Strong Culture: Chick-fil-A

Jayla Dunlap

“We’re not in the chicken business; we’re in the people business.”

HistoryHeadquartered in College Park, Georgia, Chick-fil-A was founded by former CEO and Chairman S. Truett Cathy. Specializing in chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A has over 2,000 locations in the US. Originally, the restaurant was called Dwarf Grill, or Dwarf House, which is located in the suburbs of Hapeville, Georgia, Atlanta. Since Cathy had very strong southern baptist beliefs, Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. In 1961, fifteen years after Dwarf House had been running, Cathy discovered a pressure-fryer that could cook a chicken sandwich in the same amount of time that it takes to cook a hamburger… and the rest, is history.

Deal and Kennedy’s “Strong Culture”Chapter 5 of Katherine Miller’s Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes elaborated on Deal and Kennedy’s argument that business success can be enhanced by “the components of a strong culture. It will be a better place for individuals to work and will improve individual and organizational performance.” In their 1982 book, "Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life," Terrence Deal and Allan Kennedy proposed one of the first models of organizational culture. Four components create Strong Culture:

VALUES, HEROES, RITES AND RITUALS, and CULTURAL NETWORK

The following slides will exhibit Chick-fil-A’s unique and strong culture.

VALUESThese are the beliefs and visions that the members hold for the company. They determine what the company stands for, and help define the cultural identity.

Chick-Fil-A’s Core Values are listed on its career page on the official website.

1.Customers First

2.Personal Excellence

3.Continuous Improvement

4.Working Together

5.Stewardship

Customers First “Every life has a story, and often our customers and our employees, need a little grace and a little space when you deal with them because they are either experiencing a problem, just finished having a problem, or are about to have one”. --- Cathy

In 2014 in Birmingham, Alabama, on Highway 280, cars were backed up for miles for up to 7 hours. Snowfall clogged the interstate, and many stranded motorists left their cars to walk to a safer haven, but ended up going back to their vehicles anyways. Chick-fil-A’s restaurant owner, Mark Meadows, owned a store about a mile and a half away from the interstate, and he and his team decided to cook hundreds of fresh sandwiches and passed them out to the frozen drivers - no charge. Even more, they opened the store for people to stay the night on the benches, and prepared chicken biscuits in the morning. ‘“We’re not open for business,” store manager Audrey Pitt said, “We’re just feeding people who are hungry.”

Customers First cont...In early January 2017, 41 year-old Markeith Lloyd had shot and killed a police officer outside of a Walmart during a confrontation, and a manhunt was conducted in order to find him in Orange County of central Florida. On the right is pictured Orange County Deputy First Class, Norman Lewis. He was a regular visitor of Chick-fil-A in the area, stopping by at least once or twice a week to order a 12-pc nugget with a fruit cup. Employees looked forward to seeing him, as he always gave them big, warm bear hugs and honest smiles every time he came. When employees found out that he was killed in a car accident in pursuit of Markeith, they were devastated. The restaurant decided to create a tribute for Lewis called the “Missing Man Table.” The photo on the right shows the tribute - a white cloth on one of the tables in the restaurant with a meal, a Bible and Lewis' picture on top.

TeamworkAccording to Bryant Hall’s article, The Magic of Chic-fil-a, the company has capitalized the “magic” of teamwork in three ways:

1.Customer Centricity: “Customer-centricity means the customer is the central focus. Anytime I have been to Chick-fil-A, I definitely feel that they are looking to make my day. You just get a sense they care about you. If you are looking for success with your business or if you are attempting to lead in anyway, it would benefit you greatly to look at the design of Chick-fil-A. It is a company that gets it.”

2.Solid Foundation: “The Chick-fil-A organization is still privately held and family owned, which makes a BIG difference. Most family owned businesses have a great feel for teamwork because they know each other and have been working together long before the business started. It is important to know whom you are working with and what each person brings to the table. With this foundation, it permits for strong morals and values to be promoted throughout the organization.”

Teamwork cont...1.Culture Creation: “When the “magic” of teamwork starts at the top, it reaches

all the way don to the bottom. This is why Chick-fil-A has been so successful with their business. From the top down to the bottom, they have been able to develop an attitude of gratitude. It seems as if every employee is just so happy to be working. I am still impressed to this day when ordering from walking-in or the drive-through when I hear these eight-words, “Welcome to Chick-fil-A, how may I serve you?” This is an attitude that has been created.”

HEROES(stories)Heroes are the individuals who personify the organization’s values within their actions. They’re considered the company’s role models, and the events that they partake in create corporate “stories”, which are model situations that also exemplify the values/beliefs of the company. Employees can aspire to follow these examples to help build their self and cultural identity.

S. Truett Cathy was a man that embodied the values of Chick-fil-A from the humble beginnings of his “Dwarf Grille”. Throughout the 47 years that Cathy remained the CEO until his death, he never compromised his business by feeding into the common trends, expanded it, and set priorities that were true to the Christian way of life.

WinShape FoundationWinShape is an American-charitable organization camp that allows kids of all ages to stay there for a day, overnight, a week, or even 2 weeks. Founded in 1984 by Truett and his wife Jeanette, which aims to teach children how to live, love, and learn more about God. Summer staff are interviewed, with background checks and trained. The organization offers scholarships, youth support programs, and has inspired Truett’s daughter and son-in-law to create a foundation of their own, LifeShape, which started in ‘03 with the same values as WinShape.

