Approaches to resolving the Sorelle Café and Bakery organizational dilemma: A case study

paper on Sorelle Café and Bakery

Submitted to:
Francis H. Arroyo
Moderator
School of Management and Accountancy
Ateneo de Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City

In partial fulfillment
Of the requirements for the subject
BUSMAN 101: HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION

Submitted by:
Sakandal, Muhammad Naeef
Sampang, Sitti Nadz-Walhati A.
Sangkula, Alyzza Y.
Tan, Mary Lyen C.
Tan, Aldemir S. II

On
28th day of August, 2022
 I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The general objective of this study is to find the problem that concerns the business of the
Sorelle Bakery and Cafe.

Specifically, this study will attempt to answer the following question:

1. How will the management of Sorelle Cafe and Bakery be able to resolve the internal
conflict among the key players in the company, Joan and Susan, and create an efficient
and effective work environment through identifying the best course of action?

II. OBJECTIVES

1. To be able to resolve the problem between the conflicting parties and prevent future
disunity among the organization.
2. To be able to enhance the organizational structure of the business.
3. To be able to sustain the rapid growth of the Sorelle cafe and bakery.

III. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION

SWOT MATRIX

S – Strengths W – Weaknesses

  Joan had experience in cooking and
was a psychology major student, which
provided a huge factor in giving good
customer service.
 Susan is a registered dietician and has
experience in serving at a better
restaurant as a pastry chef.
 The location of the business is located
on the corner of two well-traveled streets
in a historic neighborhood of San
Francisco.
 The foods are high-quality.
 The place was bright and shining clean
and had seats in the courtyard for warm
weather.
 The conflict between the two
sisters/key players, Joan and Susan
in terms of their unfollowed plans
and schedules – no mutual
understanding of one's needs.
 The menu is limited – a lack of
supplies
 The neighborhood was gentrifying,
there is no gathering place for new
customers and parking slots.
 The business and management
plans were not followed which
caused the chaos of schedules –
the absence of business
routine/organization.
 The business has no proper
leadership which causes the human
resources to be unmotivated with
their job.
  The key players of the business
have no sense of coordination of
business activities.
 Uneven distribution of functions
 The business has no fixed and clear
organizational structure.
 The business was labor-intensive –
lacked human resources/functions
 The human resources of the
business have no sense of social
entity.
 The business has no strategic or
operational plans.
 Joan’s domination of power
 Susan’s lack of behavior control

O – Opportunities T – Threat

 The Sorelle Bakery and Café received a
local name in the San Francisco
Chronicle’s “Hit of the Week” food
section as one of two “hand’s down
winners” for its “scrumptious poppy seed
scones with bits of orange zest, topped
with a thin orange glaze.”
 The shop was featured in an article,
Cheap Eats, and was described as an
“Obscure Haunt Worth Tracking Down”
 70% of the business was takeout.
 80% of the customers were regulars.
 The business continuously gets
favorable press reviews that led new
customers to continue visiting the shop.
 The inability of the people in the
business to effectively and
consistently attain the quality of the
food served to the customers.
 Failure to have an efficient and
effective work environment.
 Loss of customers and employees.
 Renouncement of one of the
important human resources of the
business.
 Bankruptcy

IV. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION (ACAS)

1. Allow Susan to leave, then search for a new successor.

Advantages:
 The business conflict between Joan and Susan will no longer be dealt with.

Disadvantages:
 Looking for Susan’s successor will be difficult to do so.
 Avoids the problem of the organization which is the lack of conventional
organizational structure.
  The new successor might consider leaving the business in the future for the
heavy workload.

Supporting this alternative, it is practical to let Susan leave the organization. Otherwise,
the working environment will be affected by the toxicity, which will heavily influence the
efficiency of the employees, resulting in ineffective outcomes, and putting the business at risk of
mismanagement and failure. Since Susan is a crucial employee with a great background as a
pastry chef in San Francisco, her successor should attain the same standards that Susan
preserved during her stay in Sorelle; which is difficult to carry out.

2. Perform a team intervention to resolve the internal conflict and persuade Susan to
stay, bearing in mind the formal organizational structure will be implemented with
enough workers and be able to establish a formal division of responsibilities.

Advantages:
 The business conflict between Joan and Susan will alleviate if reconciled.
 The issues within the organization will be asserted and addressed.
 Weekly team interventions to assess the organization and business needs for the
time being and the future.
 The employees will have the ability to do their assigned responsibilities or duties
in an ordered manner.
 The employees will be able to work more effectively.
 Higher chance of Susan staying in Sorelle.
 There will be no need to look for a new successor with the same qualities as
Susan.

