Peppercorn Issues
Data Analysis
How will you analyze the data collected? How will you make sense of the situation at Peppercorn?
This should probably take a majority of the class period, since how the consultants see the organizational issues will, in part, determine how the feedback process will be designed.
Choosing a diagnostic/analytic model is no small issue. There is no evidence in the case that a particular diagnostic model is driving the data collection process (a potential problem), and there are at least two models that would work. First, the consultants could use an individual based model – such as the one described in Chapter 6. For each job at Peppercorn, the consultants could ask what their data reveals about task identity, skill variety, task significance, autonomy, and feedback in the context of Peppercorn’s structure. But this is a more limited perspective and not as good a choice.
Second, and perhaps more relevant in this case, would be an organization-level diagnostic model such as the one presented in Chapter 5.
Inputs: Based on their initial discussion with Drew as well as data from the interviews, we can see that the labor market has gotten very tight. It is more and more difficult to find workers and in particular student workers. This tightened market has forced the dining services unit and Peppercorn to increase the pay rates twice (although with little apparent effect). In a related category, we also know that a union represents full-time employees. It is this labor shortage that is driving many of the dynamics of the case.
The primary customer, students with meal plans, suggests that there is little likelihood that price increases can be used to offset the labor scarcity. On a more general level, we know from data in the interviews that the food-service industry is known for its low wage levels and long and odd hours.
Design Components. The observation and interview data provides some information on each feature of organization
How will you analyze the data collected? How will you make sense of the situation at Peppercorn?
This should probably take a majority of the class period, since how the consultants see the organizational issues will, in part, determine how the feedback process will be designed.
Choosing a diagnostic/analytic model is no small issue. There is no evidence in the case that a particular diagnostic model is driving the data collection process (a potential problem), and there are at least two models that would work. First, the consultants could use an individual based model – such as the one described in Chapter 6. For each job at Peppercorn, the consultants could ask what their data reveals about task identity, skill variety, task significance, autonomy, and feedback in the context of Peppercorn’s structure. But this is a more limited perspective and not as good a choice.
Second, and perhaps more relevant in this case, would be an organization-level diagnostic model such as the one presented in Chapter 5.
Inputs: Based on their initial discussion with Drew as well as data from the interviews, we can see that the labor market has gotten very tight. It is more and more difficult to find workers and in particular student workers. This tightened market has forced the dining services unit and Peppercorn to increase the pay rates twice (although with little apparent effect). In a related category, we also know that a union represents full-time employees. It is this labor shortage that is driving many of the dynamics of the case.
The primary customer, students with meal plans, suggests that there is little likelihood that price increases can be used to offset the labor scarcity. On a more general level, we know from data in the interviews that the food-service industry is known for its low wage levels and long and odd hours.
Design Components. The observation and interview data provides some information on each feature of organization