How the manager or supervisor manages plays a major part in the effectiveness of his staff. A good chef uses a management style best suited to her staff and the situations she is in. More than one style, or a mix of different styles may be appropriate in different circumstances.
At the end of this module, you will be able to . . .
Explain the effectiveness of a variety of management styles.
When you complete this objective you will be able to...
discuss the effect of poor management on performance.
Complete each of the Activities listed below :
In your notes:
Consider the worst manager you ever worked for.
Consider the best manager you ever worked for.
Poor management will often result in:
When you complete this objective you will be able to...
discuss the roles and obligations of the supervisor.
Complete each of the Activities listed below :
In your notes:
Briefly describe the obligations of the chef to the owners, to the customers and to the
staff.
Write a couple of paragraphs explaining the dichotomy between profit and customer
satisfaction.
When you complete this objective you will be able to...
Evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of management styles.
Complete each of the Activities listed below :
In your notes:
Write a short essay (1 to 2 pages) detailing the advantages and disadvantages of each
of the management styles identified.
Scientific management depends on well-defined procedures and processes. There will be a heavy reliance on standard recipes, and detailed processes. Staff are carefully chosen according to job descriptions. Training is precise and thorough. Scientific management a very efficient approach originally based in time and motion studies theory where work is organized for the greatest efficiency.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Human relations management is based on the notion that people work better when they are happy with their work. The manager does whatever she can to make the workplace an enjoyable place to be, to develop a sense of belonging at work. She is concerned with her staff both individually and as part of a group. She wants to know their concerns and tries to meet their needs. In the Motivation module, we will look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a basic standard system of determining people's needs.
It is certainly true that people who are unhappy at work, who have an unpleasant working environment, may not be as productive as they could be. The reverse is not necessarily the case. Simply making staff happy is no guarantee that they will produce. The human relations manager has to be careful not to fall into the "Country Club" trap where production takes a back seat to staff satisfaction. She cannot forget her obligations to both owners and customers.
Workers are consulted in the decision making process. The participative manager seeks input, advice and suggestions from those working for him. However, the final decision is his; it is not a democracy. Participative management has a solid grounding in the Total Quality Management philosophy developed by W. Edward Deming.
Deming put forth the proposition that workers will be more effective if they have input into the decision making process. His philosophy is very much Theory Y management; people have a need to work and will work hard at anything they see the reason for. He felt that they have the closest view of the problems and efficiencies in their jobs. When his management philosophy was rejected by the post-war American manufacturing industry, he brought TQM to Japan. The rest is history.
Advantages:
Particpative management can fail if:
Humanistic management borrows from all three styles. Formal procedures are developed for production, hiring etc. Recipes are used, at least as guidelines for finished product. Job descriptions are used to facilitate hiring, training and performance appraisals. The chef acts as a coach and facilitator, developing her staff as a team working together to the common goals of profit and customer satisfaction. While every effort is made to make work satisfying and enjoyable, the manager and his staff never lose sight of why they are there. The humanistic manager has high concern for both the work and the people doing it. The team is inter-dependent, highly motivated, and committed to the success of the operation.
When you complete this objective you will be able to...
discuss management skills.
Complete each of the Activities listed below :
In your notes:
Explain the importance of the manager (chef) having knowledge all of the tasks involved
in the kitchen.
Does the chef need to be the best at all of the tasks or merely competent.
What might result if the manager is lacking basic technical knowledge?
Technical Skill
The chef needs to be familiar with all of the tasks required of his staff. Without basic competence, he will be unable to determine if they are performing adequately, if their explanations of circumstances have validity. However, his staff do the job on a regular basis and it is quite reasonable for them to have greater expertise than he does. The chef may be an adequate baker without the finely honed skills of his patissier.
Conceptual Skills
To be truly effective, the manager needs to be able to see the "big picture". How does the kitchen fit in with the operation as a whole. It is tempting to see the kitchen and the food produced as the central hub - the raison d'etre for the operation. In truth, while the food plays a very important role in the success of the operation, good customer service is generally considered more important by guests. It has been found that adequate food with good service will be better received than great food with poor service.
What makes life easiest for the kitchen may not facilitate service in the dining room or the bar. Decisions need to be made considering the operation as a whole. The chef is but one member of the management team in the operation which may include a maitre d', the food and beverage manager, the bar manager, the owner or general manager and others.
Human Skills
These may be referred to as interpersonal skills, the ability to get along well with people. Unfortunately, it is often assumed that a good cook will automatically be a good manager. To cook well doesn't automatically mean one can handle people well.
All discussion of people skills, all views of managing people will essentially distill down to the notion that people must be treated like they matter. A good "people person" recognizes the value of each individual and does things with that in mind. The chef needs to develop relations with her staff. This doesn't mean that everyone on staff needs to be her friend but merely that she develops, so far as possible, friendly relationships. The chef needs a sensitivity to their needs and concerns.
The old kitchen joke goes that there are 2 rules in any kitchen. Rule 1 - the chef is always rights. Rule 2 - if the chef makes a mistake, see rule 1. In fact, everyone makes some mistakes and staff will not respect the chef who will not own up to his. Taking responsibility for your words and actions is critical if you expect your staff to do the same. Leading by example is another critical characteristic of the successful chef.
It is also important to be aware of how you come across to your staff. Try to see yourself as others see you to paraphrase Robbie Burns. If you are making notes to yourself, checking your watch or taping your foot while someone is talking to you, you appear disinterested regardless of how you think you come across.
Intra-Personal Skills
This is the ability to manage yourself. If you cannot manage yourself, you cannot hope to manage others. The chef needs to set an example for others to follow. If she cannot be on time, it should be no surprise that her staff will have problems with promptness. If the chef throws temper tantrums, how can he reasonably expect respect from staff? Childish displays of temper solve nothing but they send a clear message, probably not the one you would like. One chef thought it quite reasonable to throw a hot frying pan at a cook who did something the chef thought incorrect. Rather than showing the chef's authority, he appeared to be rude, inconsiderate, ill-tempered and dangerous. Other staff watching this display will have the same opinion. The same goes with drinking. Social drinking with the staff is fine, it makes the chef part of the team. Drinking to excess with the staff diminishes the chef in the eyes of the staff, causing sometimes irreparable damage.
Romantic relations with the staff can create a nightmare in the operation. While the relationship is going well, there is the danger of favouritism, perceived or real. If other staff think the romantic partner is getting special favours, the damage is done whether that is true or not. The partner may expect or demand special privilege causing problems. When the relationship sours, there can be bad feelings than can affect the work of those involved and, often, anyone in proximity. Not a good thing to get involved in.
The chef needs a strong, positive self-image. A leader with low self-confidence won't find any followers. If the chef goes to work complaining about the job, about other staff or other departments, she cannot inspire staff to do their best. The chef needs to foster confidence and enthusiasm in his staff. While no one can be "up" all the time, nothing will bring morale down faster than a complaining, depressed leader.
It is important also to develop a "can do" attitude. Sometimes our first reaction to a new idea is that it can't be done or it won't work, simply because we don't want to be bothered changing our way of thinking about or doing things. The manager has to suspend this reaction until she has heard all sides and has taken time to deliberate, to consider the situation. Of course decisions sometimes have to be made on-the-quick, without a lot of time. You can only do the best you can given the information available. Usually even a poor decision is better than no decision at all.
Kitchen Management 305
Last Modified May 2007, Garry Wall
Email to: 
grwall@shaw.ca
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