Cookie Control

Our case studies presented in class dealt with the issue of controlling decision making at an operational level.  The open question is how should the power of decision making be distributed throughout an organizations management structure.  In the Mrs. Fields' Cookies case, we saw an example of the strategic decision makers taking on the decision making responsibilities (through information systems, nonetheless) of their tactical and operational managers.  I was one of the presenters of this case, but I would like to expand on some topics that weren't fully examine in the presentation.

My first instinct after reading the case study was that this information system was scary.  It was so constricting, that it every aspect of every employee's job was dictated by it.  Local managers, typically responsible for hiring new employees, had limited say in the hiring process because applicants were automatically screened based on questionnaires and resume screening.  Managers didn't have to think about delegating tasks, or assessing employees for pay increases.  Store managers had very little managerial responsibility due to the decision support aspects of the system.  As mentioned, this resulted in unfulfilled managers and turnover was 12-14 months.

Flat doesn't even begin to describe the management structure.  The information system was hailed as flattening management but did so in a way that was extremely controlling.  Mrs. Fields herself disguised stifling control as her "personal touch."

How did this affect the company?  They had zero flexibility when they acquired LPB.  The DSS was not capable of adapting because it focused on making decisions rather than equipping managers with information they could use to supplement decisions.  Randy Fields said his goal was to automate as many tasks as possible because it was insulting to ask a person to do something a computer could do.  I think he took this way too far and locked himself in to "living by the system."  Successful companies have good managers that make decisions finding the perfect balance between  the objective and subjective.  While different companies fall in different locations on this continuum, the combination of both is necessary for making good decisions.  Mrs. Fields' Cookies shows us what can happen when most decisions rely on purely objective thinking.