This book details how the Covid-19 Pandemic changed the way restaurant industry managers started to re-invent ways to effectively lead within their organizations. As a former restaurant manager, Morris makes a fascinating contribution to our understanding of the management leadership system through profiling the complex power dynamics in these organizations—explains through a series of case studies why it is not easy to agree to disagree with upper management when entry-level managers must maintain their competitive applicability. Breaking from company culture, leadership styles and organizational effectiveness sometimes disconnects employees from one another and the company’s mission and vision. How do you improve your career with the same company? How can you internally apply for the next promotion? Finally, what is expected from entry-level managers trying to take the next step, becoming a senior manager. This book can also serve entry-level managers looking for an easy to understand manual about leadership theory and best practices that are essential to the effectiveness of an organizational manager. Not only is this book a great read, but it provides excellent resources to turn to for simulation studies of more complex organizational systems because it creates observations by “moving forward” into the future, of aligning management leadership styles. Whereas some other research manuals attempt to look backwards across history to determine what happened, and how.

2. CHANGES IN MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP: TRANSLATING
IMPORTANT STRATEGIC OPERATIONAL DECISIONS QUICKLY
By TERENCE MORRIS
This book details how the Covid-19 Pandemic changed the way
restaurant industry managers started to re-invent ways to effectively lead
within their organizations. As a former restaurant manager, Morris
makes a fascinating contribution to our understanding of the
management leadership system through profiling the complex power
dynamics in these organizations—explains through a series of case
studies why it is not easy to agree to disagree with upper management
when entry-level managers must maintain their competitive
applicability. Breaking from company culture, leadership styles and
organizational effectiveness sometimes disconnects employees from one
another and the company’s mission and vision. How do you improve
your career with the same company? How can you internally apply for
the next promotion?
Finally, what is expected from entry-level managers trying to take the
next step, becoming a senior manager. This book can also serve entry-
level managers looking for an easy to understand manual about
leadership theory and best practices that are essential to the effectiveness
of an organizational manager. Not only is this book a great read, but it
provides excellent resources to turn to for simulation studies of more
complex organizational systems because it creates observations by
“moving forward” into the future, of aligning management leadership
styles. Whereas some other research manuals attempt to look backwards
across history to determine what happened, and how.

3. CHANGES IN
MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP:
TRANSLATING IMPORTANT
STRATEGIC OPERATIONAL
DECISIONS QUICKLY
DOES IT SOMETIMES SEEM LIKE EVERYONE AGREES, BUT NOTHING CHANGES?
The theory component of this paper is complemented by a focus on leader’s translating important strategic
operational decisions quickly. After the Covid-19 Pandemic started consumers were ordered by law to not
enter into businesses that were closed to the public to purchase food. Drive-through, delivery, take-out,
and curb-side pick-up emphasized on-site dining limited to outdoor seating. Seating capacity was reduced
to allow tables to be spaced at least 6 feet apart. These Covid-19 ordinances not only changed the way
fast food & quick-service industry were doing business. But the ordinances also changed the leadership
corps management and the traditional ways they managed these businesses.
The COVID-19 Phenomena
The COVID-19 phenomena, caused in some industries, a complete shift away from physical to digital
presence. Organizations can be seen as a “mosaic of groups structured by functional tasks” (GreenWood
and Hinings, 1996:1033). Functional skills are obtained by understanding the various processes and the
principles applicable to a business function.
SARS Co-V 2 is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that is contagious in humans. Severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also known as the coronavirus, is the virus that causes COVID-19,
the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. First identified in the city of
Wuhan, Hubei, China, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency
of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. After March 11, 2020,
business owners had to implement flexible worksites (e.g., telework), implement flexible work hours
(e.g., rotate or stagger shifts to limit the number of employees in the workplace at the same time), and
increase physical space between employees at worksites by modifying workspaces.

