Running Head: TOPGOLF

TopGolf:
Analyzing the Organizational Behavior
Waqas Admani
Chandi Maharaj
Reema Shah
Soniya Shah
Amit Shirsat
Michelle Tran
University of Texas at Dallas

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A Brief History
TopGolf Dallas is an elite sports bar and party venue, whose primary focus is centered on
golf. The name TopGolf is a partial acronym where TOP is short for Target Oriented Practice
derived from two brothers, Steve and David Joliffe. Once at a driving range in London, England,
the brothers were practicing their golf swings and became disinterested with the same old
practice. They wanted to be able to measure how far and close their shots were to the golf pin
for the simple reason of improving their game. The brothers reached out to World Golf Systems,
a company who produces technological inventions, solely for the game of golf. World Golf
developed the systems used by TopGolf by implementing a microchip used in every ball,
measuring the distances of shots.
After years of persistence and dedication, the brothers vision became into a reality and
now TopGolf exists as an entertainment complex bringing professional golfers and those who
have never played, together. Since its manifestation, the facility has been consistently expanding
to encourage a leisurely experience with food and drinks and a casual atmosphere. Currently,
TopGolf averages 2.7 million patrons a year and is able to do so with over 2,000 employees.
There are thirteen locations, three of which are located in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex
(Dallas, Allen, and The Colony), and eleven more are scheduled to open by summer 2015.

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Structure and Culture of Organization

TopGolf Dallas is an organic and people-centric organization. Although each employee

reports to a manager according to their own department, there is a sense of unity. Each
individual will have specific responsibilities, but do not hesitate to help each other. It is
encouraged for employees to have fun and not see work as an obligation, but as a place they
meet up their friends. There is a lateral communication between management and staff where
managers coach their staff and give them advice and feedback rather than providing them a list
of orders without any instruction. TopGolf has an organizational hierarchy with every branch
focusing on the main mission: deliver a fun and memorable experience for every guest. The
chain of command follows as Director of Operations, oversees the entire organization and
Operation Managers beneath the director, oversee managers for each department, including the
facility manager, marketing manager, sales manager, bar/food manager, bay host manager, office
manager, cleaning manager, golf services manager, and training manager. Most decision-making
occurs with department managers at a local level, then should there be any reason a local facility
could not offer a service or resolve an issue, TopGolfs corporate office would handle the
decision making.
Top Golf follows five core values:

Fun: every customer should leave impressed with the atmosphere and want to talk about

it with their friends

Innovation: the company is constantly growing and making changes and will continue to

develop the game

Quality: to deliver the best experience for every patron
Sociable: it is a place to meet new people, play, and entertain
Caring: developing each employee to their full potential and helping them to achieve
their goals.

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This business has a strong organizational culture highly controlled by the hiring process. The
employees are chosen by a special criteria. 49% is based on whether the employees are skilled
for the position and 51% is based on the individuals personality and character. By this careful
selection of individuals, TopGolf is able to maintain a fun culture.
Team Processes and Communication
TopGolf Dallas is a very dynamic, energetic environment that requires a lot of team
interdependence. They have goal interdependence because there is one overall goal expected to
be met by everyone and sub-goals for each department to meet. After goals are met, there is
outcome interdependence because the manager rewards the team when the goal is met. Over the
summer, they have about 200 employees staffed. TopGolf is a work team that provides services
and require a lot of member involvement. Everyone needs to work together to give customers a
good experience to come back. The company has a family-like dynamic where they look after
each other and have helping behavior. For example, if one employee is too busy to take care of a
customer, then another employee will step in to help. Rather than giving employees
consequences, Top Golf Dallas tries to coach employees to encourage them and help them do
better next time. The company wants the employees to have fun at work and not make it seem
like work. There is a lot of cohesion within the group, which promotes a lot of process gain.
Each department is different, but they try to meet with employees at least once a month to
discuss progress and any issues within the teams. Top Golf Dallas uses a phone app where they
can send each other messages to informed and up to date. In addition, each team has a preshift once before the morning shift and once before the evening shift to set goals for the day and
make sure everyone is on the same page. There needs to be a lot of good communication within
the team since they will have many customers who come in. For example, the employees who

