Ogunji 1
Michael Ogunji
Professor Boys
COMM 5009 OIIIM
3 March 2022
Midterm Case Analysis: Jennifer Say and Levi’s
A Chief Executive's Role in an organization is never unchallenging; instead, it's a
complex responsibility to navigate through various channels across the board. This is what
former Levi executive, Jennifer Say, had to experience daily when interacting with the public
and her employees of the organization. In this case analysis study, Jennifer Say's encounters on
how she communicated and made executive decisions during her time as CEO are instances of
identification in communication, the company's organizational culture, and personal messaging
that impacted cooperate stories. Correspondingly, Jennifer Sey's identification with Levi is an
entity that needs to be closely examined.
Jennifer Sey's evolving identification with Levi as CEO during the Coronavirus
Pandemic was primarily a "personal brand around outspokenness" (Selyuka, 2022, para 6). What
was learned in the previous weeks of Organizational Communication is that "organizations are
communicative constructs with blurry boundaries" (Boys, COMM 5009, 1.12.pptx). A clear case
of this definition is made when there was a lack of clarity between Jennifer Say's statements on
the shutdown of schools and playgrounds, Covid 19 lockdowns, and how it has affected Levi,
internally and externally within the organization. The line of Jennifer Sey's communication
outside the cooperation affected workers personally to an extent where she states that she "lost
the ability to lead within an organization. (Selyuka, 2022, para 24). Jennifer's statements on
describing her words of communication as a personal matter outside the organization provide an
Ogunji 1
insight into what the definition of identification can mean for those who run an organization. In
the textbook chapter Effects of Internal Rhetoric On Management Response to External Issues:
How to Cooperate Failed the Asbestos Industry by Robert L. Heath, Heath describes cooperate
managements as not only using "rhetoric to influence persons inside and outside their
organizations but also the audiences of their rhetoric" (Heath 153). This case directly applies to
Jennifer Sey's covid related comments heavily influencing Levi's employees' emotions because
cooperate leaders can easily collide with some political views "while increasingly taking stands
on social and political issues" (Selyuka, 2022, para 25). In essence, the definition of identity to
Jennifer Sey's case of speaking on personal matters while she was the CEO of Levi's is
thoroughly correlated to how it can impact the organization, if not publicly, privately.
Subsequently, Levi's efforts to get Jennifer Sey to align with the organizational culture need to
be examined.
Before and after Jennifer's Sey term as Chief Executive Officer, Levi's organizational
culture can be described as "being a force for positive change" (Levi Strauss & CO.,2022). This
also implies that through its external communications with the public, the organization is
expected "to be consistent" (Selyuka, 2022, para 16). Under the principles of consistency and
maintaining the values of the Levi brand, Jennifer's own efforts to advocate on specific issues
presented complications for the organization, even in the case of receiving "many messages of
support from Levi's workers" (Selyukh, 2022, para 13). In instances where she advocated for the
reopening of schools, this has gotten her into trouble due to "confusion and concern amongst
employees" (Selyukh, 2022, para 18). That being said, the way Levi would get Jennifer to align
back with the company culture would be to receive "specific instructions from human resources
about topics she should leave alone" (Selyukh, 2022, para 22). A company getting the CEO to
Ogunji 1
align with its core values to make sure everything in order connects back to the Organizational
concept of organizational control and how "different systems use multiple forms of control"
(Boys, COMM 5009, 1.14.pptx). In Jennifer's case, the type of control used to bring her in
alignment with the company's values was a mixture of disciplinary, direct, and ideological
control. Each of these systems, in their respective ways, would give "explicit direction and
monitoring" and "provide a system to direct and guide members" (Boys, COMM 5009,
1.14.pptx). Apart from Levi implementing their values and using systems of control to create a
functioning organizational culture, Jennifer Jay's dissent is of direct action due to her decisions
as CEO.
One of the ways Jennifer Sey's personal stories contracted Levi's corporate stories is the
corporation not focusing on "hyperlocal issues" (Sey, 2022, para 16). Levi, which is usually a
huge advocate for "gay rights, immigrants, certain gun control" (Selyukh, 2022, para 15) and
other progressive stances, created an exception when it came to the health pandemic due to there
being an implication of "confusing and concern" (Selyukh, 2022, para 18). This case scenario of
a company's differing views with the leader exemplifies how "organizational communication is
fundamentally different from interpersonal communication" (Boys, COMM 5009, 1.12.pptx).
Sometimes with interpersonal communication, a member of an organization's message can come
into conflict with "managerial goals" (Boys, COMM 5009, 1.12.pptx). In this case, even though
Jennifer Sey advocated for reopening schools and playgrounds on her own time using her
platforms, it has come into conflict with the Levi organization due to "representing the Levi
brand" (Selyukh, 2022, para 8). In the reading discussed before, Heath describes management
rhetoric as "placing heavy emphasis on ideas, assumptions, and interpretations" (Heath 154).
Levi restricting Jennifer Sey's personal messaging was an attempt to prevent general confusion
Ogunji 1
that "undermined the company's health and safety policies" (Selyukh, 2022, para 18).
Undoubtedly, it should be noted that whenever a corporate executive's messaging is one of the
many challenging factors when facing responsibility.
In consolidation, Jennifer Sey's corporate responsibility with a personal message that
impacted Levi's image, culture, and identification has been heavily influenced by complex
systems she has encountered over her time as the chief executive officer of the cooperation.
Whether it would be interacting with the public or her employees, the communication she would
use could never avoid the challenge of being addressed. Accordingly, Jennifer Sey's
identification with Levi as a private entity proclaims a company's communication style.
Works Cited Page
Selyukh, A. (2022, February 21). Can a corporate exec speak as a mom about covid rules?
consider the Levi's saga. NPR. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from
https://www.npr.org/2022/02/21/1082107309/can-a-corporate-exec-speak-as-a-mom-aboutcovid-rules-consider-the-levis-saga
Heath, R. L., & Palenchar, M. J. (2009). Strategic issues management: Organizations and public
policy challenges. SAGE Publications, Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452274829
Company. Levi Strauss & Co. (2021, March 31). Retrieved March 4, 2022, from
https://www.levistrauss.com/who-we-are/company/
Ogunji 1
Sey, J. (2022, February 14). Yesterday I was Levi's brand president. I quit so I could be free.
Yesterday I Was Levi's Brand President. I Quit So I Could Be Free. Retrieved March 4, 2022,
from https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/yesterday-i-was-levis-brand-president?s=r
Boys, S. (2022, January 12). https://uc.instructure.com/courses/1506076/pages/lecture-notes-1dot-12-dot-22. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
Boys, S. (2022, January 14). https://uc.instructure.com/courses/1506076/pages/lecture-notes-1dot-14-dot-22. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
Ogunji 1