Leading and Managing Change: A Case Study of Café 13's Transformation

This report examines the challenges and strategies involved in leading and managing change at Café 13, a 150-seat canteen-style restaurant. It explores the difficulties John faces in implementing cultural changes due to factors like age differences with staff and increasing competition. The report discusses Handy's Culture theory and suggests adopting a role culture to improve organizational performance. It also explains how Café 13 can take a planned approach to change using Kurt Lewin's change management model, focusing on unfreezing, changing, and freezing stages to improve communication, motivate employees, and enhance the overall business strategy for increased profitability and competitiveness.

Leading and
Managing
Change

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Main Body ......................................................................................................................................1
1. Why might 'cultural change' be difficult for John to implement speedily at Café 13? ...........2
2. Explain how Café 13 can take a planned approach to change.................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Changes is the thing that make different in some particular. This is important for all to
bring the changes as environment and needs of people are changing. For businesses and
organization it is needed to have full consideration and focus on changes which can help to bring
something new and maintain the good performance. Culture is always evolving where it is
required to have focus and demand of people that can help to operate the business and increase
the organizational profitability by delivering better quality of products and services. This report
is based on case study of Cafe 13 that is 150 seat canteen style restaurant on the top floor of an
eight store office block. The building was constructed in 1980's of a large international shipping
company which is located two miles from a major city centre. In this restaurant number of
employees are working who understand the needs of their customers and offer kind of products
and services which can help to attract them and increases the organizational brand image.
Employees who are working in selected industry faced many changes and challenges while
running their business and operate their business in good ways. This report is going to focus on
cultural changes be difficult for John to implement speedily and how Cafe 13 can take a planned
approach to change.
Main Body
About Cafe 13
Cafe 13 is a 150 seat canteen style restaurant which is located on the top floor of eight
store office. Until 2015, this cafe was subsidised staff canteen that is serving meals and snacks to
employees by offering buffet and lunches for held meeting in such buildings. Due to increasing
international competition, the size of company has been declined as it is now occupying
restaurant only one floor and rest building and spaces are given to other industries. In the year
2016, this restaurant was sold to a commercial catering company that us Elia Food UK Ltd.
Where 20 existing staff are re-employed on the basis of existing terms and regulations. IT has
been seen that the area around the building has undergone rapid development over past 2 years
where a bing ware house, around 30 office, a cinema and sports centre are opened. Moreover, 3
more restaurant and 2 new pubs have also opened within 10 minutes walk of the building where
Cafe 13 is situated. Resulting, the sale and profitability percentage of such organization is being
reducing by affecting the business negatively. This states that changes are the needed for all
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which can help to attracts the customers by offering different types of products and services. The
answers of some questions which arises from the case study has given below:
1. Why might 'cultural change' be difficult for John to implement speedily at Café 13?
Cultural change refer as changes in the workplace that can be considered as daunting
task. It is important for organization to focus on cultural changes which are related to workplace
and employees wants that can affect the business. If changes are not accepted by organization
then it won't be possible to operate the business and manage the activities effectively. In other
words, Organization culture, beliefs and behaviour that influences how people act and playing a
major role in success and failure of business. This may provide unique leadership opportunity for
HR professionals to defining the how to implement the cultural changes. Cafe 13 was facing the
low profitability and higher level of international competition due to opening of new restaurants,
pubs and other work offices. This is a major challenge for selected Cafe to operate their business
in changing environment as well as cultural change. It can be difficult for John to implement the
cultural changes in Cafe 13 because this person was 10 years younger than working staff who
was working. The thinking and accepting the changes criteria for such person may affected
business negatively. As this person has newly appointed who so not have information about
needs of customers and employees who are getting the lunches and buffet services so it is not
easy to provide the satisfaction and increase organizational performance.
Handy's Culture theory is uses by companies to operate the business and accept the
changes which are needed in organization to operate the business and make it successful. This
culture is considering four aspects of accepting new culture in organization by focusing on
believes, values, attitudes and experience. The first aspects is Task culture which is uses by
organization to assign the task between employees by evaluating their working experiences that
can help to complete the work in sufficient time. The second culture is power culture where a
person only have power to analysis performance and workings of employees then take right
decision for the purpose of operating business. The person culture is uses by organization where
employees understand themselves as a owner and perform their workings accordingly. The last
culture is role which is performing by employees after assigning by management in expectation
of completing work and attaining the business goals. In role culture, roles and responsibilities of
employees are delegated by management by analysing their skills and experience that can help to
manage the work and attain the business goals. The Cafe 13 is larger size organization that is
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severing many people who are working in shipping company and other customers. Due to
increasing competition and gaps in John thinking performance of company is declined. To
overcome this difficulties Handy culture should be use by John in which it can understand the
