Management Chapter 1 Workforce Management All Managers Would

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Case: A Total Quality Business Model

Two young entrepreneurs, Rob and Diane, were contemplating an idea of developing a

new type of take-out restaurant with limited dining facilities that would provide a wider

Customer Engagement

Rob and Diane realized that they must focus on the customers’ perceived quality of both

the product and service. They believe they must provide unexpected value to their

customers and go beyond customer expectations to create lifetime customers. As part of

training, employees will focus on “moment of truths”—the many instances that a

customer forms an impression of the company, either through its products or interactions

with its employees. These moments include a friendly greeting to each customer on

arrival, recognizing repeat customers, offering samples of different items, answering

questions, serving the products, and a genuine thank-you on leaving. Another way to

exceed expectations would be to accommodate any reasonable request. Employees would

Leadership and Strategic Planning

The leadership system would consist of regional vice presidents responsible for all of the

stores in a geographical area, regional managers in charge of about a dozen stores within

a region, store managers responsible for the day-to-day operations, and shift managers to

manage the employees on each shift. This “cascading” structure would allow

communications to be disseminated rapidly throughout the company, both top-down and

bottom-up. A manager training and development program would ensure that each level of

manager obtained the necessary skills for their job responsibilities. This training would

not only address the needs of entry-level managers, but also those who move up the

career ladder in the firm into higher leadership positions.

Workforce Management

All managers would be trained in several positions in order to gain a solid understanding

of the duties and requirements of all employees, to be able to cover certain positions if

needed, to train hourly employees, and to gain credibility with them. The training

program for a new manager would be designed to be somewhat self-directed. The

manager trainee would be given a skill checklist that includes each skill he or she should

learn. Experienced trainers would be available to answer any questions and assist the

manager trainee with any difficulties. Trainees would be given short evaluative tests and

Job performance of all hourly employees would be reviewed periodically using

performance appraisals by the store manager after the first 30, 90, and 180 days of

Process Management

All food production processes would be carefully documented so that all employees are

aware of what specifications must be met, particularly those health and safety

requirements that regulated temperature of food and proper storage. Managers would be

responsible for taking periodic measurements and observations to ensure that all

Information and Knowledge Management

All key data and information, such as inventories, financial reports and projections,

customer feedback, employee and operational performance, would be collected and

Discussion Questions

1. What advice might you give Rob and Diane about the management practices they

are proposing within each element of the TQ infrastructure? What additional

practices might you suggest?

2. How might viewing the organization at three levels of quality, including the

strategic (senior leadership), tactical (middle management), and the operational

levels help improve their business plan?