Effectiveness in Team Performance in Nandos Restaurant - Case Study Example

EFFECTIVENESS IN TEAM PERFORMANCE IN NANDO’S RESTAURANT Executive summary The Nando’s restaurant is a chain venture having its origin in South Africa in the late 80s and having raised to fame form its ‘chicken’ grill. The chain restaurant has ever experienced remarkable growth and currently runs multiple outlets across the globe. It is termed as global as its services have been spread across various continents, different nations, and its size of over a thousand outlets. The organization takes pride in values of pride, integrity, passion as well as a family bond and these forms the basis of this report because it presented the main challenge that the organization would face in its endeavor to open at least 20 outlets annually from 2001. The main fear was grounded on the effects that would render the company ‘faceless’ in the market despite the great success in capturing a wide market segment. The other challenge was pointed outs as that of ineffective management with increased managerial responsibilities of the current management personnel with such growth. Promotion of personnel into management positions in the process of growth was envisioned to be an effective way to save on organizational costs while at the same time to further the family culture embraced. Introduction This report therefore intends to provide a qualitative report on strategic recommendations to the organization in light with that company profile on how effectiveness in team performance as well as ‘family culture’ would be realized. The focus of the paper will therefore be on the Nando restaurant’s organizational structure and the future prospects in team structure as would be affected by the anticipated growth as shown from the case study. This paper presents recommendations to Nando’s restaurants for effectiveness in maintaining the ‘family’ culture as well as effectiveness in team performance as would be understood from the perspective of management of human resource. The discipline of human resource management and practices associated is better understood through theory a variety of theoretical formulations (Maslanka, 2004, p. 51). Organizational structure The restaurant’s specialization in chicken dishes has worked to create a global image over the company (Gabrielsson, Hannu Seristö, & Darling, 2009, p. 308-325). The main features that stand out for the chain restaurant is the effectiveness of leadership with the recent past showing the efforts of the management to embrace a rapid growth program meant to enhance leadership and delegation skills. The belief that happy employees offer customers good service informs the efforts by the management to improve the performance of employees through motivation. The organization takes pride in values of pride, integrity, passion as well as a family bond and these forms the basis of this report because it presented the main challenge that the organization would face in its endeavor to open at least 20 outlets annually after 2001. Team performance Effectiveness in team performance may not be having a direct definition though a variety of aspects would be considered while understanding the term. The general understanding of the concept would stem from the understanding of success in management of persons and in this case the team members who are often the employees (Flores, 1992, p. 8). The practice of team management entails various aspects of deliberate and intentional practices that are carried out in the purpose to either guiding or influencing a team of persons towards a common goal in matters of resource use and outcome (Rose, 2007, p. 27-28). Strategic leadership especially by the managers is prerequisite towards general success and effectiveness in team performance. The ‘family culture’ as have been pointed out as the main driver to the great success of the Nandos shows the interpersonal relationship that is embraced in the organization with the team spirit. The organization would therefore pride in working with ‘team’ spirit which enhances the effectiveness and success of the organization in the industry. Modernity defines managers as assumed ‘strategic leaders’ in their own position because they are responsible for managing teams of workforce and other production resources for the common goal of effectiveness in production of goods and services (Olum, 2004, p. 1-2). There are various theories in team leadership that have been used in explaining effectiveness in leading teams hence improvement of team’s family cultures and or performance. Why the change Effectiveness in team management and leadership is a critical component to any organization or business entity that accommodates more than one person as employee(s) (Strandberg, 2009, p. 2). Effectiveness in team management is critical to the welfare of an organization in that it dictates the productivity of the firm through managing the workers as teams, necessary for production purposes. However, the effectiveness of teams of people working together would be influenced by such variations as age and generational gaps (Strang, 2005, p. 68-75). Management practices such as hiring, promotions, deployments as well as firing of employees determine largely the level of trust that is built between the employees as well as the managers hence having direct implications towards effectiveness in team outcomes (Kascus, 2004, p. 240; Vitek, 2002, p. 187). It is such understanding in organizational management and the anticipated growth in the organization that explains the need for the change alluded to in this paper. Theoretical analysis and recommendations Douglas McGregor developed the theory of motivation ‘X’ which was meant to be instrumental in explaining the motivational factors to the behaviors of human beings and has since been implemented within a wider spectrum of spheres including explaining organizational behavior, management of human resources, organizational development as well as organizational communication and effectiveness in team leadership. The theory ‘X’ has been commented on greatly in the scholarly field in that it assumes that human beings are inherently lazy by default and as such does not like working (Stewart, 2010, p.1-2). The resultant of this in the real world is the devising of control mechanisms and supervisory tools to be used within organizations by the management. The reasoning of the theory is that people