Most MBA classes focus on managing change at the corporate boardroom and CEO level, yet for each corporate board of directors there can be hundreds or even thousands of outlets and subdivisions. Change management cycles are equally important to same-store sales, company profits, and unit-level efficiencies.
If team members and management at the store’s point-of-sale level don’t work together, then the store is inefficient, sales slack, and the system breaks down. If, on the other hand, at the store level everything runs smoothly in all stores, then the Corporate Board members look like geniuses, take all the credit, retire on the golf course, and write a management book.
In fact, people at the corporate level are partly to blame or thankful for management at the unit or store level, and yet, without proper training and teamwork at that level, nothing good will happen and customers will know about it and sales will drop as well.
Objectives and conditions, along with mission statements, should be established and agreed upon through a written, verbal, and social contract between managers, assistant managers, shift managers, and team leaders of each department in each store or outlet. If not, the system collapses and everyone loses, especially the shareholders. Consider all this in 2006.