OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Choosing an Organization Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Identify an organization and situation you want to study over the remainder of the course.
2. Describe the organization and situation.

1) Describe your organization.

The organization I am using for my PCA is Starbucks Coffee Company. “We like to say

that we are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee”

(starbucks.com). Starbucks is not just a coffee company but an organization that puts partners

(employees) and customers at the center of its operations. Starbucks recently celebrated its

50th anniversary and found itself in over 80 markets serving many communities in different

capacities. Among the many levels of Starbucks is the retail level, which works most directly

with the customer base and has a face-to-face connection between the company and its

consumers. While the organization is large and has created immense brand recognition, it stays

true to its mission and values, which are the heartbeat of the company.

2) Describe your role in the organization (it can be internal or external).

My role within Starbucks has evolved over time. Currently, I am a shift supervisor at a

location in north-central Washington State. At the time of the situation for my PCA, I was a

barista trainer. I am a tenured partner and sometimes share my time between two stores. My role

is at the ground level, connecting with customers, serving them coffee, managing baristas, and

helping with the store's operations.

3) Describe the situation. (see the Canvas instructions for details, especially
about how your situation will be analyzed from five different perspectives over the
next five modules)
 The situation occurred recently and culminated in several weeks of issues and

conversations before this connection. In my role as a shift supervisor, I work closing shifts at my

store, and I am the acting manager for the majority of the week because the store manager is not

in the store. Navigating the change from barista to shift supervisor while also moving the time of

day I work and having store management change, too, has been difficult. I have a barista that has

not been living the mission and values of Starbucks. The mission and values are the company's

backbone, and every partner (employee) agrees to adhere to them when they are at the store. The

barista, Anna, was having attitude issues, was involved in social loafing, and was letting our

peers do her work for her. I first approached Anna on a Wednesday after the store manager

pulled her aside to speak about Anaa’s behavior.

The connect (meeting) I planned to have after we closed so we could speak uninterrupted

happened the next day. I pulled Anna aside and raised my concerns about her behavior and not

living our mission and values. I made sure she knew I understood that she was going through

some rough personal situations but that when she was at work around our peers and customers,

she needed to live our store's purpose. I let her know she could come to me to be upset, and I

would be open if she needed someone to listen. Anna told me she wanted me to approach her

first and not speak to our manager in the future. I listened to her concerns but explained that I

still need to follow the proper communication channels and go to management when we have

serious issues like this. The conversation ended because Anna was upset, and I felt it did not go

well.

The next time I worked, I heard from our store manager that Anna had apologized for her

behavior and that she felt our conversation went well, and she was going to work on her attitude
and approach at work. This meeting was critical for the night team's morale and has helped to fix

the gap in our communication and improve attitude and team drive.
 Reference or References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2021). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership

(7th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Starbucks Coffee Company. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2023, from

https://www.starbucks.com/