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talk to the customers need to work with their co-workers to ensure each customer is taken care
of. The staff also need to work closely with the bartenders and the chef to make sure the orders
are correct and the food come out efficiently. Then if there is a spill that needs to be cleaned up,
employees need to contact whoever is in charge of cleaning before someone gets hurt. Managers
need to be available to help guide employees make sure everything is going accordingly.
To make sure the teams are working well together and getting along, TopGolf Dallas has
monthly team building activities. The company has competitions with other TopGolf locations to
promote team building. For example, this month, the company competed to see who sold the
most appetizers and winning location received a prize. TopGolf also plans things according to
events going on in the area. For example, there was a paint party in Dallas and to get the
employees pumped, TopGolf had their own paint party in the parking lot.
Overall, Dallas TopGolf does a good job of team interdependence. Everyone gets along
and really enjoys their job. Managers try their best to help employees rather than criticize them.
Since customer service is one of their top goals, it helps that the staff gets along and can get
along with customers. TopGolf has a good reputation all thanks to the staff who strive to make
customers happy.
Job Performance
The job performance of TopGolf employees is efficient and productive. The three major
categories of behaviors related to job performance are task performance, citizenship behavior,
and counterproductive behavior. Task performance has to do with behaviors that are directly
involved in the transformation of organizations resources into the services that the organization
offers.

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Routine task performance are well known responses to demands faced on a daily basis.
The routine task performance is done well since new employees are well trained through the core
classes about the organizations culture and structure. Employees have a three-strike system,
which means they get three chances with the same offense before they are sent to the corporate
level for further consequences. Mistakes in the routine tasks are also usually avoided since there
are pre-shift meetings before the morning and evening shift where an employee is informed
about the jobs expectations.
Adaptive task performance are employee responses to unpredictable demands. This is
done quite efficiently in the organization because pre-shift meetings usually give the employees
an idea of what is to be expected at that time. If there are any uncertainties during the shift, they
can be addressed through their app which they use to manage job performance. This social
networking system makes sure everyone is on the same page constantly.
Creative task performance is the extent to which employees develop ideas that are useful
in the job. The creative task performance part of this organization mainly takes place in the
meetings where they decide on what kind of local campaigns should be held and how social
media should be used to get more people to attend these special events.
Citizenship behavior are voluntary employee activities that may or may not be rewarded.
At TopGolf, the work environment is very supportive and it makes the employees seem like they
are a family where everyone is always there for help. The app makes it easy for employees to
contact someone that can provide additional help in case of a situation, even if the person who
will help will not be the primary server of the table. There have been instances where private
rooms have been booked on a short notice and both staff and managers from different
departments cooperated to set up the customers room in a timely manner. There is courtesy

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involved in everyones job since they all keep each other informed about what is going through
their app. Boosterism is also a very big part of TopGolf Dallas because managers display a very
positive portrayal of the organization and their services.
Counterproductive behavior is usually nonexistent at TopGolf Dallas since the business
operates very openly and employees seem very satisfied with their work. TopGolf Dallas has
created a work culture that is supportive and fun so workers do not tend to engage in
counterproductive behaviors.
Leadership Styles and Behaviors
Leaders are generally those who use their power and influence to achieve goals for
themselves and for their organization. Leadership can assume many roles from laissez-faire, a
very passive and somewhat ineffective way to lead a group, to transformational leadership,
which encourages others to participate in a shared vision. In organizational behavior, leadership
can be facilitated by anyone. At TopGolf there are two types of leadership, a formal form, which
are the managers, and an informal form of peer leaders. The former is a title, which demands the
individual be the leader for the subordinates. Whereas the latter, ownership is taken by an
individual without direction from anyone else.
Although a casual atmosphere is ideal for TopGolf, managers take on an autocratic, yet
consultative style. This means they make decisions but rarely ask for feedback from employees.
Often when feedback is given, the managers listen but are more inclined to make a final decision
based on their own beliefs. At the employees pre-shift and monthly one-on-one meetings with
their manager, the staff is able to voice their opinion and concerns. Deciding when to take action
gives the leaders more control while still giving employees a sense of self-efficacy. However, if
the concerns of the employee are not addressed, leaders will emerge amongst the staff.

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When a staff member tries to meet the vision of the company but feels as if they are not
being heard, they develop leadership skills to meet the stated vision. Unlike the managers at
TopGolf, staff leadership utilizes individualized consideration, meaning they become a type of
mentor to other staff members to achieve the mission of the organization. This simultaneously
achieves unity within the staff ranks, to meet the needs of each other without the presence of a
manager. The staff leaders at Top Golf do not encroach upon the managers role, instead they
strengthen each others goals while reducing stress between employees and managers.
Leaders can be found in different roles within the organization of TopGolf. They try to
meet the mission and although simple, meeting it is challenging, as it is at any organization.
Thus when leaders emerge, it is for the good of the entirety of the company.
Motivation
Motivation is an important concept that is critical for understanding and improving
organizational behavior and performance. Without motivation, one does not have the desire to
work harder and keep going. The standard of output is increased when employees are motivated.
TopGolf has a great motivation system. Each employee is given the opportunity to be
rewarded for exceeding expectations. As a department, each one has a set goal that needs to be
reached. If the goal is met, then the manager rewards the team with a dinner or party.
Sometimes, managers will randomly give out gifts such as basketball tickets to employees just
for doing a good job. Every TopGolf also competes with other TopGolf locations in a sale
incentive scheme.
With increased choice for customers comes increased pressure on sales teams to go the
extra mile and make the all-important sale. TopGolf sale incentives provide real, measurable
improvement to their business and ensure their teams are as happy as they are hard working.

