• Read and reflect on Case Application #2 from the textbook, pg 227
• Prepare responses to questions: 7-19, 7-20, & 7-21.
• INSTRUCTIONS: Reflect and write a short 150-200 word reflection addressing the above questions:

__________________________________________________________________________

question

1. 7-18 Many managers say that evaluating an employees performance is one of their most difficult tasks. Why do you think they feel that way?

2. 7-19 What can organizations (and managers) do to make performance appraisal an effective process?

3. 7-20 Whats your impression of a color-coded system like that used by J.C. Penney? As a store department supervisor, how would you have approached this?

4. 7-21 What could J.C. Penney executives have done to make this process more effective?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Case Application #2

Stopping Traffic

Red, Yellow, and Green have a whole new meaning at J.C. Penney Co.⁸⁰

Things werent turning out so good for J.C. Penney Co. and its CEO, Ron Johnson (now the former CEO).⁷⁹ Johnson arrived with much acclaim from being the head of Apples successful retail operations. At Penneys, he immediately began one of retailings most ambitious overhauls, trying to position the company for success in a very challenging and difficult industry. His plans included a stores-within-a store concept, no sales or promotions, and a three-tiered pricing plan. He suggested that Penney could use a little bit of Apples magic. From the start, analysts and experts questioned whether Penneys customers, who were accustomed to sales and coupons, would accept this new approach. Long story short...customers didnt. For the full fiscal year of 2013, Penney had a loss of $985 million (compared to a loss of $152 million in 2012). And even after Johnsons dismissal, the companys financial situation continued to decline. Now, you may be asking yourself, what does this story have to do with HRM? Well, a lot it turns out! When a company is struggling financially, it is going to impact its people.

And for J.C. Penney employees, that impact came in the form of a traffic light color-coded performance appraisal system. In a companywide broadcast, supervisors were told that they should categorize their employees by one of three colors: Greentheir performance is okay; Yellowthey need some coaching to improve performance; and Redtheir performance is not up to par and they need to leave. Many employees werent even aware of the system and supervisors were given no guidance one way or the other regarding whether to tell them about it, although company headquarters chose not to disclose the light system to employees.

Although the uncertainties over how to inform or even whether to inform employees about this HR initiative were troubling, communication and HR experts say there are other problems with this green/yellow/red approach. One problem is that such a system can appear to be inconsiderate and uncaring when you realize that its dealing with peoples ability to make a living. What appears to be an easy-to-understand and simplistic approach using the familiar green, yellow, and red colors doesnt translate well to what will be a tremendously personal and difficult situation for many employees, especially those with a red appraisal. Another problem is that labeling employees can create difficult interpersonal situations. The labels can become a source of humor and teasing, which can deteriorate into hurt feelings and even feelings of being discriminated against. Despite its simplicity and a belief that a color-coding system is so easy to use, its going to be problematic. This doesnt mean that employers dont evaluate employees. But companies should be open about the process and the expectations. Employees should know that theyre being rated, what the criteria are, and, if they have a poor rating, what options they have for improving. There should also be a fair process of appeal or protest if an employee feels the rating was unfair.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

reading from article.