Disadvantages:
 New efficient workers with suiting qualities will be hard to look for.
 Additional expenses for the business.
 There is no guarantee that Susan will agree to resolve the conflict and cater to
the organization’s needs.
 Given that there is no guarantee that the situation will alter, there is also no
guarantee that Susan will persist in her duties.
It’s a sensible course of action yet at a cost. Through team intervention, the sisters, Joan
and Susan, can voice out their concerns regarding the business and be able to resolve their
conflict. Since Susan already has asserted the reasons for her renouncement, it’s a must that
new workers should be employed to balance out the cafe and bakery’s workloads, resulting in
equal distribution of responsibilities. Providing a formal organizational structure and division of
duties, and practicing equity in the workplace, it will allow the workers to work more organized,
effectively, and efficiently, thus increasing their productivity. There’s a higher chance that Susan
will stay in the business if the organization can cater to her needs.

However, by doing so, they should anticipate an increase in costs soon. Knowing that
they are highly committed to their work and are authorities in their workplace, it will be difficult
for them to look for new employees who will have the same level of qualities and assets as
them.

ACTION PLAN
Alternative 1
Activity Person/s Time frame
responsible

Have a meeting plan and acknowledge Susan’s Sabina and Joan 1 hour - 2 hours
renouncement.

Hire a replacement for Susan. Sabina and Joan Period prior to

March.

Alternative 2
Activity Person/s responsible Time frame

Perform team intervention Sabina, Joan, and 30 minutes to 2

 Establish the purpose of the business: Susan. hours every before
vision, mission, goal, or tasks. or after business
 Civilized disagreement: express In the coming period, hours for 2 days
disagreements and suggest not to it will be all each week.
suppress conflicts. employees including
 Institute the formal organizational the new workers.
structure.
 Plan out the future of the business.
 Assess realistic and expected results.

Hire 2 employees. The person of 1 - 2 months. At least

authority: Sabina 2 months before
Employee 1: A person with a decent March.
background as a pastry chef or cook.

Employee 2: A person who can provide

service and has the following qualities:
charisma, friendly attitude, can communicate
clearly, and strong time management.

Train new employees. Joan and Susan 2 months - 3 months.

Employee 1 will be trained by Susan.

Employee 2 will be trained by Joan.

V. RECOMMENDATION

Through the second alternative, the implementation of weekly team interventions, Joan
and Susan, as well as the upcoming new employees, can express their issues with the
company and settle their disputes through team intervention. The starting sessions of team
intervention will begin with the crucial workers of the business namely Sabina, Joan, and Susan.
Sabina should establish the purpose of the business which is as stated in the action plan
alternative 2: vision, mission, goal, and tasks. Demonstrating a formal organizational structure
will enable all the employees to be aware of their duties and shifts, creating an effective system
in the workplace, and increasing productivity.  

Letting Susan leave without acknowledging the flaws of the organization could
jeopardize the business and could be a cycle practiced, causing them to always look for a new
successor after a successor, leading to organizational ignorance.

By intervening as a team, the problems and future issues within the organization can be
identified, communicated, recognized, then settled. In this instance of internal conflict between
Joan and Susan, if more workers are hired, it will help with balancing out the workloads at the
Sorelle café and bakery, resulting in an equitable allocation of duties. Workers will be able to
work more systematically, effectively, and efficiently by having a formal organizational structure,
assigning roles, and upholding equity in the workplace. If the company can meet Susan's
demands, the odds of her staying in the company are better. If the company can meet
everyone’s demands (practicing equity in the workplace), the odds of the Sorelle cafe and
bakery maintaining its success are even better. Working as an effective organization will sustain
the rapid growth of the Sorelle cafe and bakery and enhance its organizational structure.

VI. POTENTIAL PROBLEM ANALYSIS (PPA)

 What if the team intervention will be put into waste due to the intentional and behavioral
disregard of the people in the business to the plans created?
 What if the plans are followed thoroughly due to no proper supervision and consistent
evaluation of performances, which will result in failure of obtaining the long-term goals?
 Considering that the best course of action was agreed, what if some organizational and
operational plans will still remain unfollowed due to personal reasons: improper
discipline and laziness of the employees?
 As a result of a good management followed by the people in the business that led to a
massive success of the shop, what if the increase of customers and production will
cause another struggle and pressure to them?