The reason for this report was to develop a KM strategy for Kentucky Fried Fowl (KFC). A Literature Review was conducted on the working of KFC to find the gaps in the data copy. The results point out that there are lot of gaps in the knowledge transfer within KFC which is obstructing it to achieve its goal; to sell food in a fast, friendly environment those attracts pride mindful, health minded consumers.
Zack's way was used to formulate the data based technique for KFC. The survey concludes that there is a minimum knowledge between the organizations which keeps KFC from reaching its goals.
Introduction
KFC Organization is a Louisville, Kentucky based inception. It's the world's most popular chicken breast restaurant chain which specialises itself in the Original Recipe, Extra Crispy, Kentucky Grilled Poultry and Original Formula Strips which include its home-style attributes like Honey BBQ Wings, and chicken breast sandwiches.
Every day, more than 12 million customers visit and are being dished up at the KFC restaurant including 110 countries and territories surrounding the world. It handled more than 5000 restaurants in US itself and much more than 14500 outlets round the world. KFC is world famous because of its Original Menu recipe for fried hen. This fried chicken breast which is manufactured the secret mixture of 11 herbs and spices by Colonel Harlen Sanders perfected more than half century previously.
Kentucky Fried Fowl is an integral part of a largest restaurant company in the world with regards to system restaurants; the YUM Brand! which is spread over 35000 locations across the world.
KFC's Record
Since its base, KFC has exceeded through many types of organizational changes. These changes had become credited to changes of possession that took place since Sanders first sold KFC in 1964. In 1964 KFC was then sold to a tiny group of traders that were able to take the name KFC open public.
Heublein Inc. needed over KFC in 1971 and maintained itself highly mixed up in day to day functions. Heublein Inc. was then taken over by R. J. Reynolds in 1982. After these major changes at the possession level it was finally bought out by Pepsi Co. Pepsi Co presently operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC.
By the end of 1994, KFC was functioning 4, 258 restaurants in 68 international countries. KFC is the greatest fowl restaurant and the third largest quick service chain on earth. Due to market saturation in the United States, international expansion will be critical to increased success and expansion.
KFC's Aims
To sell food in an easy, friendly environment that attracts pride mindful, health minded consumers.
Goals
- Build an organization dedicated to excellence.
- Consistently deliver superior quality and value in products and services.
- Maintain a committed action to technology for ongoing improvement and grow, always strive to be the leader in the market place changes.
- Generate regularly superior financial comes back and benefits for owners and employee.
Increase success through pursuing six issues
- Reduce over head costs
- Increase efficiencies
- Improve customer support
- Cleaner restaurants
- Faster and friendlier service
- Continued high quality products
KFC Viewpoint - The CHAMPS Program
KFC employs the CHAMPS method to ensure that the customer has the constant quality experience in every restaurant, each day and on every occasion.
C -C
leanliness
H- H
ospitality
A - A
ccuracy
M - M
aintenance of Facilities
P - P
roduct Quality
S - S
peed Service
Organizational Composition at KFC
Major Departments of KFC
Research Method
Zack's Strategy is taken into account for the research of this paper.
Zack's Approach
In this research we are employing Bottom-up approaches with the aid of Zack's Approach. Literature Review is done using Supplementary Resources such as Journal Articles, Thesis, and Internet.
It is evident that the majority of people who just work at KFC, aren't choosing there work as a job option. Therefore, the workforce is continually changing and adapting to new employees and new situations.
SWOT Research of KFC
Introduction to Kilometres Gaps
What is Tactical Gap?
The company's officers must know (Company Objective) the aims of the business enterprise and work based on the specifics to obtain its future goals. What the representatives and employees have previously achieved according to the targets list is what they know (Knowledge Audit). The difference between your two mentioned Targets and Audit is known as Strategic Distance.
In the situation of KFC, the goals are to build an organization dedicated to excellence and also to regularly deliver superior quality and value products and services to its customers.
Company Objective:
The most significant objective in KFC's case is to emphasis more on the constantly technology of superior financial profits and benefits for the organization through Reduced over head costs, Increased efficiencies, Improvement in customer support, Solution restaurants, Faster and friendlier service and Extended high quality products because of its customers.
Knowledge Audit:
Knowledge Audit is the difference between what the company is doing to attain its goals and what it's not doing to attain its goals (i. e. the existing situation of the business).