work because of coercion or by enticement through material gains without which the persons are determined to avoid working; therefore, the ambition of workers to engage in productive activities is boosted or controlled by enticements. This implies that team leadership within this theory’s framework have to use coercion and threat in order to get work done or have general compliance by the workers. However, personal drive and intrinsic values go a long way in determining the productivity of individual persons as unlike the proposition by the theory. This paper therefore recommends that Nando’s chain of restaurant devise more motivational strategies aimed at the teams of employees and management, as this would increase personal/intrinsic values. The ‘leader-member’ exchange theory explains that there exists a phenomena classification of employees within an organization by the managers into two groups; the inner as well as the outer groups. It is an explanation of how leaders relate with individual subordinates at a more personal framework as against a generalized treatment. It is thus unlike the perception of many of the management theories which hold that leaders treat all subordinates in a more or less alike manner. Nevertheless, as this theory has it, the leaders often relate to individual subordinate in a more customized manner and develop more contrasting relationships with individual employees. In these relations, the quality differs in that to some subordinates, the managers may develop more trust and open perceptions while relations that are more restricted may develop between the leaders and other subordinates. While in the latter case poor communication may be a dominant feature, the earlier case may be characterized with more open and well-structured communications. In a team relationship, members are more engaged in decision-making and are assigned to various responsibilities. This implies that the team leadership allows some level of self-drive to the team and a non-contractual kind of a relationship develops. Nevertheless, in response to such kind of relations, the subordinates within this structure respond through high level of commitment to their mandates besides initiating self-drive towards expected areas of service. Beside the in-group relationship, the management may develop another relationship referred to as the out-group kind of relation. In these high levels of strict supervisions to employees is exercised by the leadership/management. Strict contractual guidelines are followed to the latter and the leaders (supervisors) exercise their supervisory role as regards duty and not beyond the frameworks of the contract (Lunenburg, 2010, p. 1-2). Critical analysis of this theory reveals that the out-of-team supervision is influenced by ‘authority’ as against ‘leadership’ attitude as ought to be. This therefore means that the workers then take the responsibilities as expected and not any further beyond it. The out-group may feel inferior and as a result be complacent in delivering the expected effectiveness. Through the analysis of this theory, this paper therefore recommends that Nando’s management adopt an ‘equal’ approach while treating team members as against that in-team and out-of-team approach. The theory ‘Z’ as an extension of human resources management theories that were developed and purported to have significance in understanding the interrelationship between the management and the employees revolves around explaining the effect of bureaucracy in effectiveness of productivity of workers. It is equally an explanatory theorem just as ‘X’, which describes the corporate organizational role of the management in managing resources. The theory describes the critical role that the philosophies of good leadership, communication, trust as well as participative decision making has in the overall effectiveness of both the organizational management and the employees. The organizations committed to the course of the theory ‘z’ has their concerns in long term kind of employments for workers and the efficiency in explicit as well as implicit communication; interdependence in workers as well as the managers is facilitated by trust and consensus between the parties. Moreover, the theory support the full inclusivity of all workers at varying positions of service in matters relating to decision-making as well as upholding high levels of values in the affairs of the organizations. The development of proper interpersonal skills is effective in assisting the effectiveness in decision making by groups as a necessary tool in organizational management. This is necessitated by the need to have higher levels of cooperation in an organization by the management. Nevertheless, the theory disapproves hierarchical organization and instead acknowledges the self will of individual workers of an organization coupled by the high levels of trust brought about by the egalitarian atmosphere that an organization should create (Drushal, nd, p.15-16). This paper therefore recommends that effective relational structures should be embraced within the management of Nando’s with the anticipated growth. Improved management-employee interrelationship as part of team/family culture ideology would improve the effectiveness of the organization across the globe. Conclusion This paper therefore acknowledges the need for Nandos to take strategic measures in embracing the change anticipated with much efforts being necessary on team performance. The paper has therefore recommended three major aspects that need to be observed for effectiveness in corporate team management. I. Nando’s chain of restaurant should devise more motivational strategies aimed at the teams of employees and management, as this would increase personal/intrinsic values. II. Nando’s management should adopt an ‘equal’ approach while treating team members as against that in-team and out-of-team approach. III. Effective relational structures should be embraced within the management of Nando’s with the anticipated growth. Improved management-employee interrelationship as part of team/family culture ideology would improve the effectiveness of the organization across the globe. Bibliography Drushal M. E. nd. Motivational Components Of Theory Z Management: An Integrative Review Of Research And Implications For The Church. Viewed 19 March, 2014 Gabrielsson, M., Hannu Seristö, & Darling, J. 2009. 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