1. In what sense does goal setting play a role in Barcelona's methods for enhancing performance? Judging from the video, how would you respond to the following questions: What kind of goals does Barcelona set for its managers and chefs? Are those goals difficult? Does the company's level of goal difficulty seem to enhance performance? Do the company's goals seem specific? Does its level of goal specificity seem to enhance performance? How might you improve Barcelona's application of goal-setting theory?
2. Pforzheimer says that his own motivation comes from my willingness to come to work in the morning. It's not a particularly easy or lucrative line of work . . ., and if we didn't provide the best possible experience just because that's who we were, we couldn't do this. You couldn't pay me enough to do this if I didn't actually care that everybody that walked out of the door had . . . as great a time as possible.
How-if at all-does this attitude bear upon the motivation of Pforzheimer's employees? Is there a basis here for some kind of management by objectives (MBO) approach to motivating employees? Do you think that this attitude can be developed into a "goal-setting process" that's made to "cascade down through the organization"? Why or why not?
3. Lawton admits that many restaurants include bonuses in the compensation packages of their chefs. Barcelona, however, does not. Why not? Do you agree with this approach, or do you think it entails significant drawbacks, whether for the employer, the employee, or both? (Hint: Before responding to this question, be sure that you have a good idea of what Barcelona chefs do.)
4. Let's say that you own a restaurant very much like an average Barcelona outlet.* For several years, you've been your own onsite manager, but now you feel that you need to spend more time attending to marketing and finances. You've decided to hire a general manager, so you're faced with the question of how much to pay for the position. What, you ask yourself, are the industry averages for manager compensation? You ask a consultant in the field, who replies, "Industry averages are useless in figuring out how much to pay a general manager." Why do you think this is so? What factors should you consider in deciding how much to pay a general manager?