Target Corporation Ethics, Decisions, and CSR Impact

Ethical Decision Making at Target

One of the most important aspects of ethical decision making is ensuring two things: first, that the relevant decision makers understand their role in verifying the ethics of the decisions that senior management makes, and second, that they are given the opportunity to do so.

Starting with the latter, once an organization has defined its ethical character, it can use that definition as guidance for decision-making. The vast majority of decisions any business makes will not require ethical analysis, but every now and again someone in the organization will face a decision that is not entirely clear in ethical terms. These are the situations where an organization needs to provide guidance or a process for evaluating decisions. This starts with the mission statement, vision statement, and a statement of ethics. When an organization defines what it stands for and what its priorities are, those statements can guide individual executives, managers, and employees in making decisions that are consistent with organizational values.

There are a couple of ways to optimize decision-making within an organization. First, the right people need to be in the room — or at the very least advising those who are. The decision-making process should be rooted in rational analysis of evidence, and subject matter experts should participate in the critical discussions that lead to decisions. The second element of effective decision-making is to actively solicit feedback from the right people. If decision makers proceed without seeking advice from those best positioned to provide insight, the quality of those decisions will suffer. Research on organizational decision-making consistently underscores the importance of structured deliberation and expert input.

Building a Culture of Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Sustainability is always going to be a challenge for any business that pursues continual growth by encouraging consumers to buy more goods, often sourced from overseas. For Target, the most realistic goal is to become more sustainable. One of the best ways for the company to achieve this is to define what sustainability means to the organization, develop specific metrics that managers can work toward, and then publicly hold itself accountable. One of the unique aspects of corporate social responsibility is that companies are largely free to define these terms on their own terms. Target has its own definitions and quantitative targets, and it regularly publishes a corporate responsibility report in which it measures itself against previously stated goals. Doing so helps the company hold itself accountable by engaging public stakeholder groups in that process.

In order for Target to ensure that different viewpoints and stakeholders are engaged in critical decisions, it needs specific individuals who can evaluate corporate-level decisions through multiple perspectives. Where someone at a senior level is able to filter corporate decisions through different lenses, provide feedback, and genuinely influence outcomes, that person serves a critical gatekeeping function. That said, the ideal scenario is one in which sustainability and social responsibility are so deeply ingrained in organizational culture that the company's leaders are also its cultural champions on these issues. When that is the case, executives themselves question each major decision and serve as their own ethical filters. This not only strengthens the culture but reinforces it through each significant decision the company makes.

References

Target. (2016). Continuing to stand for inclusivity. Target.com. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from https://corporate.target.com/article/2016/04/target-stands-inclusivity

Target. (2018). 2018 Corporate Responsibility Report. Retrieved April 14, 2019, from