Systems Model for Menu Change at Derby Dining Center

INPUT:

Human (Team Members)
Monetary
Facility Space
Food Products
Old Menu - TO DEVELOP
Equipment
Recipes
Time

TRANSFORMATION:


Set Goals and Mission / Vision
Develop Leader Initiatives & Training
Train Employees with New Systems and Operations
Empowerment of team and other employees through Menu development and design
Purchase new products and equipment
Train employees with potential changes in customer service needs. (perhaps allergen menu has been re-designed)

OUTPUT:


New Menu developed
Happier/Empowered Employees
Happier Guests/Customers
Redesigned more efficient purchasing system
Redesigned more efficient kitchen and production space

MEMORY:

Recipe Storage & Product Procurement system (i.e. Computrition)
Forecasting Numbers

FEEDBACK:


Customer Reaction - Are they coming back for more?
Front-Line Employee Reaction - Is it more or less difficult to serve/produce. - Positive or negative
Manager Reaction - Are meals easier to manage - Do we need more or less employees to produce?

CONTROL:


Vision/Mission Statement
Food Safety Regulations
Housing & Dining Services HACCP

Leaders In the Ranks

There are many companies who believe that their front line employees are the best candidates for their management teams. Some of these companies believe that the most competent managers, who understand company values. The Disney company is a prime example of promoting front line employees to management positions. It is very difficult to obtain a management job with this company, if you have had no prior work experience under them. The company values are such  that they depend on the knowledge and experience of its front line employees to lead other employees. They are much more versed in company culture and values. They know what is expected of themselves and other employees. By having this experience they inherently are much more qualified leaders. On the positive side, Disney maintains a strong workforce that is committed to guest service, high quality services and products, and a loyal customer base. In the same way they do not necessarily have to invest as much money into training leadership, since they are already hiring leaders who do not need to be taught about culture, values, work areas, geographic locations, pay standards, benefits, and company regulations and policies. I feel strongly that this factor is one of the main reasons the Disney company has such a highly regarded, world renowned, guest service culture. 

Short Term Teams

One of my least favorite type of group to work with is a team that is tasked to work on a short term basis. One of the most difficult teams to work in, at least for me, are teams that are made to work together in the short term. Short term teams can last for hours, days or even months. In many cases these types of teams are not necessarily developed in such a way that cater to team development. Normally the short term team is thrown together and are not developed with team dynamics in mind. The strengths of the team members must be recognized by the group itself, and not necessarily by the entity that puts the team together. This is very likely much more commonly seen in teams  that work together on a project for hours or days. When teams work together for a number of months, I believe that more thought is put into the strengths and weaknesses of the individual team members as opposed to much more short term groups. The longer the team is to work together, the more thought and effort into selecting the members of the group. Inversely, the shorter the duration of the project at hand there is less thought put into that group. There have been many times when I have had to work within a short term team, and the majority of those experiences were not the most positive for me. In some team members were not always completely dedicated to the goals and objectives of the group. Work and responsibility was never equally distributed and the ending product or result was of mediocre quality. I am not saying that every short term team I have ever worked with was like this. However, when I think about working in a short term team I almost always have a negative perspective.

Learning Styles

I have always been a hands on person. In order for me to understand what is being taught to me, I need to physically see or touch whatever it is I am working with. It is very hard for me to understand a particular topic if I am being talked at, or am not given any form of visual cue or example as to what is being shared. I have always been very good at taking things apart and putting them back together and I feel as though I  have always been a kinesthetic leaner / activist.  There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to my learning style. Once I have been visually or physically introduced to the subject matter, I usually have a very good grasp as to what is being taught. Rarely will I need to review something multiple times in order to obtain a good grasp on the material. I also feel as though I am better able to dissect more complicated problems, and can develop solutions that are simple and efficient. One of the big disadvantages of being a hands on learner is the inability to learn when there are no visual examples or opportunities for experimentation. There will be many situations where I will need to be able to solve a problem or learn a new concept, and I will not have the ability to see or work with an example before I attempt to understand what is being shown to me. Overall, I do not reflect on the disadvantages my learning style places on me. I have always preferred this style and I do not think it is possible to change it. It's something you are most likely born or brought up with, like being right or left handed. It is something that is natural that places strengths in me that others do not have.

"BOLT" Personality Testing

After completing the personality test my scores were extremely evenly spread out. My highest score represented a Bull. However, my lowest score which represented an owl was only two points less than my highest score. I received the same score for lamb and tiger however that score was only one point less than my highest score. I do recognize that I do have man of the characteristics listed in the results, and many of the characteristics I do have are represented in each category. I have taken a number of personality tests, and I would have to say that I feel as though this is not the strongest test I have taken. However, it is nice to have a different measurement that gives me a different perspective on my personality. I do not think that this particular test would be the first I would use again on myself or with others, but it is very easy to use and kind of fun.