4. Physical v.s. Digital Presence
Fashioning Competitive Applicability
Before a Competitive Applicability can be established, it is important to know efficacious organizational
response(s) can easily position a company’s competitive applicability.
1. Benefit: Offering consumer benefit(s) their product or service provides. Real value and
generate interest.
2. Target Market: Who is purchasing from the company and how it can cater to its target
market.
3. Competitors: Understanding other competitors in the competitive landscape.
To construct a competitive advantage, a company must be able to detail the benefit that they provide to
their target market in ways that other competitors cannot. As a matter of fact, in the restaurant and fast
food & quick-service industry, the outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic accelerated trends that had started
long before the Covid-19 Pandemic. However, the Covid-19 Pandemic also created new conditions in
which new ways of “accessing culture,” both individually and as a community, were possible.
Cases of Competitive Applicability
The transparency between all parts within the organization, as Elvin Hatch explained, in A Humanistic
Theory of Theory Cultural Dynamics, vol. 9, 3: pp. 301-324 1997, can be seen as a part of open system.”
In the “Open Systems Theory” the organization is open to influence from the environment. The
organization is viewed as transforming human and physical resources from the environment into goods
and services, which are then returned to the environment.
1. Access to limited vendor resources
2. Well trained labor and highly skilled managers
3. A unique location
4. Access to the latest technology & tech functionality
5. Affording lowest cost rates for services and products
6. Product branding and packaging
Marketplace Competitive Applicability
Market Advantage is a multi-asset risk strategy designed to help achieve better diversification by
allocating capital based on risk rather than by asset class. George Simmel, a German Philosopher (1858-
1918), in his book The Philosophy of Money, during the 1900’s defined trust as an informal, infra-
institutional mechanism that coordinates actions; a mechanism that has the advantage of reducing the
“transaction costs” related to the quest for information and to the exercising of mutual control.
Three great examples Marketplace Competitive Applicability include:

5. ● McDonald’s: McDonald’s main competitive applicability relies on a cost leadership strategy. The
company is able to utilize economies of scale and produce products at a low cost and, as a
result, offer products at a lower selling price than that of its competitors.
● Que Gusto: Que Gusto’s main competitive applicability relies on a differentiation strategy. The
company menu is gluten free, fresh handmade vegetarian Ecuadorian food. Differentiation
simply means using product features or functionality, innovation, brand image or customer
service to make products and services more attractive to the potential consumer. The company
is able to be a leader in the food service market and command premium prices through product
uniqueness.
● Sweet Lisa’s: Sweet Lisa’s main competitive applicability relies on a focus strategy or niche
strategy. The company menu is soul food. Focus strategy or niche strategy, in the simplest term,
means focusing on a narrow and specific segment in the market. The idea behind the focus
strategy is to develop, market, and sell a specific product to a specific group of customers. Sweet
Lisa’s is able to offer market penetration because of its unique menu that is not readily available
where the company is geographically located.
The Culture Walk
Have you ever considered why hiring managers ask future coworkers or current employees probing questions
routinely? These employee engagement survey(s) are based on the observations a “good manager notices
during his culture walk.” Some questions you might want to ask include:
● Do you understand the company’s mission and vision?
● Do you know and understand the company’s core cultural values?
● Do you know how to reflect the company’s core values in your role?
● What’s your favorite part of your job?
● What’s the most challenging part of your job?
● Do you have the tools and resources to do your job well?
● Do you trust your leadership team and coworkers?
● Do you feel your opinions matter to leadership?
Use these questions to survey current and future employees in every role and area in your company. The
answers you receive from employees should give you a pulse on whether the desired culture is developing in
the right direction.
Culture unifies, as well as, connects employees to each other and the company’s mission and vision. Culture is
important because it not only reflects the day-to-day interactions among employees, it also determines how
organizations navigate times of change.
Consumers walk into businesses and immediately recognize photos, uniforms and greetings as familiar or
unique to the business environment. The consumer also takes part in the attitude and values of the

6. organization. If you survey 100 people within any organization, you’ll likely get 100 different definitions of
the company’s purpose and culture.
Leadership
A thorough understanding of leadership theory and best practice is essential to the effectiveness of an
organizational manager. Moreover, an authority figure that has legitimacy, has the right to exercise
normative characteristics which appear in the form of trust. Trust thus seems to be progressively requisite
within formal modes of regulation where social interactions and transactions develop.
U.S. academic environments define leadership as "a process of social influence in which a person can
enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common and ethical task". Basically,
leadership can be defined as an influential power relationship in which the leader's power promotes
movement/change in their followers. Others have challenged the more traditional managerial view of
leadership which believes that it is something possessed or owned by one individual due to their role or
authority, and instead advocate the complex nature of leadership which is found at all levels of the
institution, both within formal roles.
Align with leadership
Consider assessing organizational culture as it relates to your leadership team. The key to listening to
your leadership team’s honest opinions is to start with your existing purpose or mission statement. Ask
leaders if they still feel aligned with that statement. Make sure they know how important it is to get real
feedback from those questions. Tell them you are not interested in hearing what they think you want
them to say. Tell them to give you their honest opinion about the following questions:
● Have any of you noticed anything changing with our company's purpose?
● Should we re-evaluate our company purpose or make changes to the statement?
● Does the company's purpose still make sense for our modern-business model?
● If any of you could change one thing about our current company culture, what changes would
you suggest?
Seven Aspects of Leadership
The seven aspects of leadership serve as a success-facilitator, defining the elements of leadership while
giving the leader the tools they need to navigate their leadership journey while in a leadership role. (e.g.
The elements of leadership are Clarity, Shortfalls, Trust, Assurance, Decisiveness, Modesty, and
Inspiration.)
1. Clarity
Voice of Customer Surveys reveal authentic product branding is growing, and more and more consumers
are wanting to see companies respond to purchasing transactions with transparency and empathy