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Incentive schemes increase sales, staff satisfaction, and participation by tailoring reward schemes
for staff. At the end, the winner of the competition wins a prize.
TopGolf has corporate events for their employees when launching new promotions at
each location. This is to motivate employees to promote new offers or events to the public
themselves. Furthermore, it gives the employees an opportunity to work together to reap
rewards. TopGolf likes to make sure every team member is satisfied with his or her job.
Employees are more inclined to produce better work for their managers because they know their
hard work is meaningful and appreciated. TopGolf does not have an abundance of advertisement
or media coverage in the area, allowing the number one way to draw in customers to be by word
of mouth.
The majority of employees at TopGolf Dallas are young. Because of this, employees can
easily relate and are more inclined to work togetherManagers use their strength based coaching
to provide positive feedback and try to build relationships with each employee.
Stress
Work can be challenging at times and TopGolf Dallas like any other job is no different.
There are different stressors that create stress unto the employees. They include: role overload,
time pressure, and role conflict. During the weekend, TopGolf draws a large crowd and it is not
uncommon for patrons to wait up to two hours for a table. Meanwhile, employees are faced with
role overload when they are presented with many demanding roles but cannot perform all the
tasks alone. Because of the limited time employees have to communicate with each other
mistakes can occur. They can range from placing someone in a wrong spot to just simply
delivering a wrong drink. These mistakes can harm the organizations reputation badly and may
result in loss of business. Therefore, preventing and coping with stress is extremely vital.

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Last year, TopGolf Dallas had to replace their old gaming systems with new gaming
systems, already obtained by other locations. For 2 months, the company was closed to train the
employees on how to use the new systems. Within this time, employees faced time pressure
the need to catch back up on customers they lost. Once they opened again, they had to advertise
themselves more than usual. Even after TopGolf reopened, there was sometimes a problem with
the gaming system. During this time, it was stressful for not only the customers, but also the
employees. They coped with this stress just by working together to satisfy customers while
managers encouraged employees.
The three-strike consequence policy at TopGolf creates a role conflict for the staff.
Because managers believe in the coaching system, they expect their staff to be able to work
alongside the managers to better perform their work. However, with the policy it may be
confusing to the employee who may not be able to grasp a concept right way to feel discouraged
and in the future may hesitate to ask a manager for help. However, there is some leeway because
employees get three strikes only for different offenses.
Employees have a lot of pressure to do well, but managers also have stressful times when
dealing with new employees. Managers have to teach new hires how to deal with situations they
may face and about the mission statement. Since most of TopGolf employees are young,
managers have a problem with their accountability and punctuality. It is stressful for managers
when they cannot rely on employees and when employees do not show up to work. Customer
service is a key principle for TopGolf so it does not help when managers have to quickly find a
replacement or pick up their slack.

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TopGolf Dallas uses problem-focused behavioral methods in order to counter the stress.
The managers and employees work as a team by helping each other whenever it is possible. This
is how they are able to do everything efficiently on extremely busy weekends.
Employees are always asked to be friendly and keep a smile on their faces because it is
an important component of dealing with stress. The atmosphere affects the way people will feel
at TopGolf, which is why if the employees are happy, then the customers will be happy too. This
will also relieve employee stress from customers because customers will feel like they have a
connection with their server. In result, customers will not complain about bad service and will
come back again. Managers provide a lot of emotional support to their employees. If they do
not look happy, then the manager will approach the employees between their shifts to make sure
everything is fine and decrease the number of stressors an employee is faced with.
Recommendations
Our recommendations focus on three aspects of TopGolf: communications, pre-shift
meetings, and management style, specifically managements reaction to misconduct. The reason
there is a focus on the employee, management, and the communication between the two for the
recommendations are because combined they either allow the company to successfully complete
their mission or not.
Communication for this or any customer service jobs is essential for meeting the mission
and completing daily tasks. There are two floors to every TopGolf location and each floor has 12
bays. The bays are the sections where the group or person golfs, much like lanes at a bowling
ally. However, these bays have a small fire pits, large tables for food and drink service, and hold
the golfing equipment. Having a large area means there is tremendous amount of work that goes
into serving one party of guests, this means the staff must remain vigilant with communication

