Organizational behavior terminology and concepts

Organizational culture refers to the attitudes and beliefs that permeate an organization and its employees. The culture manifests itself in a number of attributes -- communication styles, competitive approaches, symbols, slogans, values and norms. For any of these things to be a part of the organizational culture, they must be consistent throughout much of the organization. Culture is a shared value in the population, and as such it is something that should be relatively consistent and predictable, and most importantly definable.

In the restaurant business, organizational culture can be found in such elements as formality. Culture will dictate whether the restaurant is formal, informal, fun, staid, or simply low-rent. Management fosters the type of culture that it wants in order to deliver the type of restaurant that it wants. A restaurant that is attempting to be fun will see management attempt to foster a culture that promotes fun among the staff, so that the staff's attitude rubs off on the patrons. Similarly, there may be a totally different culture at a high-end restaurant where the cultural emphasis is on professionalism. The culture affects the tone of work, the type of employee that is hired, and will be reflected in the customer experience as well.

Organizational behavior is "the study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act in organizations" (Clark, 2009). The subject studies the interactions within an organization, and between the organization and external elements. The subject encompasses everything from the way the company deals with customers to the way it deals with adversity. Whereas organizational culture is focused on the attributes of the organization, organizational behavior focuses on the actions of the organization. There are four main types of organizational behavior -- autocratic, custodial, supportive and collegial.

Fast food restaurants are often autocratic. Employees have little to no leeway in terms of how things are done -- there is an official process for each action that the employees undertake. Any interaction with outsiders and many interactions internally will be formalized, to maintain managerial control. A bar/restaurant/lounge may be more collegial in its behavior style. There may be some element of formality, but employees are given more leeway and are treated more as equals to the front-line managers than at an autocratic restaurant.

Diversity refers to the elements of the workforce, with respect to race and ethnicity, gender, religion, handicap, sexual orientation, age or any other attribute by which we distinguish one another. A diverse work environment is typically considered to be one in which the staff and managerial ranks mirror in terms of demographics the general population, or at least the specific population of the environment (i.e. The staff can be all Chinese at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown). A diverse workforce brings many benefits, such as innovative thought and the absence of discrimination lawsuits.

In the restaurant business, diversity should ideally reflect the environment. Kitchen staff should be multi-gender if not multi-ethnic. The front of house does not necessarily have to reflect the clientele (particularly with regards to age) but should roughly reflect the demographic of the area. Ensuring diversity is a relatively simple process, as the result of a hiring process whereby applicants of all types are treated equally. Diversity in management is more difficult to achieve, and may require a mentorship program in order to succeed (Cullen, 2007).

Communication is the process by which thoughts, ideas and concepts are conveyed between one or more people. It is often thought that communication is verbal, but the majority of communication is non-verbal, through tone, through body language, through silences and through eye contact.

It is important that the messages we convey are received as intended. When this happens, the communication is strong. When it does not happen, the communication has broken down. In the restaurant setting, all forms of communication are critical, as customer service depends on it. In the kitchen, the staff must be able to use a variety of communication methods in order to convey information quickly and accurately. In the front of the house, it is even more essential that non-verbal communication skills are honed because to use verbal communication could be disruptive.