7. 2. Shortfalls
When a customer is disappointed during a buying experience a good leader must establish a value
connection with a company’s product branding (subsistence, renewal and improvement) while offering
support and commonality to the disappointed customer. A customer value connection will decrease “our
sense of self-blame and inadequacy” when we hear others’ “similar feelings and experiences with
purchase decisions.”
3. Trust
A leader is the trustee in any relationship and in order to be effective, must be trustworthy as well as
willing to take the risk of placing trust in the people around them.
4. Assurance
Our partnership aims to provide further proof that those staff members under a manager’s guidance are
safe and protected by company structure and trained management.
5. Decisiveness
A rational leader carefully deliberates. He acknowledges flexibility and has uniquely defined
experience(s) to offer to others in undefined situations.
6. Modesty
Honesty, integrity and good listening will show those people watching you the pride and a strong work
ethic you bring to work, which will only help gain their respect.
7. Inspiration
Innovative thinking, teamwork and creativity will pay off for any leader that easily learns how to cultivate
success.
When an employee begins to understand the seven aspects of leadership, those
elements improve a leaders’ performance. Practicing your leadership style while
leading other’s and re-imagining change will also enhance personal self-worth.
Leadership: Leadership Aspects and Leadership Styles
Leading in modern-day business environments the functional leader shows broad knowledge of and
interest in business products, systems, and duties and/or shows competence in a specialized functional
area(s).

8. Public Oriented Leadership
People and public perception concerns the effect of decisions over people or employees. Intense
involvement is required during most tasks. Most democratic leadership can take a longer time to make
effective decisions. It also requires team member’s opinions.
Relationship Oriented Leadership
Relationship-oriented leaders are concerned with motivating people through positive communication,
moral support, and active listening. The relationship-oriented leader focuses on satisfaction and
motivation.
Task Oriented Leadership
According to Louis Carter, One of the Top 100 Coaches, and Founder and CEO of Best Practice Institute,
partner to Newsweek on America, "Successful task-oriented leaders know how to divide the work
according to the team’s strengths, competencies, and roles within the time limit required. They
understand their resource limitations and make definite plans to assign the work to highly effective and
efficient employees to meet the closing date. In this way, the leader can achieve results more successfully
than any other kind of leadership."
Re-Defining Your Leadership Style
Recently, while working with the Cotti Foods Wendy’s Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma, my boss called me to
the table to discuss furthering my career with Cotti Foods Wendy’s. Strategic-planning within the
restaurant management group was suffering because implementation is often more complicated than
simply "finding the right fit."
Cotti Foods Corporation is a third-generation family restaurant business that currently owns and operates
82 Taco Bells and 96 Wendy's.
According to my boss, The Cotti Foods Wendy’s Group unit 6505, was constantly facing pressure to
build a strong, actual, and well maintained leadership pipeline. Although every manager he hired already
adopted their own unique manager leadership philosophy, a well principled and strong value leadership
philosophy is essential to clearly defining who you are and what your organizational leadership means to
your company. We used 5 leadership philosophy types to Group our manager’s leadership philosophies:
Relational Leadership Philosophy
It’s easy to become the type of leader who distrusts other people. This is particularly true in business.
Regardless of your industry, achieving the status of a leader and helping your company grow requires
embracing your competitive nature to some degree.
Positive Future Vision Leadership Philosophy
Do you believe everyone has the potential to succeed in certain major capacities? Or do you think some
people are simply more naturally talented than others, and only a few exceptional individuals can truly

