Q1. Referring to a case study in your course work or your own organizational experience, explain sense making approach to change. answer in words

MARKS AND SPENCER

Stuart Rose, the CEO of Marks & Spencer, started with emphasising the critical need for change by emphasising that the current state was untenable. Rose noted that inventory was not being managed effectively, decision making was being delegated without accountability or senior management sign-off, and customers were being attracted to newer, dynamic competitors. Change was imperative.

Rose started the change process with a core team of trusted people he had worked with and he knew their strengths. Rose brought with him the Executive Director of IT, Supply Chain, and Property, and the Executive Director of Marketing and Store Design. With this core team, Rose was able to hit the ground running. Rose described the period prior to his leadership unflatteringly as the consultant years, which were awash in numbers and surveys and complexity. Rose reviewed the current use of consultants, and eliminated all but 10 of the consultants 31 existing strategic projects. For Rose, the change was simple: improve the product, improve the stores, and improve the service. Rose provided a simple, accessible and operational guiding vision.

In addition, he reinforced the communication of the message symbolically to reinforce the point, and focus energy around the core direction. Rose drove the change down into the DNA of the organisation not only by putting everyone through training on the basics, but sat in on operational day to day meetings to the level of micromanagement to focus the conversation in detail on the key points. Incentive structures were realigned to reward service performance instead of seniority, redefining the career progression path. The entire 56,000 strong workforce was put through motivational training sessions focused around teamwork and customer service.

Rose encountered an environment where people within Marks & Spencer were already lobbying for different plans, different strategies. However, because the Christmas season is the key to the entire retail year and how industry analysts gauge a companys health. There were clear timelines to achieve results. There was no time to try one direction and perhaps change to a different course if that didnt work. Rose committed to the direction he had selected, and there was no Plan B. That is, Rose committed to letting go of alternative ideas and the status quo, and committed the organisation to the new path.