Abstract
Purpose. This dissertation deepens the theoretical and practical understanding of today's certified American Culinary Federation (ACF) chefs by comparing industry chef practitioners to culinary chef educators to determine the extent to which each category of chef values people as compared to task in the workplace. Methodology. Blake and Mouton's (1964) managerial grid was used to examine the perceived values of ACF certified chefs in two areas: concern for people and concern for task. Data was collected from chef practitioners and chef educators to determine whether there were differences in the ways they valued people and tasks. Those who held certification in both arenas simultaneously were also examined. Findings. (a) Chef practitioners and chef educators were focused more on concern for task than concern for people, with no statistically significant difference between the groups. (b) Chefs who simultaneously held certifications in both arenas were more focused on concern for people than concern for task. (c) There was a significant difference between the focus on concern for people and concern for task among chefs who held dual certification when compared to chefs certified in only one arena. (d) Chefs achieved a high level of education when compared to chefs of a few decades ago, perhaps due to the availability of more degree opportunities in the culinary arts and other related fields. Conclusions. Every chef must manage both people and tasks. Balancing these two elements forms a chef's style of leadership. While many decisions may be situational, a predominant style of leadership forms through repetition and practice. Some factors that contributed to an individual chef's style were level of education, the culture in which training occurred, and the number of individuals supervised. While certified practitioners and educators focused more on task than people, those with dual certification focused more on people than task. Further research could include a study focused on chefs with dual certifications, a mixed method study of the ACF Certified Master Chefs, the role of a chef's cultural background in forming individual leadership style, the modern female chef leadership perspective, and an examination of the bully culture of professional kitchens.