Politicking Politics

I have always been a person who did his best to sta out of politics in every way shape and form. Over time I have realized that this strategy is all for nothing. It is impossible to keep out of personal and workplace politics. It can be argued that political situations are negative in the workplace and should be avoided at all costs. In reality, creating an environment where all political situations are avoided seems to create new controversies and, at times, can increase and magnify these concerns in the short run. Overall I feel that if there are negative feelings towards politics in the workplace, then the organization as a whole will have a workforce that has a personality that is negative in nature. On the other hand, if there are positive feelings towards politics in the workplace, then the organization will have a more positive personality which can result in increased employee satisfaction, productivity, and a stronger level of cohesiveness. All these factors lead to better team building and optimized teamwork as a whole.

Teams and Their Limitations

A team is a cohesive group that can efficiently complete any particular task to achieve a common goal. Many ideas have been shared as to what components and characteristics are necessary to create a well balanced team. Some say that diversity is necessary, although it is never quite clear as to what the definition of diversity actually is. Similarly some believe that a good team will consist of group members who are able to satisfy roles which are necessary to develop cohesiveness through a hierarchy as well as individual job responsibilities. I feel that it is important to understand alternative views when creating a team. Overall, I believe that if a group of people can effectively complete a task, it is more important to understand the specific characteristics of that team for that particular type of task. It may also be that the particular group on people in question may be absolutely horrible at working together on  a different goal. The goal is always dependent on the group. The number of group members is also a very important factor in determining how effective it will be in completing a task. It may be that adding or subtracting one member may drastically alter the cohesiveness of the group. Too many inputs will always result in reduced productivity. For every group task there is a limit of resources that can be put into completing that project. Once you have reached your resource limit, productivity will taper off and output will become fixed and in some cases stagnate. In any case you must first understand what your necessities are for the task at hand to completely understand how to organize your workforce to create a cohesive group that will not impede productivity due to its size.

Listening and its Difficulties

I have always felt as if I were a very good listener. However, after thinking on it I have determined that I am a horrible listener under stressful circumstances. If I am distracted or am exposed to any little interruptions I have a hard time paying attention to anyone who may be speaking to me at the moment. It is also common for me to stop listening to a person when  I do not have any real care or concern as to what it is they are saying in the first place. I do not make it obvious when I am not listening but at times I will not be able to give the best response to the person I am communicating with. In any case, in order to improve my listening skills I need to first make a conscious effort to pay attention when someone is speaking to me. Similarly I need to be sure that I can do my best to stay free of distraction. I do see this being a little more difficult in an office setting in which case you do not necessarily know when you may be interrupted or distracted. I feel that in order to improve my communication skills immediately I must put forth the effort. Once I have done this I do believe I will see immediate improvement.

Laziness: An Opinion or Misunderstood Cultural Norm

After looking through, and thinking on our recent discussion. I feel as though there are many people who are of the opinion that young Americans are becoming more lethargic as the years go by, with respect to education and motivation. Time after time we hear that we are no longer producing professionals in science and engineering due to increasing laziness in younger generations. I think that this opinion should not be counted out, because it is a valid argument. However, can we not also say that young Americans have now found themselves expressing new cultural norms that clearly no longer flow with older generational views and opinions. Today many of us would agree that we need more science and engineering professionals, and many of these new professionals would have most likely been born in the late 80's. These people have lived their entire lives with advanced technology, where older generations were just being introduced to it by the tie they were already in their 20's or older.  Personal Computers, The Internet, Cable TV, digitized media, text messaging, smart phones, laptop computers, wireless technologies, smart cars, smart TV's,  and social media and networking (Which connects to virtually every piece of technology you own!), and the list goes on. Every year all of these technologies get faster, smaller, thinner, and prettier. My point is that this technology has improved exponentially over the past 20 years and these so called lazy people have never known life without it. Being a product of this generation myself...it is no wonder that many of these people were not interested in going into science and technology, because they have always had science and technology around them and expect it to always be there for them always getting better. It's almost as if we are spoiled...not lazy. The older generations had put in the time and work to develop the technology, and the younger generation is so acclimated to it that they never even considered getting into that work force themselves because, in their eyes, they didn't need to. Thus we see the creation of a new culture, and in it a set of norms that determines what we feel is important to us, and will determine the development of new cultural norms in the future. In any case, if we do not get our students interested in math and science, the United States will definitely loose its competitiveness and innovation to the nations who are currently exceeding our abilities. I do feel as though many of our competing countries have the same chance find themselves in a lull similar to ours, and we will eventually find a happy equilibrium in a more globalized world.