Management
Book Title: Supervision in the Hospitality Industry
Book Edition: Eighth Edition
Author(s): John R. Walker and Jack. E. Miller
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 978-1-119-14846-3
Read case study then answer case study questions.
ANSWER
Case Study: Too Much, Too Fast?
Case Study: Too Much, Too Fast?
Case Study Questions
- What basic mistakes did Joanne make?
The major mistake that she made was lacking effective and proper communication. Joanne could have called all employees and communicated well and effectively with them. If she did that, Jasmine’s two assistants would have accepted to take orders from her. Another basic mistake she made was delegating duties and failing to supervise them. She should have supervised the work to see if it was being done.
- Why do you think she did not foresee what happened?
Joanne did not foresee what happened because she had presumed that the employees had seen her working in their departments and that they were aware of her standards and methods.
- How could she have avoided the reaction of Jasmine’s and Michelle’s assistants? How could she have avoided the reaction of Robert, who tried to work shorthanded?
She could have avoided the reactions of Jasmine’s and Michelle’s assistants by simply explaining in detail to them why she chose Jasmine and Michelle to lead them. Joanne should also have made the assistants aware of the responsibilities delegated and asked them to cooperate with their leaders. For Robert, Joanne could have notified him in advance that in case he had less personnel to handle a job, he should report it so that he can be assigned more personnel.
- What should she do now? Should she withdraw the delegation or try to make it work? If the latter, then make a detailed plan for her to carry out.
Joanne should learn from her mistakes and ensure better delegation planning in the future. For now, she should not withdraw the delegation. She needs to develop a clear plan of how delegated responsibilities will be communicated. She should make elaborate arrangements with Michelle, Jasmine, and Robert to plan how operations will be handled. She also needs to call all the assistants and workers and tell them about the plans made and what is expected of each of them. She needs to address all the mistakes observed and develop some guidelines and disciplinary measures for non-compliant employees.
- How will she handle all her other workers tomorrow to keep their respect?
Joanne should talk to all her other workers and issue a warning about what happened today. If the situation today arises again after communicating the warning, then she should take disciplinary actions to ensure smooth operations in the future.
- What should she do about pacifying customers?
She should apologize to the customers and tell them that some small misunderstandings occurred and resulted in disturbances. She needs to reassure them that everything is under control and that they will not experience the problems again in the future.
- Should her boss at the catering company headquarters be involved in any way? Does her boss share the responsibility for what happened?
The situation is not out of control, which means that it can be handled at the manager’s level. There is no need to involve her boss. Joanne should handle the situation and implement the necessary corrective measures. Later on, she can explain to her boss what happened and the measures she took to ensure better performance in the future. This way, she will display her managerial skills.
