1. Why don't all companies treat their employees like Whole Foods does? Do you think they will in the future?
2. Can "eco-consciousness" effectively be incorporated into high-performance work systems?
In this chapter we talked about how hierarchical, command-and-control types of organizational structures are giving way to high-performing work systems-systems characterized by egalitarianism, knowledge and information sharing, employee empowerment, and reward and performance linkages. Such a system pretty well sums up Whole Foods Market, the world's leading natural and organic foods grocer. Whole Foods started out in 1980 with one small store in Austin, Texas. Today it employs tens of thousands of employees in more than 350 stores in North America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods adopted many of the successful practices of the companies it bought as it expanded- especially those of Boston-based Bread &
Circus, renowned for its fresh produce, meat, and seafood. "Whole Foods has been very smart about their expansion program, taking time to digest acquisitions before moving on to the next one," says Darrell Rigby, a retail consultant with Bain and Company. Second, the company has stayed true to its vision. It works to ensure that all of its efforts and practices are externally and internally aligned with the following three principles: Whole Foods, Whole People, and Whole Planet.