9. thrive in their careers and lives? If you begin with this positive view of the unlimited potential of every
individual, then you likely are exercising a positive future vision leadership philosophy.
Co-Creator Leadership Philosophy
Your own personal leadership philosophy needs to be relatively consistent. It won’t help you make the
“right” and most consistent decisions if it’s always changing. One way to ensure that you can remain
strong in your leadership and vision, while also being agile enough to hear and incorporate the ideas of
others is to be a co-creator leader.
Solutions-Oriented Leadership Philosophy
All leaders encounter challenges. This is true in all industries. The way in which you think about these
challenges will play a major role in your potential for continued success.
Humor-based Leadership Philosophy
This final example of leadership philosophy may seem to be less valuable than the others listed here.
Don’t make the mistake of dismissing it! This personal leadership philosophy example can in fact be
much more helpful than you might initially assume.
Our initial observations of “operations” at store unit 6505 Cotti Foods Wendy’s Group revealed “the
manager’s intent to deliver results were accessible-essential components to developing and committing
staff to operate functionally on an above average level."
Another component within operations we observed was the manager's competitive response in terms of
the aggressiveness of Unit 6505 organizational strategy. And how staff modeled this as a function of
environmental pressure and the inhibiting or enabling effects of organizational design.
A great majority of Unit 6505 restaurant managers were not very good at task oriented management
skills, by their own admission. In fact, franchise and organizational concepts like Cotti Foods Wendy’s
Unit
6505, often experience difficulty creating “execution building blocks'' which help managers deliver
“intent” while considering successful "Changes in Management Leadership."
Changes in Management Leadership
Organizational Effectiveness Simulator Methodology
Kevin Dooley, Arizona State University, Departments of Management and Industrial Engineering cites”
Prediction, Theory-Indication, Performance, Training, Education, Entertainment and Proof in Computer
simulation as a methodological approach for organizational researchers includes the ability to measure
forward progression to assess the effects of different design elements on this measure. It thus provides a
means by which company analysts can enrich their understanding of the antecedents of inertia and test its
effects on such outcomes as performance and survival of a manager.”

10. Other research methods must make various assumptions about the exact cause and effect nature of the
system under study; for example, in survey research, one must define the form and content of cause and
effect a priori in order to learn from the data observed.
Simulation allows for researchers to assume the inherent complexity of organizational systems as a given.
If other methods answer the questions “What happened, and how, and why?” simulation helps answer the
question “What if?”
Simulation enables studies of more complex systems because it creates observations by “moving
forward” into the future, whereas other research methods attempt to look backwards across history to
determine what happened, and how. Because the nature of living systems is to either increase in entropy
(disorder) or complexity (order), looking backwards is inherently more difficult than moving forwards.
There are three main schools of simulation practice:
• Discrete event simulation, which involves modeling the organizational system as a set of
entities evolving over time according to the availability of resources and the triggering of events.
• System dynamics, which involves identifying the key “state” variables that define the behavior
of the system, and then relating those variables to one another through coupled, differential equations.
• Agent-based simulation, which involves agents that attempt to maximize their fitness (utility)
functions by interacting with other agents and resources; agent 3 behavior is determined by embedded
schema which are both interpretive and action-oriented in nature.
Organization Effectiveness Simulator
We decided to use an organization effectiveness simulator. The simulator mocks up virtual environments
where strategic and operational decision-making is occurring in a virtual environment, and then translates
suggested improvements into action steps for struggling organization managers.
Using the organization effectiveness simulator with certain proposed methodology takes into account the
rich, multidimensional nature of these constructs and accounts for effects that delay response in the face
of radical change in competitive pressure. The method also captures both incremental and radical shifts in
competitive response intensity utilizing four (4) fundamental building blocks to make strategic
operational decisions while translating these strategic operational decisions into immediate action.
Decision Rights: Decisions and norms
Decision rights- Who is accountable for what actions?
Clarifying decision rights means deciding which managers are responsible for specific decisions. If
managers can start to make proper connections between performance; rewards; and decision-rights during
every shift, monitoring restaurant operations will only serve to uniquely position them to succeed while
holding each shift decision-maker responsible for his leadership decisions.

