CASE STUDY #2

Larry, a high school kid looking for a summer job, was hired as a cook at a nearby restaurant. Larry had no experience working in kitchens, but the supervisor who hired him, explained that it wasn't necessary, because they would train him.

On Larry's first day, he was paired with a Senior Line Cook by the name of Tyler. Tyler wasn't especially

thrilled with the idea of having to train a new guy on the busiest night of the week, and expressed his concerns to the manager. "You're our most senior employee, so that makes you the most qualified person to do the training." A frustrated Tyler didn't say much after that - and aside from giving Larry a nod of acknowledgement, his only words to him were "watch, and stay out of my way."

By the time the main dinner rush hit, the entire kitchen line was bustling with activity and Tyler was doing his best to call orders, time out bills, and cook all at the same time. As more and more orders came in, the stress level in the kitchen had increased dramatically. It was at this point Tyler turned to Larry and barked, "I need you to run to the fridge and get me more hamburger meat!" Afraid to ask any questions, Larry quickly turned to look for the fridge, and as instructed, "ran" through the kitchen line to get more meat. A cook, unaware that.

Larry was coming through, turned to put up a dish, and collided with Larry. He never heard him coming.

As a group, discuss some of the issues surrounding Larry's first day of training using the following topics:

1. Identify and list all the things that went wrong on Larry's first day.

2. When selecting an employee to do training, how much does seniority factor in on your decision, and why?

3. If an employee is good at their job, does that automatically make them a good trainer, and why?

5. As a group, come up with 5 top character traits you would look for in a qualified trainer.

6. When organising a new employee's training plan, what factors should you consider when scheduling the shifts.

7. What is the KEY takeaway your group has learned from this case study?

Assignment

1. Which organisation produces the UK's ABC1C2 (etc) Social Grade Classifications Statistics?
2. What does the selling acronym AIDA stand for?
3. Who developed the 'Equity Theory' of job motivation in the 1960's?
4. What does the financial abbreviation P&L stand for?
5. Who developed the ten stages of corporate life cycle, starting with Courtship and Infancy and ending in Bureaucracy and Death?
6. The Ansoff matrix correlates what two aspects of business development from the 'new' and 'existing' perspectives?
7. In selling and communications, what do 'open questions' generally achieve?