Tony Kitchner's Kafkaesque Desires

TONY KITCHNER'S KAFKAESQUE DESIRES

In Tony Kitchner's case, in his three years as head of the company's International Operations, his leadership manifested both sharp professionalism and abysmal international expansion efforts. Kitchner's institution of a dress code was apt, converting the company from one that looked like a neighbourhood chain to one with a multinational image. While his "planting flags" approach reflected an interest in giving the company greater reach within its region, Kitchner's egregious lack of planning and research made it a failure. He simply opened stores in various Asian cities on the assumption that Jollibee's success in the Philippines could be transplanted with little adaptation and these stores folded one after another as he discovered his error. In addition, his approach created strained relations between his Philippine staff and the International staff. Kitchner's three years could be summed up as a period of great ideas backed with too little research and foresight

Although Tony Kitchner was hired to bring more structure to the International Division, he failed to build the rapport needed to push forward the division's initiatives. Kitchner began creating a "world-class company" by stealing employees from domestic operations--a poor first impression that lasted the duration of his career at Jollibee. By setting the stage for competition, Kitchner ensured that his actions, even if they were beneficial for the company, would meet criticism from the domestic side. Kitchner should have recognized that the hostility coming from Domestic was underscored by a fear that their division would be eclipsed by International. Rather than cultivate this fear, Kitchner should have made it explicit that the International Division's success would have reflected on the company as a whole. By simply increasing communication, Kitchner could have enlisted Domestic's support in his endeavours.

Under the company's early divisional structure, value-chain activities such as R&D and Finance were controlled by the Philippine operations. The failure to gain access to these resources hindered International's ability to modify the logo, store layout, and menu--modifications, which were potentially beneficial for Jollibee. Kitchner fostered tension within the organization and it was ultimately this contribution that led to his dismissal.

Kitchner never really understood the organizational culture at Jollibee. It would not be an exaggeration to opine that Kitchner was 'culturally challenged'. He failed to realize that a bulk of his interventions at Jollibee was paradigm shifts. Practices that were built over 16 years were shoved into oblivion in a matter of months. His performance during his three year stint is a marked reflection of inherent superiority complex that is usually associated