JP Morgan Chase Leadership Assignment

April 29, 2015

As Luthans, Yodgetts, and Rosenkrantz study suggests, middle- and lower-level

managers spend about three-fifths of their time on structural activities (routine
communications and traditional management functions like planning and controlling),
about one-fifth on human resource management (people related activities like motivating,
disciplining, training, staffing), and about one-fifth on networking (political activities like
socializing, politicking, and relating to external constituents (B & D Chapter 15). Simply
put, middle- and lower-level managers focus primarily on routine tasks, while executives
spend the majority of their time grappling with complexity. Throughout chapter fifteen a
constant theme seemed to emerge middle- and lower-level managers tend to focus
primarily on the structural and human resource frames. Based on the aforementioned,
this analysis of JP Morgan Chase will examine the challenges I will likely encounter as a
middle-level manager, it will outline my goals and priorities that will assist me in
successfully leading my team, and will present key takeaways/lessons learned from my
implemented strategies. It has become apparent that all four frames illustrated in B & Ds
Reframing Organizations text can be applied to virtually any situation, however, I will
focus primarily on the structural, human resource and symbolic frames to guide my
strategies.
Credibility is extremely fragile. It takes years to be earned, but it can be lost in an
instant (Kouzes & Posner). Although simplistic, this statement is extremely powerful and
has become particularly relevant in the financial services arena. As communicated in The
American Life Episode titled The Giant Pool of Money, many links in the financial
services chain disregarded credibility; Brokers borrowed to unqualified borrowers, banks
purchased bad mortgages from brokers, banks sold the same bad mortgages to Wall Street

investors all while fully understanding their actions were toxic, each link completely
and utterly disregarded the credibility factor. Based on past actions of the financial
services industry, current middle-level managers will be faced by opposition and
skepticism from employees and the public alike. Middle-level managers must
productively and positively manage their credibility. To do so, I must know my
constituents, stand up for what they and I believe, speak with passion, and lead by
example (Kouzes & Posner) all concepts that parallel directly with human resources
frame. Also, I must make an extremely concentrated effort on upward and downward
communication with subordinates and superiors following the concept that human
resource leaders are visible and accessible (B& D Chapter 17).
Next, todays economic situation demands that businesses, including JP Morgan
Chase, pay particular attention to managing expenses including employees. Layoffs
have become inevitable in the recent economic downturn, and JP Morgan Chase has been
no exception, laying off 5,000 employees in 2008 with more layoffs expected in 2009.
Thus, the structural frame becomes an important aspect that all levels of management
must make a concentrated effort on managing. Throughout the readings about JP Morgan
Chase, it becomes apparent that due to environmental shifts, restructuring was inevitable
(B & D Chapter 4). To be a productive leader, managers at all levels must combine
structural and human resource frames together. We mustnt deny the fact that changes are
happening, we should be open and honest but we must focus on retaining, motivating,
rewarding and investing in the right employees. As a middle-level manager I must
establish the importance of accountability within my team. I must minimize lack of
clarity while maximizing and promoting creativity. Finally, my team will employ an All-

Channel Network (B & D Chapter 5). Teamwork will rely on interdependence amongst
the entire group. Communication will flow upwards, downwards and across all channels.
My group will succeed because team members will understand and rely upon one another
because realistically, it was selfishness and greed that doomed the financial services
industry and landed us where we are today.
Finally, all levels of management, including myself as a middle-level manager,
need to apply the symbolic frame to our advantage. Yes, its true that the financial
services industry is currently not highly regarded by the American public and/or many of
its own employees. However, while the financial services industry may be frowned upon
as a whole, JP Morgan Chase needs to focus on and communicate the fact they have
emerged as a leader, both from an industry and public opinion perspective. JP Morgan
Chase managers need to follow the lead of Anne Mulcahy of Xerox. Mulcahy
prominently used the symbolic frame as the blueprint of her leadership style in the Xerox
case study we recently analyzed. This becomes overwhelmingly evident in a heated
exchange during a meeting with legal advisors concerning the possibility of bankruptcy;
You just dont get it. You dont understand what its like to be an employee in this
companyWhat we have going for us is that our people believe we are in a war that we
can win (George & McLean). JP Morgan Chase needs to emphasize its emergence as a
leader in the financial services arena constantly reminding their employees to show a
sense of pride for helping to lead the financial services industry back to prominence from
both a public and an industry perspective. JP Morgan Chase has been instrumental in
mortgage restructuring efforts to assist at risk consumers exuding their desire to repair
public perception. If we can emerge a leader from dismal point that the financial services

industry has reached whats stopping us from continuing the same leadership and
greatness in everything we do today and in the future? Nothing. We were, are, and will
continue to be a great company.
In conclusion, as previously stated in my introduction, all four frames of B & Ds
Reframing Organizations text can be applied to virtually any situation. However,
simply applying these frames will not ensure success; poorly planned and unorganized
application of the frames can have quite the converse effect. Managers of all levels at JP
Morgan Chase need to make a conscious effort to methodically and properly use frames
to tilt the scale in their favor. In this analysis, I have touched on a few of the many
organizational behavior concepts from the human resource, structural, and symbolic
frames. It is my opinion that these concepts, along with various others, can assist JP
Morgan Chase managers of all levels in leading their teams through todays difficult
times, and in the end, assist them in ensuring that JP Morgan Chase emerges as a
stronger, more efficient, and more credible corporation tomorrow and in the future.