Ullman introduced significant strategic changes when he became CEO of JCPenney. He launched a "Just Call Me Mike" poster campaign to promote a friendly workplace culture. He made the dress code more flexible and disbanded the strict "Office Police" team. Ullman also introduced training programs for employees and identified high-potential workers to develop future leaders. These changes helped shift JCPenney from an inert culture to a more adaptive culture focused on innovation and employee empowerment.

1. Assignment
Of
Business Strategy(Part of MT 1)
On
Case Study “ Culture Change at JCPenny”
Submitted To: Submitted By
B. Basnet Sanjay Chettri
Faculty MBA –IV Sem
IUS, Gangtok IUS, Gangtok

2. 1. “The purpose of organizational culture is to enable
internal integration and external adaptation.” What
insight you gain from this case study?
 “The purpose of organizational culture is to enable internal integration and
external adaptation.” The above statement is true because organizational
culture defines the values, ethics, beliefs and perception about how
employees and internal environment perceive that industry in which they
are operating. Organizational culture would lead to the success and failure
of any business. To cope with the ever changing environment situations
organization need to framed and adapt such culture, so that they would
benefitted in the long term growth and success. In the above case of JCP
we can see that the organizational culture was very formal and rigid in
nature and mostly they followed the traditional kind of culture. Employees
in JCP organization addressed their managers or seniors formally, not by
their first names like Mike. They never call out by their own name. the
employees was not forward thinking or innovative, they used to think that
to reach in a senior position they has to work from a store level. But when
Ullman joined JCP as chairman and CEO, he changed the organizational
culture drastically. But he had faced a significantchallanges, he expected
that the employees will dress formally and respect in a humble way, as he
saw that it was totally different from his expectation. HR department also
thought that employees has to compiled with rigid rules so that they can
work properly. As Ullman joined the company he try to bring revolution
changes in organization culture and he succeed also. He brings up many
changes like team work, friendly relationship amongst the workers in the
work place, acceptable rules and regulations, helping them in solving their
complex problems, guiding them in their works etc. so to be the successful
in the competative business world, the organization has to maintain the
good organization culture and shared its values and beliefs to its internal
and external stakeholders carefully. They also need to adapt the changes in
the environment and has to work accordingly for the better profit and
sustainable future of the organization.

3. 2. “ Organizational culture is created by the strategic
leadership provided by an organization’s founder and
top managers.” What strategic changes did Ullman
introduced in JCP?
 “ Organizational culture is created by the strategic leadership provided by
an organization‟s founder and top managers.” When Ullman joined JCP
coorporation as Chairman and CEO he bringout the significant strategic
changes in the organization. The various facts about Ullman‟s contribution
towards JCP coopporation as follows;
a) A poster campaign called “Just call me Mike” was started to promote the
idea that “ First names create a friendly relationship in the workplace and
the poster were displayed throughout the organization.
b) Flexibility of dress code according to the employees‟ preferences.
c) The “ Office police” team was disbanded so employees feels
empowerment in their work.
d) Various art works done with photos of employees and other arts related
to company on the wall.
e) Launching the “ Winning Togather Principles which was built up for the
employee moral code, honor, confidence and services in their work field
and create cultural and ethical impression about the community.
f) Developing the in-house training and development programs for the
employees to build their career path.
g) Started identifying high potential employees called „Hypos‟. These
employees were sent to the Retail Academy and it was like graduate
school on retailing ; strategy and team development. Ullman acted as
faculty guide to those employees.

4. 3. “ Adaptive culture and inert culture are the two
distinct cultures observed in an organization”.
According to your perception distinguish the culture
in JCP with specific evidence.
 From the JCP case study we can say that the adaptive culture in JCP
corporation was changing the startegy, organizational culture by creating
the poster campaign called “Just call me Mike” , disbbanded of „ Office
police” team, launching of the “Winning Togather Principles”(WTP),
building up moral code for employee honor, confidence, ethics, and other
services related to social communities. Providing in-house training and
development programs for their employees for future growth career and
development prespectives. In 2006, JCP started identyfying high potential
employees called „Hypos‟ in the organization. Even that they also provide
education for retailing; startegy and team development. Ullman himself
acted as faculty guide in that academy. This allows the employees to create
innovative ideas, motivate and encourage them for their better output in
future. The bottomline of the company was also showing good in the year
2006.
Inert culture in JCP corporation is clearly saw that before the Ullman
joined the organization, culture has not so good among the managers annd
subordinates. Rules and regulations was so rigid and formal; they called
their senior formally and there is no team coordination found in the
workplace. They followed the traditional culture, and separate office police
team has formed to control the cooperation in the workflow. Even HR
department was compiled with hard and fast rules. The employees were not
forward thinking and innovative. That is why organization perfprmance is
waek and less productivity in the production process.