The pleasure is very attractive motivation for the customers, so it is far meaningful that the marketer thinks the enjoyable event using small negotiations. I believe that a negotiation can be an enjoyable game if it is not related to my life.

How much does people have to be ethical?

     Is the ethics important? It is definitely true that ethical thought and behaviors are essential in our society. In the perspective as a researcher, I think that more meaningful and practical questions should be "How much does people have to be ethical?". The reason is because the performance of perfect ethics in human behavior is almost impossible. Then, the understandable answer may be "There is an appropriate standard". Although the explanation and grounds for the answer become more complex, I would like to think about problems and solutions related to the question about the ethics.

     I am going to assume that we always have both a core and a tool in human's behavior. A tool is used for fulfilling the core value. For example, the Internet and computers are good tool for our convenience or efficiency of working. It is clear that good things are better, but it is sometimes not real. In this case, I believe that I must importantly consider the ethics or justice of the ultimate core rater than the tools. Before the conclusion, I should think about the side effect or abuse which my explain has. For instance, I never have to steal the secret information of my company for my financial benefit. It cannot be allowed that I harm other's body or emotion for my pleasure. Nevertheless, if I face with a tremendous or urgent problem I should make a hard decision about whether I should choose the bad tool for the good result or not. Thus, I would like to add some premises. People should think carefully their behavior, its impacts, and the result confronting ethical dilemma. Plus, they have to agree with the responsibility by themselves. With the strong belief, my choice of the bad tool, not the core, could be justified.

     Second, the ethics consists of an absolute truth and a subjective one. An absolute truth is that the life is the inviolable object. On the other hand, there are many subjective ethics like the regulation of a company, a current general ideas, and an agreed process of work. When it comes to ethical dilemma, the arbitrary tools or methods can be more understandable only for the absolute truth. However, the bad selection in process for subjective ethics could not be allowed. Also, the quality of the sin in the latter case would be bigger.

     It is sorry that I could not explain the detail and exceptional situation. It is very hard question about whether the ethics is absolute or not. However, we should seriously think about this dilemma, because there are so many times of hard choices around us. Maybe, the best answer of the our question might still depend on the person's belief and a sense of responsibility.

Relationship between Learning and Motivation

     Learning is inseparable from the service industry. Hotels, restaurants, and tourism service companies are the representative of the service industry. Hospitality companies are service oriented and service centered. Thus, logding industry invests hundreds of million dollars in training program (Frash, Antun, Kline, & Almanza, 2010). Thus, it is reasonable that executives and researchers have interests in the efficiency of transfer of training, because the remained knowledge changes for the far worse as time goes by. In order to improve this problem, the trainer should first learn about the impact factors to help trainee keep more knowledge. Trainee characteristics like motivation, training design like blueprint, and work environment like feedback are those factors. I like the third one, because that is related to the maintenance of the transfer.

     On the other hand, motivation is a matter of concern of all industries. Reading some articles, there are two types about motivation; intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. The examples of the intrinsic motivation are achievement, enjoyment, and interest, also ones of the extrinsic motivation are money, grade, and punishment. Many researches emphasize the intrinsic motivation, because of the higher effectiveness and the hardship of the economic crisis now. It may be sure that the arguments are certain. Which one is more important? I think that it is hard to gauge the importance of one. The reason is that it depends on the culture and the time. For example, many people first want the money for the safety which is the basic need of human. In a practical site, the purpose of a company is profit and money. However, if the person satisfy with their basic need, they would look for more ideal value for own life. That is about the intrinsic motivation.

     I felt something was wanting. The relationship between learning and motivation was the interesting subject for me. However, I did not find out the proper materials. I just guess there are strong relationship between two theories, because both refer the contents and the principles of each other. Also, like the article about learning style preference, the diversity of the motivation preference as the nationality or culture background could be valuable research idea. Try it sometime!

My personality

     The test of personality (click to see the test) was so interesting. Although I had several psychological tests ever, but this may be more informative. I read the statement and questions carefully, and got the total number. In conclusion, the highest type was 'O' (Owl) and the second was 'L'(Lamb), and the total numbers were similar; O was 54 and L was 53.

     Mirroring myself, the result may make sense. I have the characteristics not only to find out the reason of my problem, but also to understand other's difficulties. As the bloger said, there is no evaluation like which one is better on this test. However, I think that there are distinct advantages to each types of characteristics. If I want to be an successful entrepreneur, I should consider whether I have the characteristics like a bull or a tiger. The type of bull means the competitive, the venturesome, the loves a challenge and so on. Also, the tiger has the meaning of the enthusiastic, the promoter, the high risk taker and so on. On the other hand, I have different types of an owl and a lamb. I could use the advantages from the types' meanings like the analytical, the conscientious,  the liking other peoples' opinion, the patient and so on.

     In addition to that, it seems that the characteristics could be changed although the bases of characteristics are permanent. In my case, the result of this test could be changed if I did when I was an university student. Maybe, it could be that I was a tiger or a bull. I remember that I was fearless, very socially oriented, often late, and eager. After the marriage and 30 years old, I fell that I have been changed from a tiger to an owl. Sometimes I miss the highest confidence, but I believe that I have done well. This was a good time to make me think about my life again.

