Building winning Barbershops at airports
Building A Winning Barber Shop at Airports
The owner/president of a barbershop business at the airport needs to acquire the capacity for effective strategic management to be successful. - strategy formulation (panning), strategy implementation (organizing and leading), execution and evaluation (leading and monitoring and control)- to establish the direction of the organization, and the context for operations management and creation and delivery of value to customers. The owner/executive management may identify and define strategic issues that must be addressed for the organization to meet its mission goals and vision. The management must address the identified strategic issues and establish plans to transform the organization into a winning one in the time frame defined by the plan.
Factors Contributing to Growth
There are a number of factors that contribute to organizational growth; from the organization's chosen strategy and strategic positioning; there are a number of key factors that have to be in place to create a winning organization; by influencing growth at various levels in the organization such as: enabling environment level, organization level, and individual level. These three levels influence each other in a fluid way - the strength of each depends on, and determines, the strength of the others.
Organization Level Factors
These Include capacity development in cross-functional coordination, resource allocation, control and management, and communication
Individual Level Factors
[TBD]
Enabling Environment Level
[TBD]
Capacity Development
The owner may next look at the core issues that represent the domains where the bulk of the change in capacity development happens that seem to have the greatest influence on capacity development at the different levels described above. These core issues areas include
The owner/president of a barbershop business at the airport needs to acquire the capacity for effective strategic management to be successful. - strategy formulation (panning), strategy implementation (organizing and leading), execution and evaluation (leading and monitoring and control)- to establish the direction of the organization, and the context for operations management and creation and delivery of value to customers. The owner/executive management may identify and define strategic issues that must be addressed for the organization to meet its mission goals and vision. The management must address the identified strategic issues and establish plans to transform the organization into a winning one in the time frame defined by the plan.
Factors Contributing to Growth
There are a number of factors that contribute to organizational growth; from the organization's chosen strategy and strategic positioning; there are a number of key factors that have to be in place to create a winning organization; by influencing growth at various levels in the organization such as: enabling environment level, organization level, and individual level. These three levels influence each other in a fluid way - the strength of each depends on, and determines, the strength of the others.
Organization Level Factors
These Include capacity development in cross-functional coordination, resource allocation, control and management, and communication
Individual Level Factors
[TBD]
Enabling Environment Level
[TBD]
Capacity Development
The owner may next look at the core issues that represent the domains where the bulk of the change in capacity development happens that seem to have the greatest influence on capacity development at the different levels described above. These core issues areas include
- Leadership -
- Institutional arrangements -
- Accountability -
- Knowledge - Knowledge, or literally what people know, underpins their capacities and hence their capacity development. Knowledge traditionally has been fostered at the individual level, mostly through education. But it can also be created and shared within an organization, such as, through on-the-job training or even outside a formal organizational setting through general life experience, and supported through an enabling environment of effective educational systems and policies.
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Leadershlp
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Institutional Arrangements
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Accountability
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Knowledge
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Assessment
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Leadership
The ability to influence, inspire and motivate others to achieve or even go beyond their goals. It is also the ability to anticipate and respond to change. Leadership can be held at many levels, and its not synonymous with a position of formal authority. Although leadership is most commonly associated with an individual leader such as president of the company, it can also exist at the enabling environment level and organizational level.
Apart from the institution arrangements, the owner/shop manager must analyze the leadership structure of the shop. A winning workforce in the shop needs a focused and motivated team lead or shop manager who not only inspires when the shop loses one or two customers, but who also maintains the momentum and continues to fight even when the shop is gaining customers.
In addition to the manager/lead it is important that other barbers assume leadership roles as needed. For instance, when facing losing a customer because long waiting time for a particular barber, can that barber position others who have less workload, to alleviate the problem and win the customer?
Are there clear lines of communication between the owner and manager, the manager and the lead as well as other barbers on the shop floor? And what if the manager or one of the barbers is suddenly injured/ill?
The ability to influence, inspire and motivate others to achieve or even go beyond their goals. It is also the ability to anticipate and respond to change. Leadership can be held at many levels, and its not synonymous with a position of formal authority. Although leadership is most commonly associated with an individual leader such as president of the company, it can also exist at the enabling environment level and organizational level.
Apart from the institution arrangements, the owner/shop manager must analyze the leadership structure of the shop. A winning workforce in the shop needs a focused and motivated team lead or shop manager who not only inspires when the shop loses one or two customers, but who also maintains the momentum and continues to fight even when the shop is gaining customers.
In addition to the manager/lead it is important that other barbers assume leadership roles as needed. For instance, when facing losing a customer because long waiting time for a particular barber, can that barber position others who have less workload, to alleviate the problem and win the customer?
