Chick-fil-A founder passes away at age 93, to the dismay of local employees and customers

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- It was breakfast as usual at area Chick-fil-A restaurants in The Woodlands. Employees greeting customers with a smile on their face, even though their hearts may be aching to have heard when they arrived at work, that the founder of their organization had died early Monday morning.

Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A and the company’s only chairman and chief executive officer until last year, has passed away at the age of 93. For the time being, Dan Cathy, Truett’s son, will continue on as Chairman and CEO of the privately-held company. We say ‘for the time being,’ because although Cathy, the father, had stipulated in a contract that the company must never go public, the contract did allow for the sale of the company.

Should the family choose to sell the company, this would result in a major cultural shift in an organization that has held steadfast to its religious principles and family values, even to the point of being closed on Sundays, so that employees could spend time with their families and practice their respective faiths, if they so chose to do so. Chick-fil-As bottom line showed no negative affect to the 6-day versus 7-day service. Its executives often said the chain made as much money in six days as its competitors did in seven.

Cathy’s value system drew a loyal following, which has been upheld by son, Dan, who told the Baptist Press in 2012, that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family." What the family does next remains to be seen, but if the family chooses to sell the company, look for possible changes not only in the day-to-day operation, but also in the days of operation, and the culture itself.

In “The Addictive Organization,” written by Anne Wilson Schaef, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, she suggests that there is a distinct correlation between the culture in an organization and the personal belief system, habits, and idiosyncrasies of the person at the top. If Schaef’s theory is accurate, Chick-fil-A would morph into an organization that reflects the new leadership’s value system, which would include everything from work ethic, quality philosophy, customer service, etc.

If the family decides to sell, and depending on the value system of the next leadership team, Chick-fil-A may be open on Sundays, not because it wants to, but because it has to. If any of Cathy’s values are compromised, the company will need to work longer and harder to maintain its competitive advantage.