Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Chapter 2
Leadership: Managing
for Change
The traditional role of nutrition and food service directors or managers has expanded into a
more complex one, due in part to the trends described in Chapter 1. The political environment
calls for a manager who is fiscally responsible, knows regulatory requirements, and understands
how food service department functions affect the facility. Managers also must have a heightened
awareness of workforce issues, customer needs, technological implications, and continuous
quality improvement systems.
Management can be defined in a variety of ways. It is the process of reaching organizational
goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources. The management
process includes planning, organizing, leading, and controlling an organization’s
human, physical, and financial resources by influencing other people to get the job done, maintaining
morale, and guiding the attitudes of an organization’s members in an appropriate direction.
The ultimate purpose of influencing is to increase productivity. Employee involvement is
essential for improving service, whether employees participate as department team members or
on cross-functional teams within the facility.
In this chapter, behaviors, traits, and skills that characterize an effective leader are explored,
along with how they can be applied in various situations to guide employees and manage a food
service department. The practical application of these three components is described within the
context of creating a participative work environment that motivates and empowers employees.
Leadership Style
Leadership style is defined by the behaviors, traits, and skills a manager exhibits over time in
influencing the work of others so as to accomplish common goals for the department. Leadership
style can be better understood by exploring certain theories on behavior and reviewing situational
theories that link management behavior to work factors. In other words, an individual employee’s
unique level of job task development within the work environment may derive from or respond
to a particular leadership style.
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