Barcelona Restaurant Group is one of the largest restaurant groups in the United States. It employs an approach that emphasizes on a humanistic concept of employee empowerment and rejects the authoritarian-style of micromanaging employees. Many restaurants try to make their daily activities perfect through the creation of systematized standard processes of work. Such an approach is comparable to a scientific management style where that emphasizes on accuracy and precision. In contrast, Barcelona gives individual employees adequate space and freedom to create personalized dining experiences for the customers by applying their individual personalities and skills. Furthermore, the company strives to offer quality services that surpass the expectations of customers.
The humanistic approach to management focuses on handling an employee as a whole that consists of needs, skills, knowledge, and ambitions (Rodriguez 56). It emphasizes on employee interests in the employee-manager relationship. Research indicates that humanistic management is a concept that values human potential, growth, and dignity. The successful management of employees involves considering basic psychological concepts that are essential for the completion of various tasks. Furthermore, the humanistic approach to management implies that employees are humans who should be treated with dignity and respect (Rodriguez 60). Barcelona Restaurant Group cares for the dignity of every employee and ensures that the employees are respected. The company fosters the principle that workers are humans who should not be treated or perceived as mere production means within capitalistic economic processes.
Some of the contemporary approaches of management focus on the psychological needs and happiness of the employees. In this regard, Barcelona Restaurant Group prioritizes the customers’ needs. Customer satisfaction is the focus of the restaurant and a valuable prize that its employees strive to achieve. It is a philosophy that is shared by firms that operate in high-end service industries (Rodriguez 89). While it is important for organizations to establish and maintain a good relationship with employees, they should not renege of their quest to give customers the best experience. Sometimes it is necessary for the firm to remind the workers that customer satisfaction should be the priority of every individual in the company including the managers. Sometimes trying to ensure that customers have a good time may be difficult and unpleasant but necessary.
Restaurant life has its downsides, but Barcelona Restaurant Group’s humanistic approach to management plays a crucial role in helping them overcome the downsides of their jobs. The managers of the restaurant remind the workers that sometimes customers may blame them for no apparent reason; nevertheless, the workers should understand that it is part of their work to give the consumers the best customer service. Sometimes the work is enjoyable, but there are instances when the work is draining and distressing.
According to Rodriguez, restaurants are based on two major principles which include serving quality food and giving great service (103). Therefore, managers in the restaurant industry can help their employees to deal with the downside of their work by ensuring that the team has the tools and resources they require to perform their duties efficiently and effectively. When employees lack the tools they require to provide remarkable service, they end up making excuses or lying to the customers and underperforming in their respective jobs (Rodriguez 103). Restaurant staffs that do not have consistent inventories may lose faith in the management’s objectives, and they may become indifferent about providing professional services to customers.
Leading and inspiring staff to improve on issues regarding day-to-day operations encourages the employees to strive to improve their service provision. Great service is achieved through a gradual development process (Rodriguez 41). In the hospitality industry, daily coaching and close attention are required. The leadership at the Barcelona Restaurant Group believes that it is possible to manage the challenging aspects of the restaurant work when the organization gives employees a significant amount of responsibility for the daily operations of the restaurant as well as its success. Immediately they are hired, the restaurant’s leadership ensures that the new employees are aware of the fact that they are fully responsible for the operations of the restaurant. In this case, the restaurant‘s leadership team attributes the success of the company to the efforts and commitment of the employees.
In most instances, the restaurant uses Total Quality Management in areas related to employee involvement, continuous improvement, and customer management. Ideally, TQM serves as an organization-wide philosophy that emphasizes on quality service to customers as a means of achieving desirable outcomes such as customer satisfaction and retention (Rodriguez 75). The restaurant is committed meeting or exceeding the expectations of customers under all circumstances. Teamwork is an essential part of TQM, and it underscores continuous improvement of the services that the restaurant offers to customers.
The humanistic management that is embraced by Barcelona Restaurant Group opposes a one-dimensional managerial objective such as the maximization of profit. Accordingly, humanistic managers do not limit the respectful and fair treatment to employees alone. Such treatment is extended to other stakeholders such and clients, vendors, customers as well as other organizational community members. While Barcelona Restaurant Group gives the employees the freedom to be creative in achieving great dining experience, the customers are the primary concern in the restaurant’s business model. The restaurant cares for the employees because it relies on services provided by the employees to attract and retain customers. Organizations that adopt a humanistic managerial approach are often aware of the interests of all the stakeholders instead of focusing only on the profit-maximization element.
Works Cited
Rodriguez, Gary. Humanistic Business: Profit through People with Passion and Purpose. New Jersey: Pearson, 2014. Print.