11. We have all heard of the term “micro-managing.” Micro-managing as a project management style in 40%
of all managers surveyed in Tulsa, OK restaurants like Cotti Foods Wendy’s Unit 6505, revealed the
following initial management short-falls:
● Second-guessing
● Coming up short in accountability
● Justifying variable shortages
● Reporting upward and blaming
● Questioning tactical decisions of direct reports
Information: Information and mindsets
Designed information flows- Where does the customer need to make an order?
Why are sales receipts so important in the Designed Information Flow? In the designed information flow,
the customer posts at the POS/ Online Portal/ with a Food Delivery Service/ or in the drive-thru. The
customer also pays by cash or credit card for the order. The order comes to the worker or sales
department or POS. The customer’s order details are then entered into a database which can only be
accessed by the restaurant worker/ the customer/ the delivery service. The customer’s order(s) are
prepared and packaged and stored while waiting for the delivery dispatch to pick up at the front counter
or through the pick –up window. A receipt attached to the order for delivery. Or given to the customer
upon payment at the counter. On delivery, the customer receives the goods and receipt. (e.g. order
accuracy and to ensure the food has been prepared according to customer specifications.)
Motivators: Motivators and commitments
Aligning motivators- How do you keep your team moving in the right direction?
Consider crafting a purpose or “why” statement with your team. A crafted purpose helps restaurant
managers align goals. (e.g. refund policies and menu order remakes.) Sincerely act in your team’s best
interest. Tell team members what the reward will be for certain positive growth and development along
with positive training activities. Explain why growing with your guidance is helpful and is the right thing
to do. Tell stories that connect all of us to one another sharing relatable experiences. (e.g. bring baked
goods or gift cards.)
Structure: Structure and networks
Company structure- Use the company employee handbook as a tool to help protect your staff.
The organizational structure of a company forms the base-on-the basis of which policies formulate Cotti
Foods Wendy’s. Remember, the We Learn LMS does cover most policies. Why is Organization Structure
Important? Organization Structure is very important, but remember, moving lines around the shift
organization chart is the most obvious solution because the changes are visible and concrete. However,
the organization chart is not the only tool available.
8 Leadership Skills and Tools Restaurant Managers Can Employ.
1. Effective communication:
Organizational structures help in making communication systems in Wendy’s reasonably convenient.
Common understood communication in every instance decreases division and mistrust. Shift-huddles and

12. explaining our lead ops game plan to other team members reduces stress and spreads our work tasks
amongst all of the team. (Great note-taking during planning meetings and throughout the shift.)
2. Evaluating employee performance:
Specialization in one of the many areas or all of them is a very important part of measuring individual and
unit success. Tools such as product and service surveys and/ or sales per shift or day often helps isolate
whatever types of divisions are there in the restaurant. (e.g. Managers that step into the dining room to
ask a guest how their meal tasted?) Dining experience interest becomes extremely satisfying for the
guests and helps the manager gauge his/her control of shift production. Immediate performance
observations (e.g. prep work, sandwich making, maintenance or other shift managers.) Positive feedback
and suggestions all help improve performance providing attendance incentives and paid time-off.
3. Efficiency benchmarks:
If every employee is doing their job the “Wendy’s Way” according to one’s expertise and company
policy, the level of efficiency also increases on the whole. Set the standard for success by establishing
overall satisfaction goals and core area measures to improve product and service delivery. (e.g. employ
marketing tests on products and other services.)
4. Achieving Goals:
Every structure has advantages and disadvantages. Setting aside the disadvantages, one can look forward
to the advantages and those are counted in the importance of the organizational structure. (e.g. reviewing
shift reports and staff development charts.)
5. Faster decision making:
The decision making process also becomes fast. Employee independence and everyone doing their part.
By this, the whole process goes fast and in a proper manner without any stumbling blocks. As all the
tasks are delegated and distributed no one staff member feels overburdened by the organization. As
everyone performs each task, the work is also done on time and also the energy is being saved. Problems
are discussed in a professional manner; Solutions should be made after getting advice from all the
employees who are knowledgeable in their areas.
6. Clarifying relationships:
All relations within an organization are clarified by establishing the process of authority, accountability
and responsibility. Every task is delegated and the work goes in quick succession. The atmosphere within
the organization also remains peaceful which helps in further processes during shifts. (e.g. meeting with
coaches and trainers to establish goals.)
7. No stumbling blocks:
Stumbling blocks are avoided in big organizations because if any of them arise, the steps are taken from
the lower level helping to avoid the biggest stumbling blocks. Moreover, every shift will themselves solve
issues without spreading the word across every shift. Solutions to a lot of the minor problems found
should not contribute to gossip, back biting or violence. The entire environment of the company should
not be disturbed by one shift problems. (e.g. giving away food, eating in the back storage areas and
establishing unauthorized perks is a form of theft.)
8. Establish a calm atmosphere:
The environment here at Cotti Foods Wendy’s should remain comfortable and peaceful as every
employee works on his or her own. No fight, no small issues and no barriers should become obstacles in
any one staff member's work. Your shift should remain calm and the work environment becomes

13. increasingly more and more healthy as efficiency improves. (e.g. listen to conversations. Ask questions
about the atmosphere. Watch body movements & own your shift.)