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An Analysis of the Customer Service Issues at Starbucks. Part 2 And Executive Summary 

In this assignment, you will integrate your systems thinking and management skills and you will continue to prepare an organizational improvement plan based on your analysis of a case study. Last week, you put yourself into the shoes of a paid consultant and performed a thoughtful systems analysis of the case study. This week, you will develop Part 2 and the executive summary of your plan to improve the performance of the organization.

As a reminder, here is the scenario: After reviewing the latest marketing data, Christine Day, senior vice president of administration at Starbucks, is concerned with the company’s performance in meeting customer expectations in the area of customer satisfaction. She is contemplating an annual investment of $40 million to increase the weekly labor hours in the North American stores, but before she makes this recommendation, she wants to better understand the cause of the decrease in customer satisfaction. She calls on your consulting service to investigate the cause of this issue and to recommend improvements. You are selected for this consulting job based on your knowledge of system thinking.

As you complete your improvement plan, be sure to include specific examples from the case as well as relevant citations from the Learning Resources, the Walden Library, and/or other appropriate academic sources to support your analysis.

To prepare for this Assignment:

· Review the following case study, as needed:

o Moon, Y., & Quelch, J. (2018). Starbucks: Delivering customer service. HBS Case 9-504-016. Harvard Business School Publishing. http://hbr.org

· Review, as needed, the following resources on executive summaries:

o OASIS. (n.d.). Common assignments: Executive summaries. Walden University. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/executivesummaries

o Martins, J. (2022, October 1). How to write an executive summary, with examples. Asana. https://asana.com/resources/executive-summary-examples

· Return to the same improvement report template you utilized in Week 5. With the research and readings from Week 5 and Week 6 in mind, incorporate any feedback, as needed, into your report as you complete Part 2 and the executive summary.

Submit Part 2 and the executive summary for your improvement plan, which should include the following:

Part 2: Applying Systems Thinking Concepts

For Part 2 of your improvement plan (pp. 5–7), address the following:

· Analyze how the concept of mental models is present at Starbucks and how this concept either negatively or positively affects the customer experience.

· Analyze how the concepts of team learning and of building a shared vision could benefit Starbucks in terms of improving customer experience, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

· Propose a minimum of three recommendations, based on your analysis, that might improve customer experience at Starbucks. Explain why. 

Executive Summary

Provide Christine Day with an executive summary (p. 1) of your findings and recommendations for improvement. Address the following in your executive summary:

· Clearly identify the purpose of the improvement plan.

· Summarize the cause(s) of the low customer satisfaction (referencing the causal loop diagram in the main report).

· Concisely synthesize the recommendations to improve customer satisfaction.

Improving Business Performance

Week 6 Learning Resources

Mental Models

Using these resources, you will investigate the subject of mental models. Have you ever asked, “Why do we do it this way?” only to be told, “Because we have always done it this way”? That response is an example of a mental model in business. Mental models are deeply engrained images or ideas of how organizations function, and they can limit or exclude new ways of thinking or acting.

· Garrity, E. J. (2018).  Using systems thinking to understand and enlarge mental models: Helping the transition to a sustainable world .  Systems,  6(2), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems6020015

· Senge, P. M. (2006). Mental models. In  The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization (pp. 129–162). Doubleday.

· Yang, M. M., Yang, F., Cui, T., & Cheng, Y.-C. (2019).  Analysing the dynamics of mental models using causal loop diagrams .  Australian Journal of Management,  44(3), 495–512. https://doi.org/10.1177/0312896218823831

Building a Shared Vision

Through these resources, you will explore the topic of shared vision. The practice of shared vision moves a simple idea to a focused plan. The support of others can transform an abstraction into a common aspiration. Having a shared vision is instrumental for an organization, as it provides focus and energy toward a common goal or objective.

· Battilana, J., & Casciaro, T. (2013, July–August).  The network secrets of great change agents .  Harvard Business Review,  91(7–8), 62–68.

· Fang, Y., Francis, B., & Hasan, I. (2018, April 10).  Research: CEOs with diverse networks create higher firm value .  Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2–5.

· Senge, P. M. (2006). Shared visions. In  The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization (pp. 191–215). Doubleday.

· Yang, T.-K., & Yan, M.-R. (2020).  The corporate shared value for sustainable development: An ecosystem perspective .  Sustainability,  12(6), 2348–2364. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062348

Team Learning

Using these resources, you will explore the idea of team learning. While individuals may work hard toward a common goal, if the team effort is nonexistent, then it is likely you will have a disorganized and unfocused group that will expend a significant amount of wasted energy. In contrast, team learning produces extraordinary results through shared and coordinated efforts. It can be said that the discipline of team learning begins with dialogue—from the ancient Greek word  dialogos—the free flow of information through group conversation.

· Bui, H., & Baruch, Y. (2010).  Creating learning organizations: A systems perspective .  The Learning Organization,  17(3), 208–227. https://doi.org/10.1108/09696471011034919

· Daniels, S. E., & Walker, G. B. (2012).  Lessons from the trenches: Twenty years of using systems thinking in natural resource conflict situations .  Systems Research and Behavioral Science,  29(2), 104–115. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2100

· Kautt, G. G. (2010, May).  Learning centers .  Financial Planning,  40(5), 31–32.

· Senge, P. M. (2006). Team learning. In  The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization (pp. 216–252). Doubleday.

Important Documents and Resources for the Week

Moon, Y., & Quelch, J. (2018).  Starbucks: Delivering customer service . HBS Case 9-504-016. Harvard Business School Publishing. http://hbr.org Note: This resource will be used for this week’s Assignment.