Leadership at Hot Chip PDF

**Leadership at Hot Chip** Autocratic leadership assumes that decision-making is best kept with managers, who will direct subordinates with little consultation. Democratic leadership means leading a business based on decisions agreed by the majority. Autocratic leadership can suit fast-paced busi...

**Leadership at Hot Chip** Autocratic leadership assumes that decision-making is best kept with managers, who will direct subordinates with little consultation. Democratic leadership means leading a business based on decisions agreed by the majority. Autocratic leadership can suit fast-paced business environments such as the fast food business, where quick customer service is an expectation and staff may not have time to ask questions or consult on decisions such as the best way of organising the processing of customer orders. Hot Chip as a business operates in such a fast paced environment. Autocratic leadership can also suit businesses with high staff-turnover, which is often a characteristic of fast food businesses such as Hot Chip. Workers may receive limited training and need direction from an experienced manager. As Hot Chip is a new business, with a unique product, it may be that the owners want managers to direct workers in an autocratic way so that the business culture can be established and high levels of customer service through accurate food orders and quick service are provided. However, there are drawbacks to autocratic leadership styles. It can have a negative impact on employee morale to be spoken to in such a demanding way by a boss, this can cause staff at Hot Chip to be resistant and not work at their most productive. Autocratic leadership ignores the creativity of employees, they might actually have good solutions to problems but they are not considered in such a leadership style Autocratic leadership also relies heavily on the competency of the leader and creates a culture of dependency. The leader may feel it is difficult to take time off or trust any subordinate staff, this could leave Hot Chip vulnerable if the leader is ill or needs to take longer time off for family issues Democratic leadership might suit a new business such as Hot Chip because subordinates who are serving customers will gain an understanding of what is popular and what customers see as important - this can be relayed to managers in meetings and inform decisions about menus, working rotas, and dishes/flavours Evidence D suggests that managers in the fast food industry that train and listen to employees tend to help deliver higher levels of customer service. This comes from open communication and offering a realistic perspective on working in the fast food business. As a new business Hot Chip may recruit staff from other fast food outlets that can offer suggestions of procedures and ways of organising that work well. If managers can take advantage of this knowledge and experience, this could improve the performance of Hot Chip as it establishes itself. Autocratic leadership may be most suitable in the first few months of a new Hot Chip saloon opening. This should provide stability and clarity to new staff as they join and could help Lord Somerleyton establish a clear business culture in keeping with the values he had in setting up the business. Hot Chip is a different type of fast food outlet to places such as McDonalds - its menu is still evolving and consulting with employees from the beginning is likely to have a positive impact on customer service and the way staff are organised and work. It is likely that managers may use a combination of leadership styles, but the one which is most dominant may depend on the priorities that Lord Somerleyton has for the business and linked to this, the nature of the managers recruited.