Dunkin Donut Regional Manager

Introduction
Being a regional director for a major restaurant chain like Dunkin Donuts presents unique challenges and opportunities. Factors like job design, organizational design, recruiting and selection, and training and performance appraisals will reflect the demographics of the target market, and the unique geographic features of the region. Moreover, choices in organizational design and human resources will reflect the organizational strategies and climate of the parent culture. There are ways that our region can set new precedents for organizational culture and climate, such as by empowering service workers and using a transformational leadership style to prevent employee turnovers.
Job Design
Good job design strategy takes into account employee input, employee training, work and rest schedules, and adjustments needed for some of the more physically demanding parts of the job (“Job Design: Meaning, Steps, and Benefits,” 2018).
Job Analysis
Job analysis will derive from the hierarchical structure that persists in the organizational culture of Dunkin Donuts. The job analysis will remain faithful to the parent organization, and as regional director I will be responsible for overseeing all the individual store managers, making sure that their decisions reflect the values of the company. Beneath the regional director will be an array of managers, shift supervisors, frontline associates, cooks, and clean-up crew, all of whom are essential for the smooth operations of each Dunkin Donuts outlet. The regional manager will effectively mediate between senior management, including the executive team, and the crew at each of the Dunkin Donuts outlets in my region.
Job Description
The regional manager will be responsible for communicating with and coordinating between the different branch managers under the same geographic jurisdiction. One of the most important functions of the regional manager will be to ensure that all franchise owners have sufficient capital to meet their needs; the managers need structural and institutional support as well as safeguards against financial losses that might ultimately do damage to the brand (Shumba, Zindiye & Donga, 2017, p. 436). The regional director helps to ensure that all the marketing materials and strategies made by individual branches are attuned to the company’s culture. Likewise, the regional manager will help to develop talent at every level of a store’s hierarchy. Human resources decisions will also require collaboration with store managers. The regional manager should also take care to oversee human resources endeavours, as job satisfaction is directly related to employee retention in the fast food sector in particular (Jehanzeb, Hamid & Rasheed, 2015). Finally, supply chain management is a cornerstone of the regional manager’s job description (Kanyan, Ngana & Voon, 2016).
Job Specification
Specific tasks performed by the regional manager include mediating conflict between employees and managers by holding regular one-on-one and group meetings both in person and virtually, helping managers to more effectively train employees on the job by visiting local branches and consulting with managers directly, developing and implementing the training programs for employees in the region at different levels of their career, producing and updating training materials, proctoring training sessions, offering information about professional development for employees at regional stores, managing the supply chain, coordinating between suppliers and store managers, mediating between store managers and executives, and performing inbound and outbound marketing to maintain healthy relationships between customers and the brand.
Organizational Design
As the regional manager within the Dunkin Donuts organization, I have no control whatsoever over the organizational design of the company itself. However, the regional manager does have some degree of control over how the region itself is structured and how it will continue to operate in the future. The regional manager may also have the potential to slowly transform organizational culture by instilling ethical values in managers and employees, and creating a goal to promote corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability. The region could be poised to break records, both financially and in terms of sustainability. Therefore, the regional manager should take care to create a supportive team environment in which all managers participate in the process of making improvements, mitigating crises, and managing change.
The regional manager can also help make small changes to the organizational design of individual restaurants, and to create regional collaborative groups that contribute to the goals of the company. The organizational design will remain hierarchical, but employees should also be empowered. Empowering the employees will involve soliciting feedback regularly, and offering incentives programs that reward good performances. While junior staff may not have clout at the lower levels of restaurant management, cashiers, cooks, and other service level positions still serve roles that are critical to the success of the organization. For this reason, the organizational design should also allow for collaboration via the use of a transformational leadership style.
Recruiting and Selection
Recruiting and selecting methods will determine the future of the regional workforce, which will in turn influence the organizational culture and climate. The recruiting methods used will include a variety of methods designed to create the most diverse and motivated pool possible. Online applications will help drive some of the new recruits, particularly those interested in managerial positions. The use of online job postings will also be supplemented by additional methods of external recruiting including simply placing signs in store windows and inside individual stores. The content of the recruiting messages will be positive in tone, inviting new applicants who are motivated to become part of a team, rather than attracting employees who might not be satisfied in their positions.
As regional director, it would be advisable to hire a full-time social media director. The social media director would reach out to customers but also to potential new employees and existing employees. The social media manager would also create content that would reflect the core values of the organization, helping to lure employees with the same values. After the initial external recruiting process, the regional manager will begin to offer tips to managers for screening and selection of employees. The qualities that managers will be looking for depends on the positions being filled. Teamwork and collaboration are keys, because the goal is to create environments in which each person plays a part rather than operate within a segmented workspace. When employees are empowered, they are more likely to become loyal to the organization and committed to sharing their input and ideas for how to make improvements in the future (Jehenzeb, Hamid & Rasheed, 2015).
Training and Performance Appraisals
Training recruits is critical to ensuring optimal job performance and for helping the organization meet its core objectives. The methods used for training will vary depending on the position. For lower level positions like line cook, cashier, drive-through attendants, and cleaning staff, the training will be task-related, with specific instructions. Each store manager will be entrusted with the company information on how each job is performed to maximize productivity and enhance customer service. When it comes to training employees to use new hardware and software systems, the regional manager should also learn those systems in order to resolve any conflicts and improve the overall quality of the training. Customer service training also needs to be offered to all employees, regardless of their rank, role, or position in the company. The end result of all training should be to build the image of the brand in this region, which requires having the best customer service.
Training of managers will entail a different set of procedures and processes. Each aspirational manager will attend a two-week supervisory skills training course. The course will address communication, diversity, and leadership styles. These training courses will also be offered throughout the year for employees hoping to move up the corporate ladder, gain knowledge and experience, and improve their professional development prospects. Even the regional manager will have access to ongoing professional development resources, so that it will be possible to be a part of the C-suite one day.
Conclusion
Being a regional manager comes with a complete set of roles and responsibilities, including managing diverse teams and coordinating supply chain and logistics. Moreover, the regional manager plays a major role in solidifying brand image and identity in the region. The goal is to build better relationships with customers, so that head office takes note and recognizes that this region is doing its best to promote Dunkin Donuts. Also, the regional manager’s goal is to transform organizational culture while still remaining loyal to the overarching hierarchical structure of the company.




References
Bowen, D.E. & Lawler, E.E. (1992). The empowerment of service workers. Sloan Management Review 33(3): 33.
“Job Design: Meaning, Steps, and Benefits,’ (2018). Management Study Guide. https://www.managementstudyguide.com/job-design.htm
Jehanzeb, K., Hamid, A.B.A. & Rasheed, A. (2015). What Is the Role of Training and Job Satisfaction on Turnover Intentions? International Business Research 8(3): http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ibr/article/view/45871
Kanyan, A., Nganya, L. & Voon, B.H. (2016). Improving the service operations of fast-food restaurants. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences 224(2015): 190-198.
Rosado, J. (n.d.). What organizational structure is best for a fast food restaurant? The Chronicle. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/organizational-structure-fast-food-restaurant-75640.html
Shumba, K., Zindiye, S. & Donga, G. (2017). Challenges faced by franchise entrepreneurs operating in a volatile business environment. Problems and Perspectives in Management 15(2): http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.15(2-2).2017.12