Essentials of Management TEAMS Courtesy of Various Wall Street Journals Source by: Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor Page 1 of 3 One of the benefits of actually having a crisis gives you permission to challenge all areas of the business Ann Mulcahy, former CEO, Xerox Teams have become a powerful tool for avoiding the evils of bureaucracy. The best teams are established to take on a particular challenge and given a limited time to solve that challenge, and then they are disbanded. Theres no permanent staff involved, no ongoing function for the group, and no opportunity for the group to become consumed with their own internal processes and self-perpetuation. Your ability to influence people counts for everything. The ability to make things happen without formal authority has become one of the most sought-after skills in todays workplace. The most-valued managers are those who can best rally disparate workers to a common cause, or who can work well with peers toward a common goal. You need to understand what motivates the people you are working with and create a work environment that serves their needs. INFLUENCING COLLEAGUES Relationships in the workplace are always important; but when you are trying to exercise influence without authority, they become critical. WHEN TO USE A TEAM Teams are most valuable when you need to harness the skills and creatively of a diverse group of people to solve a particular challenge. If the task is less clear, you want to tap the collective skills and creativity of people from different departments and discipline to find the best solution. Step one is to define the challenge. It needs to be clear and specific enough that each member of the team can understand it, get enthused about it, and get committed to it. At the same time, it must allow the team significant scope for creative action. The team challenge should be focused on a specific outcome. Your challenge as a manager is to create meaning for people. TEAM BUILDING The next step is making sure youve got the right people on the team. The right number will depend on the circumstances, but in most cases, ten to twelve should be an absolute maximum. Its also important that team members have the right amount of authority, but not too much. Finally, its critical that every member of the team be prepared to make a major, positive contribution to the project. A common problem occurs when people sign up for teams because they feel they deserve to be on them, rather than because they need or want to be on them. Remember, teams take time and work. It may be possible for someone to serve on two or even three teams at the same time, but probably not more than that. Essentials of Management TEAMS Courtesy of Various Wall Street Journals Source by: Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor Page 2 of 3 One of the benefits of actually having a crisis gives you permission to challenge all areas of the business Ann Mulcahy, former CEO, Xerox THE ROLE OF THE TEAM LEADER A key to a teams success is a sense of mutual accountability. Members of the group need to feel they will succeed or fail as a group, and not worry that some individual, particularly the team leader will claim all the credit for the groups work. That makes the leaders role particularly challenging. As leader, you will have to devote a good deal of time to making sure the right culture exists within the team. This is where teambuilding exercises, while sometimes taken to silly extremes, can serve a purpose. Youre likely to have little direct authority over the members of your team. And even if you do have some authority, youve got to be careful exercising it, as it will undercut the team ethos. Team leaders do have an important set of tools of influence in their hands, for one key reason: they control the process. And process is power. You should start by assembling a project charter. What is the challenge that the team is being asked to solve? What is the scope of the project? What are the benefits? What are the specific goals that have to be met, and the timetable for meeting those goals? What are the dependencies on other projects, the high-level risks, and other significant issues? These are questions that need to be answered by the team. But as team leader, carefully delineate who has responsibility for what. Make sure each person signs up for specific responsibilities and timetables are expressed in as clear language as possible. Insist on clarity and specificity; dont allow team members to get by making only vague commitments. Once the project is started, you, as team leader, also control the measurement of the project. Are tasks being completed on time and on budget? Its worth keeping careful track of this, so everyone sees problems as soon as they arise. How does the project timing compare to plan? How does spending compare to budget? Which pieces of the project have stoplight red or yellow indicators attached? How much has the scope of the project changed since it began? How much time has been invested, compared to budget? Remembering that what isnt measured likely wont be managed makes the task of team management much simpler. As team leader, you also need to keep careful track of the scope of the project. Inevitably, of course, problems will arise. Its best to start with a candid conversation with the team member, asking for suggestions on how to handle the problem. TEAM DECISION MAKING Making decisions in a team poses special challenges. The autocratic approach Im the team leader, so I decide undercuts the whole purpose of having a team. The key to a successful team effort is unity of purpose. To achieve and maintain that kind of unity, consensus building is best. If consensus isnt possible, here are some common approaches: Essentials of Management TEAMS Courtesy of Various Wall Street Journals Source by: Alan Murray, Deputy Managing Editor Page 3 of 3 One of the benefits of actually having a crisis gives you permission to challenge all areas of the business Ann Mulcahy, former CEO, Xerox The democratic approach. Allowing the team to vote will usually be accepted as a reasonable way to proceed. But it doesnt always guarantee the all-critical unity of purpose. Not all important decisions are binary. If the team faces three or four different options, it may not be possible to reach a majority decision. The plurality approach. If there are multiple options, the group may decide to go with the one that receives the most votes, even if not a majority. Its an approach that seldom leads to the best decision. Defer to the experts. Face it, not everyone on your team has the same knowledge about every decision that has to be made. If its a decision about which technology to use, let the technologists decide. It doesnt mean team members should refrain from vigorously expressing their opinions on matters outside their expertise. Thats the value of the team approach: getting input from various perspectives. The consultative approach. If the leader fully consults with all members of the team, listens carefully, and takes all views into account, he or she may be able to make an informed decision on a path forward thats accepted by the rest of the team as valid. Leading a team of people over whom you have no direct authority takes a lot of time and energy. You have to work on building and maintaining your relationship with every member of the team. Shortcuts, while often tempting in the rush to complete a project, can lead to disastrous problems down the line. There are plenty of examples of a single disgruntled team member causing a project to implode. Thats a risk you cant afford. A good rule of thumb is that youll have to spend 10% of your time with each key member of a team. That means if the team has ten members, keeping it on track will be a full-time job.

PLEASE MAKE SURE SIR/MEM I DONT GET PLAGIARISM IN THIS ASSIGMENT.