Business Leaders in Glorious Transition

The entire world is in transition: Business must transition, too.

Here, you'll read contributions of my friends, other business professionals who are working to turn from their Mechanical Business Models to ever more profitable Organic Business Models.

You'll read their successes as well as their difficulties in making the transition from the hierarchical, control based practices characteristic of most of our years in business. You'll see how wonderfully profitable companies can be when they learn to tap the powerful creative energy of employees.

CJ Coolidge & Richard Squaredime - 2008

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Mechanical Model in Action

I just went to the local Cheddar's restaurant and encountered a typical mechanical business model full-force. My family had just sat down in our booth and we decided we wanted chips and salsa as an appetizer. So we told the waitress and she went to put in the order. While she was gone, we decided we wanted some queso, as well, and asked her to add that to our order. Her mechanical response was, "I just put your order in. I would have to go back and change it to get you the queso." We told her that is what we wanted and to please change it. She huffed off and reluctantly "allowed us" to pay the restaurant more money.

How frustrating the oppression of the mechanical business model is on line staff! Why did they instill in their customer service worker that when customers ask to spend more money, it is a hassle because the system does not work with you easily on such a change? Please "Go Organic", Cheddar's!

1 comment:

Richard Squaredime said...

That's a sad, but common state of the Mechanical Model. I was in one of the high end Kemah restaurants, and asked for ranch dressing with an appetizer. The server, in automated fashion said, "We don't have ranch." I asked him to check the salad bar. He returned to the table with the correct information, but no ranch.

He couldn't even connect the dots. Customer service? A foreign concept.

I secured my own ranch, and have never returned.