Hardees

One of the places that I have worked in the past was Hardee’s. While I am not currently an employee there, many of the metaphors that we discussed made me think back to working at Hardee’s. Some of the metaphors that I feel would help to explain the experiences that I had and witnessed in while working there are the Machine Metaphor, the Psychic Prison Metaphor, and the Political Systems Metaphor. Individually, each of these metaphors views the Hardee’s organization through a very narrow lens. Collectively, however, they create a fuller understanding of why some of the problems that Hardee’s has exist and what can be done to remedy them. As a means of approaching recommendations for Hardee’s, the Holographic Brain Metaphor will be used. Initially Hardee’s was founded by Wilber Hardee in 1960. Within five months of opening his initial restaurant, Wilber Hardee had his first franchisee. By 1997, CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl Jr., bought Hardee’s. The Hardee’s chain is spread throughout the Southeast and Midwest. As of 2003, it has established niche for itself as a leader in thickburgers made from 100% Angus beef(Hardee’s, 2007). Within the Hardee’s where I worked, I had the position of ‘general crew member.’ This is the same position title that was given to any person hired below a manager (including janitors, greeters, and bussers). I worked mostly backline jobs including regarding food preparation. As I was in high school for the duration of my employment there, I had relatively little say in any of the few decisions that crew members could speak to because of my youth. The Machine Metaphor is used in workplaces where people in power want to maintain power and control in their organizations. Organizations in which this metaphor can be applied often have elements of scientific management, bureaucracy, and hierarchy. Each of these elements is in place because they emphasize power and control in