Upon assuming the role of JC Penney’s CEO, Ron Johnson confidently accepted the monumental task of reviving retail giant JC Penney’s bottom line and reinventing its stodgy brand (Tuttle, 2013). Determined to succeed, Mr. Johnson quickly replaced members of Penney’s existing executive leadership team with external executives and created an audacious strategy to not only transform the organization, but also the department store retail shopping experience (Tichy, 2014). However, despite an impeccable resume, years of retail experience transforming brands, and a litany of impressive achievements, Mr. Johnson’s tenure at Penney’s was a resounding failure due to his wanton disregard for the three core processes of business (Tuttle, 2013).
Mr. Johnson’s most critical mistakes were his unwillingness to understand Penney’s existing culture, reluctance to acknowledge the contributions of current employees, and his …show more content…
Johnson could’ve avoided many of the disastrous pitfalls that ultimately cost him his job and JC Penney $985 million in revenue, by taking the time to listen, learn, and then lead (Maxwell, 2014). This would’ve enabled him to gain an understanding of the existing culture, acknowledge employee contributions, correctly access existing organizational competencies, and connect with employees in a manner in which they felt valued. Second, he should’ve thoroughly explained his vision and strategy to his leadership team, so they were better equipped to communicate his vision to employees and develop strategic plans that aligned with his vision (Tuttle, 2013). Lastly, he and his team should’ve practiced empirical creativity by first testing audacious strategies on a small scale, rigorously assessing their effectiveness, and once those strategies were perfected, then launching them on a broad scale (Collins & Hansen, 2011). Taking these steps, along with a large dose of humility, would have greatly enhanced Mr. Johnson’s chances of achieving
Mr. Johnson’s most critical mistakes were his unwillingness to understand Penney’s existing culture, reluctance to acknowledge the contributions of current employees, and his …show more content…
Johnson could’ve avoided many of the disastrous pitfalls that ultimately cost him his job and JC Penney $985 million in revenue, by taking the time to listen, learn, and then lead (Maxwell, 2014). This would’ve enabled him to gain an understanding of the existing culture, acknowledge employee contributions, correctly access existing organizational competencies, and connect with employees in a manner in which they felt valued. Second, he should’ve thoroughly explained his vision and strategy to his leadership team, so they were better equipped to communicate his vision to employees and develop strategic plans that aligned with his vision (Tuttle, 2013). Lastly, he and his team should’ve practiced empirical creativity by first testing audacious strategies on a small scale, rigorously assessing their effectiveness, and once those strategies were perfected, then launching them on a broad scale (Collins & Hansen, 2011). Taking these steps, along with a large dose of humility, would have greatly enhanced Mr. Johnson’s chances of achieving