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among each other. The way the company tries to handle this is they have created an application
or app, for the staff to use on their personal cell phones. The staff member would download the
app and begin to use it when they are having problems fulfilling the needs of their customers.
Everyone sees each others messages giving anyone the ability to react.
There are two central issues to this form of communication. First, the management does
not permit cell phone use when the employee is on the floor working. If the employees are
caught using their cell phones they receive a written reprimand. As discussed in a previous
section, having three written reprimands is serious, three reprimands and the employee will be
terminated. This is a large flaw in the TopGolf communication system. If an employee is either
given direction from the management or the staffers and need immediate help one of two things
will happen:
1. There will be an abundance of staff reacting to the situation
2. No one will react

The reaction for the staff does not necessitate physical action, but like many work places this
could mean discussion among others and the staff member in need of help is in the same
predicament, having no one help them, but rather harass them.
Another issue with the app is there is not an off function. This means when the
employee leaves work, they will continue to receive the messages of those working. This while
is a tiny annoyance for some could be a large problem for others. This app causes more harm
than helpfulness. It does not allow for the needs to be met of the employees, the management to
fix problems on the floor, it forces others to invest time in work even when off the clock.
We recommend cease use of the app and use simple communication techniques. For nonemergency there would be a whiteboard in a centralized location for both first and second floor
staff, allowing for the employees to communicate timely and effectively. Another simple course

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of action is to have all employees on a mic system where they can hear each other speak and
assess problems as they arise. This would not cause write up reprimands and would allow the
employee to leave work at work.
The second and third issue are interwoven. The pre-shift meetings deal with how the
management address staff matters. The pre-shift meetings occur for all employees before they
begin their shift. At these meetings the staff is given a rundown of what has happened or will
happen for the day by the management team. If there were disciplinary issues that have occurred
before this meeting it is dealt with at this meeting. We derived that while it is ideal for everyone
begin their shift on the same page, it is harmful for the employee to have to hear about their
transgressions in front of their co-workers. The written reprimands require that the employee
sign their infraction; this happens at the pre-shift meeting. These reprimands, or write ups,
have an oppressive nature and translates into poor management.
While it is assumed that the employees who have to sign their written reprimand are
skirted off to the side, it would still be noticeable. This is an issue because it does not build
morale. The mission of TopGolf is clear, to provide a fun environment and entertainment. This
lively or fun ambiance happens because of the golfing activity but also is created by the
service staff. If the staff feels they are being picked on or feel ashamed that their co-workers
have seen them getting written up, they would then not perform to the best of their ability, thus
not meeting the mission of the company.
It is speculated TopGolf has a high turnover rate, where there was no comment made of
that nature. We believe this to be true based on the ages of their employees and that this is a
service industry job. This job industry tends to have a high rate of turnover. It would benefit
TopGolf if they retained staff to give them a management role in the future; this grooming would

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allow them to becoming effective leaders and this would benefit the company by having
consistency. The constant hiring and termination of employees means a lot of time and energy
goes into training individuals, this costs money. Companies usually want to make a profit while
meeting their mission, and TopGolf is no different. To cut costs by having to train and spend
time hiring new staff, creating a culture where employees do not readily quit or are fired would
benefit the organization.
We are recommending instead of reprimanding an employee and forcing them to sign off
on their written warning during pre-shift meeting, we believe developing a new system would
be beneficial. The development of that system is up to TopGolf, but the key elements it should
have is:

No strikes policy
Set rules, if broken are immediate termination
Bi-monthly meetings with each employee
Incentives during pre-shift

The no strikes policy sets a good tone for the agency. The reasoning behind it might be because
the younger staff do not adhere to rules as their older co-workers. This strikes policy gives the
feeling of unfairness, as it is subjective based on each manager. Receiving a written warning is
based on the individual manager deeming the action of the employee as an infraction. One
manager might enforce one rule while another does not this creates inconsistency. Instead
having set rules that if broken resolve in immediate termination is resolute and leaves no room
for subjectivism.
Bi-monthly meeting would give the employees a chance to meet one on one with their
employer and ask questions, get better direction, and give them opportunity to become more of a
leader. The pre-shift meeting reinforces the oppressive atmosphere, instead incentives work
better. Much like the TopGolfs are pitted against each other to generate more revenue staff

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should be given verbal affirmation for doing a good job. Simple affirmations such as thank you
for being to work on time gives an individual recognition and as previously stated generates a
culture of steady workmanship.
These recommendations are based on a very shallow understand of the TopGolf culture,
but it is nonetheless fruitful to make changes. The company was scrutinized not on their
business model but on their organizational behavioral model. This model focuses more on the
employees and the regulations that guide them. It is fruitful, not only to apply the mission of
TopGolf to the customers, but to the staff. Creating fun at work is not necessity but give the
employee demographics and the nature of the organization, the recommendations made are to
improve the functionality of the behavioral aspect at TopGolf.