In the situation of KFC as per the research done via Zack's Procedure (see Fig 1. 1 SWOT Analysis on KFC) it is concluded that KFC is not able to achieve its goals credited to pursuing reasons
ISSUE I - Hygiene
Knowledge Gap
The Quality assurance section at KFC is available to be not executing at its level and come under a whole lot of marketing coverage at certain times. The main purpose (the 'must know' factor in Zack's procedure) of this department is to provide for the quality of food and service provided to its customer and also manages the Hygiene issues. Regarding to its CHAMPS School of thought KFC wanted to make an exemplary image before its customer by following CHAMPS Program (the 'know' factor from Zack's way), but the Hygiene (C-Cleanliness) level at KFC is yet a concern at some parts of the outlet stores. Like for an example, in February 2008 an wall plug of KFC/Taco Bell in NY was rat infested a video recording was shown on the news headlines television and internet via sties such as YouTube.
It is analyzed in cases like this that there is a huge Knowledge Gap in between KFC's Quality Confidence Office and the Operational Section; in spite of they knowing the objectives/goals of the business, such an illustration happened.
Strategic Gap
Two outlets in Sydney, Australia were fined for not having had the opportunity to keep carefully the cleanliness levels. Inspectors found levels of grease and dirt and grime, as well as evidence of vermin.
A proper strategy needs to be developed to look after the health levels at the retailers to keep it away from above scenarios to take place.
Must do:
The QA Office should make sure they develop tight rules for the operational team at the retailers to check out which would lead to raised watch out at the hygiene issues. QA Team must instruct the functional department to follow certain requirements of cleanliness like after every a quarter-hour the desks should be cleansed, the ground mopped more often with disinfectants, storage space facilities inspected once in a day with regards to cleanliness issues.
Can do:
What the QA Division can do in cases like this is, appoint QA officials to regularly visit shops and observe hygiene levels followed by the operational department. Aswell as instruct the employees at the retailers to consider certain actions in keeping cleanliness.
ISSUE II - Pet animal Rights
KFC was blamed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Pets (PETA) a Canadian structured animal rights company let by Ingrid Newkirk. The business is known because of its aggressive media campaigns, combined with a good base of superstar support-Paul McCartney, Pamela Anderson, and Sarah Jessica Parker are followers, and several supermodels have submitted naked with PETA's slogan "I'd Somewhat Go Naked than Wear Fur". A lot of its promotions have focused on large companies, such as KFC.
It was blames that KFC Suppliers of fowl cram birds into a huge waste filled up factories, breed them and drug them to develop large in order that they can't even walk, and often break their feet and wings. During slaughtering the chickens throats were slit and fell into a container of warm water; often when they remain conscious.
KFC's own animal welfare advisors have asked the worried departments at KFC to get rid of such abuses, but KFC always refused to take action. It is also been an instance that lots of of the advisors from KFC's QA Division resigned in annoyance.
Knowledge Gap
As per the Targets/ Goals of the business it is analyzed that the KFC's purpose is to be an organization focused on excellence and to make an exemplary image before its customer. Whereas, in the problem II of Canine Rights the organization got to know that if it does not take necessary options it could loose its reputation before its valued customer.
KFC must know that this circumstance is related to individuals sentiments and hurting human sentiments won't do them any good, instead are certain to get people to protest and want to boycott.
KFC has learned it is spoiling its image on the market due to the above reason.
Analysis of KFC's Current Infrastructure
Culture: Culture creates the framework for social relationship and knowledge use and also defines relationship between specific and organizational knowledge.
To get a better understanding of the Cultural aspect of KFC's infrastructure three the different parts of culture are taken in consideration:
- Values: KFC is convinced in rewarding and respecting the contributions of each person. It is available, honest and immediate in its dealings with each other and determined itself to the best standard to the personal and professional integrity at all times.
KFC encourages new and progressive ideas because these are the key to competitive progress and also rewards results rather than simple efforts. It works as a team.
- Norms: Norms work behaviour in the restaurant
- Practices: Formal or Informal practice performed in the restaurant
KFC is analysed to be a multileveled culture which, comprises of different levels of management at different departments of KFC, like Marketing, Project, Training & Research, Quality Guarantee, Financing, HRM and Operational Section.
The organizational culture of KFC is a mixture of Hierarchical Culture within the managerial level and CLAN Culture in the operational level.
Hierarchical Culture is dependant on formal, organized, ruled established and predictability.
Whereas, CLAN Culture is dependant on loyalty, commitment, friendliness and team work.
Culture influences performance
Technology:
KFC uses ROS (restaurant founded ordering system) technology at Operational Degree of its outlets for taking in requests and informing its chefs inside the kitchen to work on the order placed this type of technology can be an exemplory case of INTRANET Service that the majority of the junk food restaurants today use.