Are there clear lines of communication between the owner and manager, the manager and the lead as well as other barbers on the shop floor? And what if the manager or one of the barbers is suddenly injured/ill?
Institutional Arrangements
The policies, practices and systems that allow for effective functioning of an organization or group. These may include 'hard' rules such as laws or terms of a contract, or 'soft' rules like codes of conduct or generally accepted values. This is a critical element in building a winning team or organization; and entails the following:
Combined, these constitute the institutional arrangement which ultimately determines the shop's (team's) performance and ability to win.
The policies, practices and systems that allow for effective functioning of an organization or group. These may include 'hard' rules such as laws or terms of a contract, or 'soft' rules like codes of conduct or generally accepted values. This is a critical element in building a winning team or organization; and entails the following:
- Ensuring workers in the relevant functional areas in the company have well defined roles (optionally documented), and are happy with their respective assigned roles and responsibilities.
- The owner must have well defined and articulated organizational values, and ensure the organization's rules including the shop practices derive from these organizational values which are lucid and fairly implemented.
- The owner must also focus on whether the right incentives are in place. This could be a system of awards and bonuses connected to shop results - and not individual performance, transparent and commonly agreed upon principles dictating how barbers join and leave the shop, access to ongoing education and training, etc.
- Furthermore, it is vital to develop and agree on an operations plan and strategy for engaging different classes of customers (i.e., customers that have preference for a particular barber, customers that want some social interaction, customers that are on a schedule or in a rush, etc.), which includes clearly defined playbook, expectations of shop employees, etc.
Combined, these constitute the institutional arrangement which ultimately determines the shop's (team's) performance and ability to win.
Accountability
Accountability exists when rights holders are able to make duty bearers deliver on their obligations. From a capacity development perspective, the focus is on the interface between service providers and their clients or service providers and oversight bodies. Accountability is important because it allows organizations and systems to monitor, learn, self-regulate and adjust they behavior in interaction with those to whom they are accountable. It provides legitimacy to decision-making, increases transparency and responsiveness, and helps reduce the influence of vested interests.
Accountability is yet another critical element in building a winning team/workforce. This entails addressing issues such as:
Within the team itself it is imperative that the owner/coach establish a system to gather feedback and suggestions from the barbers and act on those.
two years. There are many things the owner can do; but s/he has to first take stock i.e., assess the current state of the organization in terms of its current capacity development level, its strengths and weaknesses, and how to capitalize on opportunities while mitigating threats. It is of vital importance that the owners understand their organization's existing capacity at the various levels/points where capacity is grown and nurtured; in an enabling environment, in organizations and within individuals.
Accountability exists when rights holders are able to make duty bearers deliver on their obligations. From a capacity development perspective, the focus is on the interface between service providers and their clients or service providers and oversight bodies. Accountability is important because it allows organizations and systems to monitor, learn, self-regulate and adjust they behavior in interaction with those to whom they are accountable. It provides legitimacy to decision-making, increases transparency and responsiveness, and helps reduce the influence of vested interests.
Accountability is yet another critical element in building a winning team/workforce. This entails addressing issues such as:
- Are feedback mechanisms in place among the barbers, management and customers and partners/supporters?
- Ensure the employees are accountable and have a sense of ownership for their work.
- Do they all have voice in the major decisions that affect the team development, such as resource allocation, picking new barbers, developing younger barbers, and supporting community events?
Within the team itself it is imperative that the owner/coach establish a system to gather feedback and suggestions from the barbers and act on those.
two years. There are many things the owner can do; but s/he has to first take stock i.e., assess the current state of the organization in terms of its current capacity development level, its strengths and weaknesses, and how to capitalize on opportunities while mitigating threats. It is of vital importance that the owners understand their organization's existing capacity at the various levels/points where capacity is grown and nurtured; in an enabling environment, in organizations and within individuals.
Knowledge
Current State Assessment
The owner may begin the assessment of the organization's current performance by evaluating the state of current talent in the organization. The talent and skills of barbers are the key strategic resource, and it is essential that the organization effectively utilize the know-how of their employees at the right places.
This involves making assessments of the following factors:
In general, the organization's behavior is inconsistent with the organization's verbalized intended goals of sustainable growth. Employees and management are consistently late for work; the shop schedule is not adhered to; this creates a culture that is not supportive of the organization's strategy and its successful execution. The organization is constantly In violation of its airport concession contractual obligations, and its own published operating policies such as scheduled operating hours, employee tardiness, and code of conduct, etc.
