Whole Foods

Anthony Gibbs Jr.

Organizational Behavior Man 6245

Professor Kroeck

August 16, 2015

Whole Foods

Questions for Analysis:

1. What is your opinion about John Mackey’s social mission at Whole Foods as a corporate strategy? Discuss the specific values in his “Declaration of Interdependence.”

John Mackey’s social mission at Whole Foods is a genuine and passionate doctrine to guide whole foods customers and stakeholders to business success.  The success Whole Foods has seen since 2005, has created more competitors to follow suit and open markets that cater to nutritious, and organic foods.  Mackey’s social mission is a reminder to every employee, stakeholder, and customer of the purpose and goals of Whole Food stores.  Mackey reminds the customers that they are the most important part of the business and they come first.  They are to be serviced well, educated, and welcomed into the store, and in return they continue business and refer others to Whole Food sites.  Mackey reminds the employee’s that they will be valued, and involved in innovative decisions and goals.  The employee is not just a pawn, but an important piece of the success for Whole Foods.  The employee is the face of the market, and for customers to receive excellent service, the employees must enjoy their job.  Mackey’s social mission is a reminder that while other organic markets may open up to compete in the industry, the value that Whole Food adds to the customers and employees is one that cannot be duplicated.

1. Will Mackey’s plan for how teams operate be effective? Do you agree with the idea of publicly shared performance data and its links to compensation?

Each team member is hired based on a skill set and value they bring to Whole Foods.  In addition to the skill and value, each team member embraces the social mission of Whole Foods, therefore buying into the overall goals of Whole Foods.  The decentralized operations at the Whole Foods stores are highly effective for a few reasons.  One, the best expert in a particular category in the store, ie. Customer service, produce, deli, etc. is the employee that works in this area every day.  Rather than decisions about how a category can improve, change, or operate on a daily basis coming from the general manager, its effectiveness comes from the team, and the team leader who works in a given department in the store.  I feel that training employees to work in one area of the store also increases employee knowledge of the products in their department, thus better servicing the customers who inquire about the products.  In addition, the best way to improve performance while having fun, is to create a competitive environment against teams and stores.  The idea of publicly shared performance data increases employee morale and sets benchmarks for stores to surpass.  Without an idea of how others are doing, teams would have very little competitive spirit to reach goals.  I also agree with promotions coming from within the team based on team evaluations.  This creates accountability amongst team members to carry their weight, and exceed expectations to reach their own professional goals.