Wal-Mart’s corporate culture and environmental sustainability

Posted on February 9th, 2009 by Terri Kruzan

…once goals set, execution cultures are capable of making change happen

My recent focus has been on identifying companies who I see as culturally capable of moving through hard economic times and to become leaders in re-fashioning our global society. My last post identified Coca Cola with its sustainable packaging efforts and this post focuses on Wal-Mart and its commitment to environmental sustainability.

Recent articles and blogs from a variety of sources paint a picture of Wal-Mart as embarking on the quintessential heroes’ quest. The quest to practice environmental sustainability as an opportunity to improve both the future of its business and the future of the world. Both Coca Cola and Wal-Mart are clearly basing their strategies on a similar win-win cultural belief which happens to be very American and has a long history in some American companies. Retiring Wal-Mart CEO, H. Lee Scott Jr. articulates this underlying cultural belief well in his last public speech as CEO.

As businesses, we have a responsibility to society…Let me be clear about this point. There is no conflict between delivering value to shareholders and helping solve bigger societal problems. In fact…they can build on each other when developed, aligned and executed right.

After reading about Wal-Mart’s efforts, I sense that the company is truly walking its talk and through its business model forcing its suppliers to transform their business practices and products as well. I then became curious to see if there is anything in the company’s traditional culture that will support its business transformation quest? As an aficionado of workplace culture, I of course turned to Wal-Mart’s history, leader speeches and to what the company says are its core values.

At Wal-Mart, they are called Mr. Sam’s Values after the company’s founder and they appear to focus strongly on finding ways to bring the highest quality product at the lowest price to the customer. They talk about never being satisfied and the importance of asking: “Is this the best I can do?” There seems to be a driven quality about the culture with a strong dose of centralized control.

Wal-Mart’s workplace culture most likely does not make it a very comfortable place to work and people management most likely takes a back seat. But once environmental sustainability goals are set, I sense this company will execute to plan and bring all of us along on their heroes’ quest.