needs of people and skills of employees in which they are expert to work. Therefore, role culture
can accepted to implement the changes by assigning role and responsibilities of working staff so
they can work effectively and manage the organizational performance.
The reason of implementing changes by John in Cafe 13 slowly is poor communication
that is major concern as John is 10 years younger than mostly staff where such person was not
able to communicate with leaders and other staff properly. As employees are not getting proper
respond from their managers due to which downsizing of business and affecting the activities.
The another reason toxic employees that means high level of competition and toxic work
environment that decreases knowledge sharing and increases transfer of destructive norms. The
toxic employees in selected organization not to get ready for accepting challenges and change sin
their process resulting declining performance. Dissatisfaction and de motivation to employees is
another reason of accepting changes difficultly that have a negative influence on company's
culture. In all above, John is required to understand the changing culture and increasing
competition where it can take decision to implement speedily with the help of employees who
are working in organization. Moreover, motivation and proper training should be provided to
staff so they can accept modern techniques and new skills for influencing customers. This can
help to operate and manage an business effectively and can help to attaining the business
profitability.
2. Explain how Café 13 can take a planned approach to change.
Changes is the wider term that is uses by all businesses and people in order to make more
good and better in the changing environment. For organization it is important to have focus
changes which can fulfil the customer's expectation and managing all activities. By measuring
and managing the changes in organization management is required to make plans and strategy of
what and how changes will be accepted by organization that can help to operate the business and
increase the performance in changing environment. Moreover, planned change is the process of
preparing the entire organization for attaining the new goals by setting new culture, internal
structure, metrics and rewards that attracts the number of employees and get ready them to work
more efficiently. For this, Kurt Lewin change approach is uses by organization in order to
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accepting the changes and challenges for running a business appropriately. This is defined as
planned approach to change which state what and how company is accepting the changes and
how they can bring improvements for operating and managing the organization successfully.
This approach is related to three phases such as Unfreezing, Change and Freeze. The first stage
is related to entire process of change management. This involves improving the readiness and
willingness of people to change by fostering a realization for moving from existing comfort zone
to transformed situation. In Unfreeze stage, management of Cafe 13 is accepting changes by
maintaining effective communication which can help to bring new products and services by
changing old one. The managers make plans and strategies what new services and changes
should bring in organization so customers get influenced and make decision to buying products
and services. Change is second stage that can be defined as acceptance of changes by new ways
and working methods. The management of Cafe 13 accepting the changes by maintaining good
relationships and encouraging new behaviour of workings that can help to operate the business
and increases the performance. In this, management will start to introduce new services such as
range of food and beverage at relevant prices and training should be provided to employees so
they can communicate effectively and operate the business effectively. The third stage is Freeze
that can be regarded as transition or change which is more stable. In this stage people accept or
internalize the new ways of working or change. In this, new behaviour, positive reinforcement
and policies are implemented by management of Cafe 13 that can help John to accept the
changes and operate the business successfully. This also can be managed the working activities
in relation to a business and helps to complete the task effectively.
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Illustration 1: Kurt Lewin Chnage model, 2020
Source: Kurt Lewin Chnage model, 2020
Therefore, Cafe 13 is using planned change approach for brining changes and responding
employees properly which by going through re-freeze, change and freeze process. In this
management will provide training, proper communication and motivate the employees by
rewards and offering other benefits that can help to operate the business and increase the
organizational profitability. This can also help to improve the poor financial performance of Cafe
13 by reducing total wages bill by 5% and giving more benefits in case of earning higher profits.
For accepting the challenges of many competitor in this sector range of products and services
will be provided to customers that will help to compete with international rivals and manage the
organizational task. By using this process goals and objectives can be achieved and brand image
can be improved. Therefore, planned changes are effective that plays major role in
accomplishment of task by accepting changes and removing overcomes.
Thus, John Cummings make the uses of Lewin change model for increasing urgency,
developing strategies, communicating the vision, remove the obstacles, creating short term wins
consolidating gains and anchoring change in concerning to obtaining strategic edge over the
competition in market and increasing higher profitability. These strategies ensure management
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that all changes are implemented successfully by solving problems and completing targets
timely.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that change is the management process which
is adopted by companies in order to bring something new and improve the organizational
performance. By accepting cultural changes activities and profitability can be improved and
maintain higher productivity. Cafe 13 is using Handy Culture theory in which role culture is
effective, employees are working as per their roles and responsibilities by working effectively.
Moreover, Kurt Lewin change model is planned change approach that uses to accept the changes
by following many states and make it more effective. This can help to overcome the difficulties
and increase the business performance in changing environment. This also help to deliver the
best quality of products and services by accepting changes and leading the productivity.
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