Maximizing Long-Term Value and Conscious Capitalism at Whole Foods

摘要

Whole Foods attributes its financial success and position as one of the top 100 companies to work for 17 years in a row to its organizational culture and management philosophy. Its culture promotes seven core values that demonstrate the importance it gives to its employees, suppliers, customers, the environment, and education. These values require a strong code of ethics and socially responsible behavior, which Whole Foods successfully implements to make them a reality. These ethical standards carry through to their management philosophy, conscious capitalism. Conscious capitalism extends off behavioral management and Theory Y philosophies that indirectly seek profits through valuable employment and human resource practices. Whole Foods management philosophy goes into action when dealing with direct task environment forces involving customers and suppliers and indirect general forces of the economy and political/legal factors. When making decisions to handle these factors, Whole Foods utilizes a combination of organizational culture, employee, and third-party values to maximize long-term success. Since their organizational culture is based on delivering value to all stakeholders, it is congruent with the principles of market-based and value-driven management. Whole Foods can teach other companies the benefits of pursuing long-term value and be an example of why companies who do not implement this type of management philosophy fail in the long term. The main recommendations for Whole Foods are 1) to reexamine the way they value and handle competitors to ensure their ethical standards and reputation are not questioned or jeopardized, and 2) to find new ways to add value to consumers to gain back those lost to other grocers invading its niche. Conscious capitalism makes all levels and facets of decision-making easier for corporations because it provides a basis for reasoning that contributes to maximizing value over time.