Sally was the new manager of an instant fashion clothing store. The store is global and holds a significant share of the fashion market. They believe this is so because of their new stock available weekly reflects their impulse of the fashion trends globally. Her stores performance is not as budgeted and expected but that is not due to lack of sales rather to the large quantities of online purchases returned and those returns are debited from total sales and stay in inventory for long lengths of times although they can't be sold. -reduce the sales for the day

Stock issues

Online has products and even departments not available to the local store. They have online aspects that they do not cater to in store i.e. no maternity section in most stores. yet in their mall there are no maternity shops that pushes the consumer online.

Online service

The challenge Canadian stores faced is that the AI does not differentiate Canada from US, so a great deal of misinformation is given to the virtual customer and that creates hostile customers towards the retail sales store.

And of course, online fashion - high returns, and they are advised to go to local store for fastest service on their returns. In the store all online returns are kept then shipped back once enough has accumulated. The demotivating aspect of this is that online returns are deducted from the stores sales for the day and added to inventory even though they are not allowed to sell it. So, this accumulates and shows the store is underperforming resulting in work hours being cancelled for that week, so part time get reduced hours because of this.

Employees

Employees tend to be female (80%) educated (one degree 90%) millennials who speak at minimum two languages. Many of staff are students looking for first Canadian experience. Often, they do not live close to stores, as they cannot afford to live close by, so have long computes. They struggle with the lifestyle that it the job dictates with varying hours of work, low wages, low job security, and limited advancement opportunities. And yet many love retail sales. But Sally is noticing some tardiness in arrivals and less corporate citizenship than she would like. When someone's work is done, they stand and gossip while another worker is overworked. She sees this constantly. How can she use dialogical research to determine what is happening from their perspective?

Supply Chain logistics

It is the online returns highlights the ineffective product flow. All merchandise comes to Ontario and is truck transported through out Canada. The road system has had its struggles with closures due to weather etc. and then truck transported across Canada has been less than reliable. At the furthest point (BC)stock can arrive 5 months late (i.e. last Christmas stock two truck loads arrived in July.) Regularly stock does not reflect the 10 days to store promised with fast fashion and delivered by their competitors.

The stores have returned on- line merchandise that is stacked in the store warehouse until a full truckload is accumulated. This stagnant inventory is a cost to the store.

Marketing challenges emerging

Socially fast fashion has made enemies. While the firm has some reused material clothes which the purchaser can return after use for some credit, but this program is very limited, as was fair trade coffee when first introduced. What could be done to really have impact on society re use of textiles. The leader who introduced this has just resigned and she hopes that the values will be even stronger in the next CEO but unknown.

They have a high presence on social media - Facebook. They are finding their advertising less effective. Facebook even acknowledged this -people want a smaller arena and people want fewer ads. There is a reaction against pop-up ads on social media with people migrating to more closed chats such as we chat. There is no local space on Facebook.

Sally has just come from her first leadership conference and the company walks the talk or so they say ands she is piped on what she heard. So pumped up she is ready to jump into action. She is frustrated in her attempts to turn her store into a high performing store when so much available for efficiency, customer service, currency of product, and security of work is beyond her control. She is excited if the organisation really is for the growth and development of their people. She wonders if her store could prove itself and become the training ground for the local area and if she could bring in some customized training for her people i.e. cultural diversity, and dealing with difficult people from other cultures are some of her current thoughts.

But first, how can Sally improve a high-performing team while still complying with the system and how can she start to get adjustments to the system because of context that will benefit all?

She'll need some help so she called a meeting of some employees she thinks might be interested in forming a change management team. She has some information to find out and some plans for change to make.

Describe how you would set up the first meeting.

the questions

Who would you first include? When and why would you expand from this?

What could go wrong?

What needs changing?

What are the external and internal change pressures?

What is the greatest URGENCY for change?

What is the key PURPOSE of change?

What is the BEST model or system for change? And why