Consumers who consider the ecological business

Tons of energy were spent by consumers like tourists in a hospitality industry. Tourists may use more water, more electricity, and more towels at a hotel or a restaurant than at home, because they feel free like a deviation from everyday life. Some researches showed that tourists easily throw trashes, scribble on the wall, and shout loudly. Therefore, tourists may become a king/queen in a private hotel room, in that those are free.

However, it seems to start to change the attitude of tourists. Recent, the fair tourism or fair tourist is important issue. Fair tourists consider the goodness on the destination. They recognize the problems due to the behaviors of tourists, and also try to reduce them by themselves. I could find the proper video as below.
He looks enjoying his decision and consideration.

A hotel is not an extravagant house, but a pleasant destination. Ultimately, businesses in a hospitality industry have to know how to be sustained for themselves as well as how to earn money. The efforts to reduce energy and to enhance pleasantness will be an essentially strategical point toward the good tourists and consumers.

Team Culture and Drinking in Korea

When I was a freshman in the University in Seoul, I applied for the engineer team of the university broadcasting station. I almost failed the written test because questions were related to the subject of engineer study. After the test, I should take the interview with some applicants for 30 minutes. Some interviewer ask so individual questions like "How much can you drink?", "Can you work during several nights at the station?", "Sing a song". Many applicant and I were perplexed with new culture shock. However I also asked same questions to new applicants 1 year later when I was a director in the broadcasting station.

In my country, some individually sensitive factors are considered to be a member of a team although the strictness has been weaker now. Thus, events in a company are treated importantly than ones at home in many places. Sometimes, the behaviors (like drinking together) in an association after businees hour is very crucial. Interestingly, that the other should drink equally if one drink one shot shows the characteristic of the team culture in Korea.

I think that this phenomenon has both advantage and disadvantage. Advantage is that we can be gathered faster and easier with the events and drinking at night. Thus, one help co-workers heartly after the business hour. Also, it is easy not only to get an agreement, but also to make a consensus in a short time. On the other side, the strongly gathered team culture may make unreasonable decision makings. Plus, the emotions of each individuals can intervene on the business and it occurs absurdities and corruptions.

It seems that diversity exists diversely.

Task behavior types and the application idea

A company is a group of units. Some departments, several teams, and lots of workers. According to each team or the individual, there are diverse roles and characteristics in a company. Therefore, we have to understand their colors or styles to make synergy effect together. However, the problem is how to manage the company or what to focus on to find out the strategy.

In fact, it is obvious that we are mixed in a group with different sex, age, nationality, culture and so on. Perhaps, our industries may undergo the hardship more than other ones, because hotel or restaurant business is a labor intensive industry.

In our class on Sep. 20th., we could discuss a bunch of the task behavior types. Defining the task behavior may be so useful not only to grasp an individual tendency toward task, but also to manage the human resources. For example, it could be more effective that a person who seems to be an information seeker and information giver works in a strategy planning team rater than in a house keeping team. Also, when a restaurant wants to hire new manager, they should meet a person who has a characteristic like a coordinator, an evaluator, or energizer.


<Task Behaviors>

Information seeker   /   Information giver   /   Opinion giver   /   Elaborator   /   Coordinator   /   Orienter   /   Evaluator-critic   /   Energizer   /   Procedural technician   /   Recorder   /  


In my opinion, the best way to get the goal of the unit is to hire competent people in a proper team. On the other hand, the worker could get better opportunities, analyzing own type of task behavior.

The ability to listen

When I started to work for a newspaper company as a journalist in 2006, I should meet lots of people to interview. We had realized that it is never easy just to listen to his answer. Although he spoke only with me, I was thinking about whether this is the answer I anticipated and what is the next question.

Reflecting on myself, the conversation was not shared but fixed. I planned the structure of the story and the solution about the issue before the meeting. I guess that why listening to other speaking is hard is because not only that he has a purpose of the conversation, but also that the time is limited.

Moreover, it would be difficult for me to listen to my words. I sometimes go to the park to think or to converse with myself. More specifically, I had tried to learn how to meditate by myself several years ago. Nevertheless, it was not a comfortable work.

In order to improve the listening skill, I think that I have to change my attitude instead of learning skills. I must know about the importance of esteem for the others. First, I should spend more time to listen to other’s words than to speak my words. Second, I do not have to awkwardly think about the answer. Third, I should throw away the stereotype. Plus, taking a memo is good idea to listen the story from my mind because the speed of thinking in mind is too fast to remember for myself. Also, I could make a better logic or sound grounds for the development of my thought.

A model for evaluating the food service system and application 1 of 6

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#1 of 6. Applying this model to the restaurant as a food tourism industry : INPUT

1. [ Input ] : tangible + intangible  

    1) Human

        ① Labor : manager, employee, outsourced labor, broker/agency... 

        ② Skills : functional skill, sociable skill...

    2) Material

        ① Food : raw material, prepared dish...

        ② Cleaning material : ...

    3) Facilities

        ① Space : office, kitchen, hall, counter, parking area... 

        ② Equipment : table, cooking, ...

    4) Operational

        ① Financial statement :

        ② Time :

        ③ Utilities :

        ④ Information : ( ← It becomes more important, in my opinion. )

 ? (+) Culture :  Food tourists may want to get unique, attractive, and representative experience at the restaurant.

        ① Brand / Symbol

        ② Image

        ③ Story-telling : history of restaurant, interesting record...