Page 232 - The Power to Change Anything

Change the Environment 221

Dr. Whyte started his work by observing a sample of restau-
rants, doing his best to identify the behaviors behind the grow-
ing conflict. He noted that the waitresses would rush to the
counter, shout an order, and then rush back to her customers.
If the order was not ready when she returned, she would urge
the cook to hurry, shouting expressions of encouragement
such as, “Hey, hairball, where’s the breaded veal? You got a bro-
ken arm or what?” The cooks usually responded in kind. Later,
when the waitress received an incorrect order, the two would
exchange still more unflattering remarks. After being yelled at
a couple of times, the cooks often took revenge by slowing
down. Dr. Whyte even observed cooks turning their backs on
the servers and intentionally ignoring them until they left,
sometimes in tears.
While many consultants might have been tempted to alter
this unhealthy social climate by teaching interpersonal skills,
conducting team-building exercises, or changing the pay
system, Whyte took a different approach. In his view, the best
way to solve the problem was to change the way employees
communicated.
And now for Whyte’s stroke of genius.
Dr. Whyte recommended that the restaurants use a 50-cent
metal spindle to gather orders. He then asked servers to skewer
a detailed written order on the spindle. Cooks were then to pull
orders off and fill them in whatever sequence seemed most effi-
cient (though generally following a first-in, first-out policy).
Whyte’s recommendation was tried at a pilot restaurant the
next day. Training consisted of a 10-minute instruction session
that was given to both cooks and servers. Managers reported an
immediate decrease in conflict and customer complaints. Both
cooks and servers preferred the new structure, and both groups
reported that they were being treated better.
The Restaurant Association distributed information about
the new system to its membership. Whyte’s spindle (which
quickly transformed into the now-familiar order wheel) did not