Chefs and occupational culture in a hotel chain:A grid-group analysis

A fierce recession in the UK between 1991 and 1995 led the hotel group Forte, like most companies,to initiate urgent turnaround and survival policies. This paper reports on a study of chefs' behaviour within Forte Crest Hotels, London, the strain placed on their occupation during this recession and the aftermath of Forte's levered corporate change policies in 1994-95. The inquiry was carried out before the hostile take-over of Forte by Granada in January 1996. Using grid-group analysis, a qualitative study based on structured interviews was undertaken. These interviews were analysed for commonalities and differences within a grid-group analysis framework, which addresses organisational, individual and group behavioural phenomena in a given social context. The findings reveal behavioural insights into the occupational identity of chefs and the allegiance they give to their occupation when faced with a programme of radical change initiated by management.