The ROS technology is utilized for cutting the time between the consuming order and informing the chef. In this case orders are considered on the counter-top and the computer automatically delivers information to the chef's computer which is placed in the kitchen for the chefs to process the order.
Operational:
KFC follows a simple yet very strong management levels near the top of the organizational framework sits the a) Area Manager who is accountable for providing coaching, control and operational support to KFC restaurants within a precise area. Beneath the area supervisor comes the b) Associate Manager who's also known as the Restaurant Standard Manager; is responsible for creating and jogging an energetic and valuable work environment, which is focused on providing the best rooster at the quickest quickness to its customers. Following a Assistant Supervisor comes the c) Trainee Administrator, this person helps the day to day operating of the restaurant and ensures all the businesses, customer service, cash handling, marketing, purchasing, recruiting, administration and training & development procedures are implemented in the right and appropriate method for the simple and better working of the restaurant. Then comes the d) CUSTOMER SUPPORT Team Member who is responsible for working at the service area and making certain the grade of product, service and cleanliness is delivered to all customers at the very top speed. By the end of this operational process chain comes the e) Food Service ASSOCIATES who are responsible for placing the crunch in the covering and the zing in the zinger, the cook's or the chef's. There main job is to prepare and prepare the irresistible KFC poultry.
Analysis of what KFC's Infrastructure really wants to accomplish
Culture:
KFC desires its ethnic infrastructure to be characterized as follows
- Knowledge sharing happening without inhabitations such as, fear of job loss
- External knowledge accepted being the start rather than the end of development.
- Proactive behaviour to learning with staff deemed to in charge of their own learning.
- Staff becomes proactive in knowledge creation and in idea submission
- Staff self-confident that management beliefs their ideas and reward them
Technology:
KFC wants to work with technology which facilitate, capture and re-use knowledge, cooperation and knowledge showing, save money and time at managerial levels.
Operational:
In terms of improvement at the functional infrastructure at KFC, it wants to develop following KM strategies
- Shift from constructions based on operations to systems predicated on people
- Develop Knowledge-based structures
- Organizations as value networks
- Another strategy of KFC is currently dealing with is to improve operating efficiencies. Therefore can directly impact the operating revenue of the firm. In 1989, KFC cantered on elimination of over head costs and increased efficiency. This reorganization is at the U. S. operations and included a revision of KFC's staff training programs and functioning requirements. They emphasized customer service, cleaner restaurants, faster and friendlier service, and continued high-quality products. In 1992, KFC continued with another re-organization in its middle management ranks. They taken away 250 of the 1500 management positions at corporate and offered the tasks to restaurant franchises and marketing managers.
Recommendations
The recommendations derive from the study of spaces in knowledge transfer at KFC with regards to KFC's Culture, Technology and Operations
Cultural Tips:
- It is recommended for the worried personnel at KFC to create news letters to publicise knowledge management initiatives to the lower level professionals.
- Provide Kilometres practice trainings.
- Encouraging skilled employees to copy knowledge to un-skilled employees.
- Offering offsite training to employees to keep their effectiveness and knowledge modified
- KFC should change its evaluation criteria to represent and determine knowledge writing competencies and accomplishments by the employees at KFC.
- Introducing knowledge management Pilot Assignments like expertise location system with space devoted to different areas of practice.
- Deleting or censuring individuals who are hoarders of knowledge.
Technology Recommendations:
It is preferred that KFC provides its employees with satisfactory training and good IT program to make use of tools to harness the knowledge stored in knowledge repositories to gain themselves.
Operational Recommendations:
It is recommended for the Trainee Supervisor to ensure there exists proper writing of knowledge among the staff working under him as he is responsible for all the businesses at the electric outlet.
Trainee administrator should develop briefing employees working under him with new regulations and instructing them over sanitation issues to avoid the Hygiene Issue Case of KFC in future.
Summary
As increasingly more companies sense the necessity of experiencing someone in the business who gets the working knowledge of all areas of the restaurant like public relations corporate operation etc. KFC should employee a Key Knowledge Officer who are able to take care of the movement and writing of knowledge in any way levels of the restaurant is manufactured accessible easier. It could avoid KFC to find yourself in future controversies and criticisms like the Health Issue in New York and Australia and Animal Privileges Issue in Canada.
KFC should understand the value of ethics by understanding the culture, regulatory and ecological issues in several countries.
KFC should implement a farm level audit and guidelines program which is leading the industry in the regions of poultry care and handling.
