Adrian Slywotzky and Michael Weissel
This case chronicles the changing of a corporate unit’s business model, organizational model, and mindset. The reinvention process started in early 1999 when Mercer Management…
Abstract
This case chronicles the changing of a corporate unit’s business model, organizational model, and mindset. The reinvention process started in early 1999 when Mercer Management Consulting received a call from Bob Romasco, who had recently assumed the role as CEO of J.C. Penney’s Direct Marketing Services (DMS) unit. After completing a review of the company, he realized the need for a new vision and business design. Mercer worked closely with Romasco and his team over a two‐year period to transform many aspects of the business from its strategic direction to the implementation of sophisticated direct marketing techniques. Throughout, it was clear that a successful transformation would require more than the right vision and strategy; it also required changing the general mindset of the staff.