Working in a Sling

Response from Chick-fil-A"Jakeem is a phenomenal young man and an outstanding team member. He is an inspiration both in terms of his work ethic and commitment to serving others. Although he was in a car accident recently, he returned to work after being cleared by his doctor and with the support of his family so he could not only serve alongside his team in the restaurant but also earn money to give back to others. We are beyond proud of Jakeem and support his efforts to serve the homeless in our community. In regards to the money being donated on his behalf: Jakeem is grateful for the support of the community. How he decides to utilize the money is up to Jakeem and his parents."This story has gotten thousands of likes and shares from Cameron’s post on his Facebook page. The gofundme account that he started for Jakeem has surpassed its goal of $2,500, raising almost $45,000.

https://www.gofundme.com/fundraiser-for-jakeem-tyler

RITES and RITUALS These are the ceremonies companies have in order to celebrate their values. This might include giving employees rewards for their hard work or innovative ideas, or a picnic/banquet to celebrate the employees who embody the company’s values in the best ways possible.

Chick-fil-A embodies a unique, selfless culture because of Cathy’s personal beliefs being embedded within the company’s policies, values, and traditions. His interest in cars has been an aspect he decided to incorporate into his company:

“I have enjoyed collecting classic or unusual cars when the price is right. When I had the opportunity to buy the Batmobile that appeared in the movie ‘Batman Returns’, I decided to display it at the Chick-fil-A home office. I wish I could show instead the first bicycle I ever bought… It didn’t have fenders, and it needed work… I have more pleasant memories of that bike than any automobile I ever bought, because I worked for it and fixed it up.”

-S. Truett Cathy

Cars for the BestWhen Chick-fil-a franchisees meet sales goals, they receive the ultimate reward: a choice of any Ford car they’d like to drive for a year, FREE!

Cathy was a “car buff”, and took a liking to collecting cars. His first restaurant was near a Ford manufacturing plant, and personal connections were made between Cathy and his loyal customers from Ford during their lunch breaks.

Cathy started this program in the 1970s, after his brand had grown from one location to hundreds across the US.

Cars for the Best cont...Jimmy Collins, who was president of the company at the time, noticed

that an operator, John Moniz, had achieved a 41% sales increase, which was phenomenal.

"Our thoughts were: if we could motivate other people to do what John had done, it would be great not only for the organization but it would be great for individual operators," Collins said.

Back then, a 40% sales increase was required to obtain the car, but now it’s about 17% only.

ScholarshipsIn 2017, Chick-fil-A expects to double the amount of money it invests into its extremely effective and successful scholarship program for college students to $4.9 million. It is expected to give out 1,850 scholarships worth $2,500 each. Also, access to tuition discounts and other benefits for up to 70 colleges in the US will be worked out. Since it started giving young employees scholarships in 1973, nearly 36,000 of them have received scholarships, amounting to nearly $36 million.

“We want to help them achieve their dreams and equip them.”

-Chick-fil-A VP of Community Affairs, Rodney Bullard

CULTURAL NETWORKThis is the communication system through which cultural values are instituted and reinforced. This can be either formal through newsletters and policy statements, or informal interactions between employees.

In terms of formal communication, the Employee Handout states the Commitment to Hospitality, 2nd Mile Service, and Civility, Equal Employment & Non-Harassment Policy. Basically, maintaining an environment that prioritizes hospitality towards customers, going above and beyond with “My pleasure” as a natural response to thank yous, and maintaining a work environment that is harassment free and accepts all persons.

Christian Influence Cathy turned something as humble and simple as a chicken sandwich into a symbol of Christian values.

1. MISSION STATEMENT: “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us" and "to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

2. In 2012, they received backlash for donating money to organizations that openly are against gay marriage.

Advocated Proposition 8 in California, an amendment that bans same-sex marriage

Cathy's son, Dan, told the Baptist Press that Chick-fil-A was unashamed of its opposition to same-sex marriage and support of "traditional family values": "We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit. ... We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives."

Questions1.If Chick-fil-A’s founder grew up with a different religious background,

such as being a Mormon, Muslim, etc, would the restaurant’s values correspond with the religion?

2.Since Cathy’s death, will it be best for the company to change some of its policies(taking the Christian influence away)?

3.Will new items be added onto the menu in the years to come, or will the company maintain its regular and seasonal menu items out of respect for its late founder?

4.By 2027, in which other ways will Chick-fil-A inspire its franchisees to aim higher wil sales? (Higher pay, more benefits)

Works CitedStarnes, Todd. "A Lesson in Customer Service from Chick-fil-A." A Lesson in Customer Service from Chick-fil-A. Fox News Network, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Rosner, Brett. "Orlando Chick-fil-A Restaurant Honors Fallen Officer with Tribute Table." Fox News. FOX News Network, 11 Jan. 2017. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Hall, Bryant. "THE "MAGIC" OF CHICK-FIL-A." MTN Universal. MTN Universal, 5 Oct. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017.

Peterson, Hayley. "The Shocking Reward Chick-fil-A Gives to Its Top Franchisees." Business Insider. Business Insider, 04 Aug. 2016. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

Gidman, Jenn. "Why a Customer's Photo of a Young Chick-fil-A Employee Has Gone Viral."Newser. N.p., 14 Dec. 2016. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

Hudson, Phil W. "Chick-fil-A to Double Employee Scholarship Investment." Bizjournals.com. Atlanta Business Chronicle, 21 Sept. 2016. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.