JC Penney is implementing organizational changes to improve employee performance and communication following a decline. Management will undergo training to effectively communicate and cope with changes. The training will focus on building trust through open communication channels and empowering employees to embrace changes. Continuous monitoring will evaluate if strategies increased communication and positively impacted employees' reception to change. Ultimately, the process aims to strengthen employee-management relationships and arm employees with tools to adapt to inevitable changes.

1. Organizational
Change Process
Catherine V. Harris
Brittany Morneweg
Kathy Nieboer
September 08, 2015
AET/560
Phyllis Carbonaro
(Google images, 2015)

2. Organization
Overview
• Founded in 1902
• Incorporated January 17,
1913
• International in 1995
• 2006 partnerships with
Sephora cosmetics
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015)(Google images, 2015)

3. Scenario • Under previous
management, JC Penney’s
production declined. New
management has taken over
anticipating immense
changes.
• Change agents will be used
to improve employee job
performance and emphasize
organizational success.
(Google images, 2015) (Mourdoukoutas. 2013)

4. Strategic
Restructuring
• Goal - Regain
employee/employer loyalty
and trust through increased
employee performance.
• Increase employee
performance as a result of
Change Agent instruction.
(Google images, 2015)

5. Change
Model
Lewin’s Change
Management Model
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6. Theories of
Practice
• “Effective change efforts are
built on a drive to achieve
outstanding performance”
(Spector, 2013, p.155).
• Rationale: The success of
the transformational period is
directly correlated to
employee performance.
(Spector, 2013, p.155)(Google images, 2015)

7. Theories of
Practice
• “Effective leaders take
specific steps to ensure
communication transitions
both upward and downward”
(Spector, 2013, p.156).
• Rationale: Part of having an
impact on change is creating
open avenues of
communication.
(Spector, 2013, p.156)(Google images, 2015)

8. Training
Program
• Name of Instruction:
Communication and Change
• Length: 2-Day training for 4-
Hours
• Day 1: Effective
Communication
• Day 2: Coping with Change
(Google images, 2015)

9. Training
Program
• Objective 1: Employee
communication will increase
two to three times weekly
between management and
employee
• Indicate appropriate
channels/mediums
• Build communicative rapport
(Google images, 2015)

10. Training
Program
• Objective 2: Employees will
embrace coping skills allowing
them to accept the
organizational changes
• Identify motivations
• Exemplify importance of role
(Google images, 2015)

11. Shared
Diagnosis
• Identify barriers
• Lack of trust in employee –
manager relationship
• Decreased communication from
employees and management
• Develop solutions together
• Employees new expectations
• Training on effective
communication and coping with
change
• Assessments of training, increased
communication, and employee
feedback regarding change

12. Shared
Diagnosis
• Continuous improvement
monitoring
• Pre-assessment data from
shared diagnosis compared with
formative assessments from
training, summative
assessments two weeks after
trainings, and monthly pulse
checks throughout this year.

13. Measuring
the Change
Process
• Interdepartmental
Assessments
• Creating focus groups
• Monitor frequency of staff
meetings
• Conduct independent
evaluations – what is considered
good and bad communication on
behalf of management and
employees

14. Strategies
• Overcoming resistance
• Careful implementation of
transformational practices and
changes
• Employee participation in
changes and change process
• Management uses resistance as
an opportunity to learn
• Creating commitment
• Shared goals
• Professional development
(Google images, 2015) (Spector, 2013, p.12-87)

15. Strategies
• Offering incentives
• Performance pay
• Intrinsic and extrinsic
• Sequencing incentives
• Addressing teams
• Intentional teams
• Interdependent tasks
• Teams and teamwork are “part
of the way of operating”
(Google images, 2015) (Spector, 2013, p.92-138)

16. Training
Assessment
• Pre and post assessment
surveys are used to
evaluate progress of
employee job performance
regarding an increase in
communication and an
increase in positive
feedback about change
(Google images, 2015)

17. Continuous
Monitoring
• In four weeks after training,
frequency in two way
communication will be tracked
and compared prior to
meetings
• Data will be collected monthly
from the following avenues:
• Bi-weekly team meetings
• Monthly one-on-ones
• Monthly email pulse checks
• Suggestion box
(Google images, 2015)

18. • By implementing training for effective
communication JC Penney will benefit by
having communication open in both the
upward and downward structures to
develop a strong foundation of trust in
employee/employer relationships.
• The training on coping with change will
arm employees with tools to empower
them to accept their feelings about
change as natural, manage their stress,
and exercise old and new responsibilities
(Cawsey, deszca, & Inglos, 2012, p.237).
• Continuous monitoring will allow the
organization to access the strategies
used in this change process and learn
from it for future inevitable changes.
Conclusion
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19. References
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Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G., & Inglos, C. (2012). Organizational
change: An action-oriented toolkit (2nd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2015). J.C. Penney Corporation,
Inc. Retrieved from
http://http://www.britannica.com/topic/JC-Penney-
Corporation-Inc
Google Images. (2015). Retrieved from
https://images.google.com/
Mourdoukoutas, P. (2013, September). A strategic
mistake that haunts JC Penney. Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/20
13/09/27/a-strategic-mistake-that-haunts-j-c-penney/
Spector, B. (2013). Implementing organizational change: Theory
into practice (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education