Value Alignment

BUS/475

Value Alignment
Whole Foods Market, a natural food supermarket, was originally founded in Austin, Texas in 1980. When they opened there was a very small staff at one store location and there were fewer than a dozen other natural foods supermarkets available in the United States. Over the years the company has grown substantially. Much of their success can be attributed to their strong mission statement and core values for which they promote and proudly advocate. Whole Foods mission is to “to be able to be a grocery store featuring good, wholesome food; not a health food store filled with pills and potions” (Whole Foods, 2013).
The Origin and Subsequent Evolution of Personal and Workplace Values
Personal values are the beliefs deep within our subconscious and mixed and molded into the way we live our lives. Values guide our behaviors and the decisions we make. Very often our decisions about friends, a new job, a future marriage, and business decisions are based on our personal value system. We develop an initial set of values during our childhood from our parents, mentors, teachers, and grandparents; however later as we gain life experiences and develops our abilities to think critically we may add different values or disregard some of our initial values altogether. Many of our personal values affect our behaviors and the decision we make with regard to business.
The origin and evolution of personal and workplace values joins the standard and ethical behavior based on society’s ethical standard. Businesses rely upon individual values for guidance through a variety of plans and actions. When businesses evaluate the beginning and subsequent evolving of workplace values and individual values the business can develop action plans and incorporate the behavioral methods to drive them. Strong values must match strong actions or the business cannot build a strong mission or vision with the necessary core competencies needed to reach the business objective (Tallant, 2009).
Values Drive Actions and Behaviors
Individuals develop values in many different ways. Some are taught to us by our parents while we are growing up and others are learned as we mature and venture out into the world. Values are beliefs or ideals about what is good or bad (Values, n.d.). An individual’s values are unique because we all learn different things in different ways; therefore not all people have the same values. These values that we develop as individuals drive our actions and behaviors in many aspects of our lives. From a personal standpoint, a high value is placed on honesty be it in the workplace or in personal interactions. This value helps to guide in treating people fairly, having a strong work ethic and seeking out individuals who also hold the same value in high regard. It has been observed when others place a high value on honesty actions and behaviors are positive and provide motivation to continue to strive to do better either personally or at work. However, the lack of honesty in the work place has an adverse affect. The action to help others is diminished greatly and the attitude towards the individuals is also diminished. This is just one example of how individual values can have serious repercussions to alignment in attitudes and behaviors. One individual’s lack of similar values has the power to change another’s behavior. Stated Values and the Organization’s Actual Plans and Actions
Whole Foods Core Values
The stated values of Whole Foods Market are they sell the highest quality natural and organic products, they satisfy, delight and nourish customers, support team member excellence and happiness, create wealth through profits and growth, serve and support our local and global communities, practice and advance environmental stewardship, create ongoing win-win partnerships with suppliers, and promote the health of our stakeholders through healthy eating education. With these values, Whole Foods Market looks to make the community healthier and have quality products and focus on the customers. Whole Foods Market has a commitment to its customers and staff to build a healthy community locally and globally. Whole Foods Market’s actions meet their stated values. This is because with their high quality standards, commitment to team members, customers and suppliers, they want to help the community eat and live healthier. They do this by educating their customers on healthy eating habits and encouraging their team members. They take their core values very seriously. They believe in the wellbeing of their employees and customers. Whole Foods Market has a set of core values that the company feels defines who they are and how they do business every day. There are eight core values the company has that center around, product quality, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, profitability, social responsibility, environmentalism, partnerships with suppliers, and health and wellness (Whole Foods Market, 2014). The values that Whole Foods Markets holds to are not much different than those that many people hold to. The values may have different titles, but are essentially, respecting those around you, doing the best you can, helping others, and living a healthy life. One of the ways the company supports its values is through the actions and planning it takes with helping others. This is planned into the business through actions such as “5% Days” where the organization has each of the local stores donate 5% of the days sales to charitable organizations in the local community (Whole Foods Market, 2014). Going in to a store, it is easy to see and feel that the plan to satisfy and delight customers with a good quality food and a great atmosphere is working. This is a plan developed by senior leadership, but it is executed and driven by all employees. Whole Foods Market planned their values to be similar to those that their employees would hold dear.
Conclusion
In conclusion, aligning personal and workplace values is critical to an organizations success. Whole Foods Market has been successful in carefully evaluating values when developing their business plan, mission statement, and core values. Their core values have helped them align with personal values, actions, and behaviors.

Reference
Indiana Business Magazine (2008, September). Setting the example: management behaviors directly affect employees' behaviors. Indiana Business Magazine General One File.
Khoo, A. (n.d.) How personal values drive your decisions in life. Self Help Authority. Retrieved from http://www.neuro-vision.us/ad/Article/How-Your-Personal-Values-Drive-Your-Decisons-In-Life/2933
Values. (n.d.). Retrieved from BusinessDictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/values.html

Whole Foods Market. (2014). Our Core Values. Retrieved from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-values/core-values