Problem Statement
The main issue I find with Kudler Fine Foods is its limited supply of management. After reading the strategic plan I find that Kathy is finding herself on the precipice of needing a larger management team. Kathy seems to be over working herself, and according to my research, Kathy could hurt her business and herself.
According to the strategic plan one of Kudler Fine Food’s weaknesses is the small overworked management team. After reviewing the strategic plan it seems that Kathy is unwilling to delegate authority. Kathy handles all of the orders, hiring, firing and all major business decisions. The plan also states that Kathy works seven days a week and works after hours to complete the day to day operations. Kathy is also noted as not being able to take a vacation. According to Mukherjee, “No organization should fall apart in the absence of one person.” (Mukherjee, 2000) According to Maslach since Kathy has a lot of stress it could contribute to burnout which has a symptom of a decrease in work performance. Areas that cause burnout include workload, control issues and reward.
Since Kudler Fine Foods is expanding, so are the duties of Kathy. Kathy works in all three stores to ensure quality, but the workload has become too much for her. Kathy’s vision is to keep expanding her business but she will be unable to keep up with the demands. Kathy needs to establish a management team according to the different functions of the business such as inventory and finance.
Control is another area of burnout that can affect employees and owners. If Kathy is to expand her business she is going to have to delegate authority. According to the strategic plan Kathy wants to expand to different markets such as San Francisco which is too far for Kathy to not delegate authority.
Burnout can also be from neglect on reward. One of the best rewards that Kathy finds is working with customers. In the strategic plan it states that she wants to...