RUNNING HEAD: FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 1

Food Banks Canada Case Study

Melissa Alloggio, Robert Kinnick, Jaime Lane, Horace Winston

HRM/310

June 26, 2017

L. J. Elliott

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 FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 2

Food Banks Canada Case Study

Food Banks exist everywhere, and this particular case study is about the ever-growing

problem of hunger and the solution that the food banks in Canada provide. The food banks in

Canada were first started in 1981. Canada is a country that is well developed and has many

opportunities. However, hunger is still a reality for a growing number of citizens. Food Banks

Canada was established to organize the food banks from the individual organizations all the way

to the national level. Katherine Schmidt, the Executive Director of Food Banks Canada, has had

so much growth and success in this role. She has formed many relationships with smaller food

banks, board members, federal affiliations and has many organizational strategies that she

follows.

Analyses of Food Bank Canada Structure

The case study report demonstrates that in an average month, sustenance banks in Canada

now give nourishment and different backings to more than 75% of a million separate people

841,000 individuals. This implies 170,000 more people every month are looking for help,

contrasted with when the financial downturn began in 2008 a 25% expansion. The report

likewise highlights the upsetting patterns that add to the increase in family sustenance instability

and nourishment bank use the nation over (Hornstein, 2016). Katharine Schmidt, Executive

Director of Food Banks Canada, composed the national study that included more than 4,000

nourishment programs. Because of low-paying jobs, insufficient backings for the unemployed

and the absence of preparing open doors for the people in is keeping the use of sustenance banks

at low levels.

The original structure of the Food Banks Canada was more of an informal structure, and

it began as a small group of local food banks that wanted to increase public awareness, improve

access to food for those who needed it, and to lobby for social policy change on behalf of the

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 FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 3

food banks. The Board of Directors consisted of volunteer agents from the food banks around

Canada. Among these board members, there was disparity about what was best to combat the

hunger issues, especially for their food banks, some of which was due to the way the votes were

set up among representatives from the area food banks. When Schmidt was brought in on 2007,

she began restructuring the CAFB and brought about a more formal structure (Hornstein, 2016).

Under the old structure, their policy lobbying efforts were seen as ineffective, and their

attempts at raising awareness of the hunger issue were not as productive as they had hoped. The

board knew they needed to make some changes if they were going to get back on track with their

original goals. By 2012, five years after Katherine Schmidt was brought on, Food Banks of

Canada had made substantial progress towards meeting the needs of the hungry and finding

solutions to reduce hunger long term by changing the focus of the organization's strategy and

restructuring the organization.

Formal Structure and Decision Making Process

Food Banks Canada operates using a formal structure. They adopted a federated

governance structure (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2016). At the bottom of the structure are the

individually operated food banks throughout the country. The next rung of the organizational

structure is the Provincial Associations. These are mid-level administrations that campaign for

resources on behalf of the individual food banks within each province. The top rung of the

organization is the group known as Food Banks Canada. This is a nationally recognized business

that organizes donations of food and money on a countrywide level.

The decision-making process for Food Banks Canada is much like a democracy. The

Provincial Associations nominate two representatives from each province to take part in the

Member Council. The Member Council’s role is to voice the concerns of the particular province

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 FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 4

and to vote on issues for Food Bank Canada (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2016). This ensures

that each province has an equal voice in the decision-making process.

Food Banks Canada chose a formal approach to their structure due to the need to create a

strong national presence and build a level of trust from both national and corporate donors. The

structure is successful because it allows for recognition of the nation-wide problem of hunger to

be recognized across Canada. The company is equipped to receive fund and food donations in

large quantities and distribute them to the provinces as needed. Nationwide recognition could

not be achieved at the provincial level. The downside to the structure is that some of the

individual food banks feel as though they are in direct competition with Food Banks Canada for

funds and food donations. To combat the weakness of the structure, Food Banks Canada must

find a way to align their vision and mission with both the Provincial Associations as well as the

individual food banks. According to Samiksha (2016), advantages of a formal structure include:

 Smooth functioning of an organization

 Achievement of organizational goals

 No overlapping of work duties

 Coordination of activities throughout various departments

 Clear chain of command

 More emphasis on work and less emphasis on interpersonal relationships

Samiksha then describes the disadvantages of a formal organization as:

 Action is delayed by chain of command

 Does not allow for the psychological and social needs of employees

 Places emphasis on work only. Does not allow for creativity

Recommendations for Schmidt

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 FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 5

Schmidt’s next course of action should be to create a strong vision for change campaign

to help align the goals of the individual businesses and the Provincial Associations to the Food

Banks Canada mission. The vision should include motivation to come together as one

organization to double their efforts in the goal of ending the problem of hunger within the

national border. Schmidt should emphasize the benefits for the individual food banks to pool

their resources to benefit the masses instead of just the local provinces. The benefits of the

vision for change would be three fold. First, a great vision statement would act as a unifying

force and have a positive impact on the effectiveness of the organization and structure.

Secondly, a vision statement acts as a guide for employees actions. It is like a roadmap to

reference when determining a course of action or making a decision. The third benefit of a

vision statement is that it acts as a motivator and a source of inspiration for the employees

(Girdler, 2017).

The formal structure of Food Banks Canada is a solid foundation for the company. No

change should be made to the structure. A plan to create a stronger line of communication

through the Provincial Associations to the individual food banks is necessary. This change is

easily accomplished through the Member Council.

How to generate needed support and approvals

Gaining support from the national board, staff, Member Council, and affiliated food

banks can be difficult but not impossible because these members hold key positions that have

influence and are crucial organization work towards generating approval and support. To

generate the needed support and gain acceptance requires the organization to make several

adjustments that specifically addressed the roles and alignment of the smaller affiliated food

banks in many of the provinces. Many feel the national board is intruding and overstepping their

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 FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 6

responsibilities, but it is important for everyone to be engaged in the implementation of the new

strategy and prevent the risk of fragmentation from “occurring in the food bank community”

(Cawsey, Deszca & Ingols, 2016, P. 374). Also, involving everyone in the decision-making

process will ensure change can “occur on a team level and should concentrate on changing and

influencing the norms, roles, and values of its members” (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015, P. 236).

Additionally, “structural decisions should follow strategic decisions because the structure will

then be there to support the strategy” (Cawsey, Deszca & Ingols, P. 157) from the national level

to the lowest staff member.

How to Create Successful Outcomes

Once there is a final approval on the recommended changes, it’s important to make sure

those change approvals are turned into successful actions and outcomes. The approved changes

need to be clearly communicated to all involved with well-planned out expectations and

outcomes. There needs to be senior management support that is visible to all involved to show

the importance of those changes that were approved. Food Banks Canada needs to embrace the

ideas of using the federal government to help enable that the food supplies are being delivered to

the communities that deserve it the most, this will help save on available resources making the

most impact with those resources (Hornstein, 2016).

Conclusion

Under Schmidt’s experienced guidance, Food Banks Canada has become a well-known,

nationally recognized organization that feeds the hungry and advocates legislation to help

recognize the war against hunger. By creating a strong vision of change statement and opening

the lines of communication up and down the levels of the organization, Schmidt can continue to

build the organization and become even more successful in her fight.

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 FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 7

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 FOOD BANKS CANADA CASE STUDY 8

References

Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: A model

for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262.

Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/1671991084/fulltextPDF/7

552D37ECE6E4970PQ/1?accountid=35812

Cawsey, T., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2016). Organizational Change: An action-oriented toolkit

(3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Girdler, M. (2017). 3 BIG Benefits Of A Clear Vision Statement. Retrieved from

http://www.cornerstonedynamics.com/3-big-benefits-of-a-clear-vision-statement/

Hornstein, H. (2016, September 4). USING A CHANGE MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO

IMPLEMENT IT PROGRAMS. Retrieved from Ivey Business Journal:

http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/using-a-change-management-approach-to-

implement-it-programs/

Samiksha, S. (2016). Formal and Informal Organization: Features, Advantages and

Disadvantages. Retrieved from http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/organization/formal-

and-informal-organization-features-advantages-and-disadvantages/8654/

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