Decision Making At Whole Foods
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Founded in 1980 in Austin Texas, The "Whole Foods Market" today is the world leader in natural and organic foods. The company has consistently ranked in Fortune Magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" and its use of a decentralized process of Decision Making is an important contributing factor towards this. |
The business believes that its stores should make their own decisions in order to fully meet the needs of their customers, staff and team members. In 1985 the company released its "Declaration of Interdependence" adhering to this process of Decision Making, and reaffirmed these values as part of its 30th birthday celebrations in 2010. The Decision Making process is echoed in the Executive team as well, where they make their key decisions through consensus. "We discuss and debate ideas and decisions until we can get agreement and buy-in from the entre E-Team" says CEO John Mackey. Whole Foods Market uses the system of self-directed teams within its regional structure. These teams are given the power to make their own decisions. Each store and region is allowed to make decisions based on their own needs and those of their customers. The company recognizes the diversity between these different regions and communities and has employed the structure of self-directed teams to best cater for such diversity. This has provided Whole Foods Market with a decision making model that can be transported not just from state to state, but internationally as well and this has enabled the company to branch out into Canada and The United Kingdom. The company's motto of "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet" and its governing rule that all foods sold at Whole Foods Market must not include any kind of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners or hydrogenated oils (the only directive stores must comply with) are maintained and preserved by the very fact that important decisions regarding these values are allowed to be made at grassroots level, rather than around a boardroom table.
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