Existing and Current Capacity Development
By airport concession services standards, such as accessibility (opening hours), ambiance, environment, customer service (reliability and consistency), etc., the shop performance is average to below average for a specialty retail service. The owner, a master barber, is skilled at cutting men's hair of any type, as well as being proficient at straight razor beard/head shaves. The barbers employed in the shop are young and skilled in cutting/shaving head/facial hair of men of with hair of various types (caucasian, black or asian), and knowledgeable about the basic techniques in cutting male head/facir hair.
The company lacks a formal organization structure with well defined and documented roles and responsibilities for its employees and management. The basic functions of executive management such as CEO/President, Owners/Board Members are not being performed. Its not clear what the vision and mission of the organization are and what values guide management decisions. There is no clear communication of organization's official and operative goals to drive identification of the key functional and results areas such as marketing, human resources, and shop operations, etc. that would be needed to successfully implement and execute the strategies to sustain the growth and survival of the business. The current employee turnover is very high; this is a reflection of ineffective hiring practices, and lack of appropriate incentive and reward systems to create an enabling environment where employees can thrive and prosper.
In general, the organization's behavior is inconsistent with the organization's verbalized intended goals of sustainable growth. Employees and management are consistently late for work; the shop schedule is not adhered to; this creates a culture that is not supportive of the organization's strategy and its successful execution. The organization is constantly In violation of its airport concession contractual obligations, and its own published operating policies such as scheduled operating hours, employee tardiness, and code of conduct, etc. The shop is constantly in violation of airport concession operating policies and rules such as:
Organizational Change
The owner can build on existing skills, knowledge and expertise of the barbers in the shop. Expand capacity through training and workshops for the barbers, as well as developing organization's culture by involving them in daily drills and practices to improve the shops ability to deliver consistently high quality services in addition to products to win.
The owner may begin the assessment of the organization's current performance by evaluating the state of current talent in the organization. The talent and skills of barbers are the key strategic resource, and it is essential that the organization effectively utilize the know-how of their employees at the right places.
This involves making assessments of the following factors:
- What types of barbers/cosmetologists work in the shop?
- Experience, skills and proficiency at cutting all types of hair,
- Professionalism in engaging with customers and fellow workers,
- Courteous customer service with empathy for customers' needs,
- Are they formally trained and licensed barbers?
- Knowledge about male/female grooming techniques and best practices?
- Organizational Culture?
In general, the organization's behavior is inconsistent with the organization's verbalized intended goals of sustainable growth. Employees and management are consistently late for work; the shop schedule is not adhered to; this creates a culture that is not supportive of the organization's strategy and its successful execution. The organization is constantly In violation of its airport concession contractual obligations, and its own published operating policies such as scheduled operating hours, employee tardiness, and code of conduct, etc.
Existing and Current Capacity Development
By airport concession services standards, such as accessibility (opening hours), ambiance, environment, customer service (reliability and consistency), etc., the shop performance is average to below average for a specialty retail service. The owner, a master barber, is skilled at cutting men's hair of any type, as well as being proficient at straight razor beard/head shaves. The barbers employed in the shop are young and skilled in cutting/shaving head/facial hair of men of with hair of various types (caucasian, black or asian), and knowledgeable about the basic techniques in cutting male head/facir hair.
The company lacks a formal organization structure with well defined and documented roles and responsibilities for its employees and management. The basic functions of executive management such as CEO/President, Owners/Board Members are not being performed. Its not clear what the vision and mission of the organization are and what values guide management decisions. There is no clear communication of organization's official and operative goals to drive identification of the key functional and results areas such as marketing, human resources, and shop operations, etc. that would be needed to successfully implement and execute the strategies to sustain the growth and survival of the business. The current employee turnover is very high; this is a reflection of ineffective hiring practices, and lack of appropriate incentive and reward systems to create an enabling environment where employees can thrive and prosper.
In general, the organization's behavior is inconsistent with the organization's verbalized intended goals of sustainable growth. Employees and management are consistently late for work; the shop schedule is not adhered to; this creates a culture that is not supportive of the organization's strategy and its successful execution. The organization is constantly In violation of its airport concession contractual obligations, and its own published operating policies such as scheduled operating hours, employee tardiness, and code of conduct, etc. The shop is constantly in violation of airport concession operating policies and rules such as:
- Opening late in the mornings;
- Failing to have liners in the thrash bins and waste baskets at the barbers' stations;
- Failing to maintain clean and tidy workstations and the shop in general,
- Management and employees (i.e., barbers) are constantly late
- Employees constantly not showing up for booked appointments and keeping the customers waiting for long hours.
- Barbers display a lack of professional etiquette in dealing with customers and other employees.
Organizational Change
The owner can build on existing skills, knowledge and expertise of the barbers in the shop. Expand capacity through training and workshops for the barbers, as well as developing organization's culture by involving them in daily drills and practices to improve the shops ability to deliver consistently high quality services in addition to products to win.
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