Video Title: Gaviña Gourmet Coffee: Organizational Behavior
Run Time: 6:53
Classroom Application: Instructors will find this video useful in the study of organizational behavior. Gaviña Gourmet Coffee is a family-owned and family-operated business, providing a unique perspective on organizational behaviors. This video can be used to highlight examples of leadership styles, decision-making processes, and future goals within an organization.
Synopsis
Gaviña Gourmet Coffee was founded in 1967 and is based in Los Angeles, California. It is family-owned and operated by the Gaviña family, whose ancestors have worked in the coffee industry for over 150 years. The company has seen tremendous growth over the past several years, catering to an increased demand for highly specialized coffees. As a family-operated company, Gaviña Gourmet Coffee is able to make quick decisions and respond promptly to customer demand. The family has a policy that even if you do not initially agree, once a family member has made a decision, everyone at the company must get behind that choice. The family keeps a focus on its smaller customers, not forgetting the roots from which the company grew. The Gaviña family’s hope for the future is that a passion for their product and hard work will continue to grow the brand and allow them to pass on the company to future generations of the family.
Discussion Questions
1.Do you think Gaviña Gourmet Coffee has an efficient decision-making process? Why or why not?
Gaviña Gourmet Coffee is a family-owned and family-operated business and has been since the company was founded. Because of this, leadership within the company is a very tight group of individuals. This closeness allows the family to make decisions quickly and to support one another once the decision has been made.
2.Discuss how the Gaviña family’s past influences the way the company operates today.
The Gaviña family has been in the coffee business for many generations, with ancestors working as coffee growers as early as the 1860’s. With this background, comes a true passion within the family for great coffee. Therefore, the Gaviña family has never forgotten the roots from which it grew. They continue to place a value on small stores selling their coffees, as this is how the company started; and this is the basis from which it has grown.
3.What is the main reason for the growth Gaviña Gourmet Coffee has experienced in recent years? What decisions, made by the Gaviña family, do you think have best supported this growth?
There has been an increased demand nationally for specialty coffees, and Gaviña Gourmet Coffee has been at the right place at the right time to capitalize on this increased demand.
The Gaviña family has focused on different roasts and specific countries of origin to make their coffees more unique and specialized. The Don Francisco’s Family Reserve line, with more unique coffees contained in the blend, has really met the demand for highly specialized coffees. These decisions have supported the company’s growth.
Quiz
1.Which of the following groups is responsible for making major policy decisions within the Gaviña Gourmet Coffee organization?
a.an elected board of directors
b.members of the Gaviña family
c.warehouse managers
d.sales representatives with the largest accounts
Answer: b
Explanation: Gaviña Gourmet Coffee is a family-owned and family-operated business. Members of the Gaviña family aim to make decisions quickly to enable them to respond promptly to customer demands. Their policy is to then always support one another once family members have made a decision.
2.Which of the following statements is an example of a visible aspect of organizational behavior at Gaviña Gourmet Coffee?
a.Interpersonal conflicts may arise, but once a family member has made a decision, everyone at the company gets behind that choice.
b.The company’s strategy is to keep a focus on its smaller customers; therefore, all of the company’s business is not dependent upon just one, large customer.
c.Gaviña Gourmet Coffee is generally perceived as a highly specialized coffee company.
d.In general, employees at Gaviña Gourmet Coffee have a positive attitude toward the company and a willingness to work together to achieve shared goals.
Answer: b
Explanation: Visible aspects of organizational behavior include strategies, objectives, policies and procedures, structure, technology, formal authority, and chains of command. Interpersonal conflicts, perceptions, and attitudes are all examples of hidden aspects of organizational behavior.
3.Which of the following is an example of a contemporary organizational behavior issue that is likely to affect Gaviña Gourmet Coffee?
a.generational differences
b.negative behavior in the workplace
c.absenteeism
d.workplace misbehavior
Answer: a
Explanation: Two organizational behavior issues are having a major influence on managers’ jobs today. These issues include generational differences and negative behaviors in the workplace. Gaviña Gourmet Coffee is likely to be impacted by generational differences, as multiple generations of the Gaviña family operate the business together.
4.What is one strength the owners of Gaviña Gourmet Coffee feel they have over larger competitors?
a.the ability to produce coffee more quickly
b.more professional advertising
c.higher quality coffees
d.more management experience
Answer: c
Explanation: The owners of Gaviña Gourmet Coffee feel that even though they face tough competition from large competitors, their advantage is that the company places a great importance on customer satisfaction. To please their customers, the Gaviña family focuses on producing the highest quality coffees possible. It is their belief that larger companies focus more on profit and often sacrifice product quality to improve their profit margins.
5.Which of the following statements best describes Gaviña Gourmet Coffee company’s main goal for the future?
a.to continue to increase profits by 6 to 7% annually
b.to increase production to 100 million pounds per year
c.to create a greater number of agreements with large retailers such as McDonalds
d.to continue to grow the brand and be able to pass the company on to a new generation of the Gaviña family
Answer: d
Explanation: The main goal for the future at the Gaviña Gourmet Coffee company is to continue a tradition of passion and hard work. The owners wish to continue to grow the business and the brand and be able to pass the company on to a fifth generation of the Gaviña family.