“At Target, nothing happens without a large, collaborative effort,” says Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel. It’s teamwork at its most applicable. With 1,772 stores in 31 countries, Target employs 365,000 “team members” (Dishman, 2012). His management style is a perfect example of Ginnett’s Team Effectiveness Leadership Model (TELM) which was designed to help teams perform effectively and to “help leaders identify what a team needs to do in order to be more effective” (Ginnett’s Team Effectiveness Leadership Model, online course lesson, n.d.)
TELM recommends that someone in a position like Steinhafel’s identify team needs then administer those needs through identification and manipulation of inputs, process and outputs. Clearly defined goals (aka dreams), design and development are the keys to success.
Steinhafel has designed a great team of thousands of members of “top brass” who are what he calls his coaching staff who “help design (present tense) the playbook, but implement it at the same time.”
Among his “inputs” are his own commitment to Target. He was hired by Target in 1979 and was promoted over the course of 20 years, becoming president then CEO in 2008. Through that time, he has always kept collaboration as his main focus, he said.
Steinhafel’s process includes face-to-face meetings, according to Dishman’s article, as well as emails (which he processes beginning at 4 a.m. each day) and other “formal and informal means” of internal communication, including social media to “share news and stay connected” (Dishman). Target workers can use internal platforms like Redtalk, which lets team members follow other team members, join groups and get announcements, and Target Wiki, an encyclopedia of product and procedure facts specific to Target. Steinhafel says these instruments of team communication help solidify the team spirit and help the team “sell more of everything” (Dishman).
And that’s good, because good communication is one of Ginnett’s process points: “It is important that team members do not have too much conflict and that they are communicating well, so that they will continue to work well together in the future.”
Steinhafel’s process also includes encouraging innovation, “entrepreneurial spirit and creativity combined with great operational discipline” (Dishman). They have moved into selling food; they look at the design function or “map” of the store, and place high-sale items, like infant and women’s clothing, close to the entrance; and they are adding wifi to their stores (Dishman). Steinhafel’s process includes open feedback and mentorship of team members that begins with hiring, “to develop leaders that really invest in their own teams” (Dishman), but it’s fun and exciting too, he explained. An annual survey, which is returned by a surprising 80 percent plus Target team members covers the company’s effectiveness and suggestions about future procedures, everything from mechanisms to methods for improving performance. The suggestions are presented to the big bosses because, Steinhafel says, “It’s our responsibility to act and continue to support the teams” (Dishman).
Individual inputs, “psychological factors, such as individual motivation” (Ginnett’s Team Effectiveness Leadership Model, online course lesson, n.d.) at Target include national sales meetings that are “gala events replete with recognition for special achievements and star-studded performance bills to rally the team members in attendance” (Dishman).
Output functions include high sales, $68.5 billion in 2011, and top bosses regularly “forward think” (Dishman) and benchmark against other companies to develop ideas for growth. “It all comes together,” Steinhafel explained.
So, by clarifying a sense of purpose and performance expectations, designing (and redesigning) input and by improving performance through constant communication and hands-on team suggestions, Steinhafel is a success at team leadership (Ginnett’s Team Effectiveness Leadership Model, online course lesson, n.d.). Steinhafel formally clarifies goals to his team members once a year, but is “constantly checking in,” he said, so Target can achieve it’s $100 billion sales goal.
References:
Dishman, Lydia, Oct. 10, 2012. How Target’s CEO inspires teamwork at a massive scale. Fast Company, Mansueto Ventures. Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.fastcompany.com/3001988/how-targets-ceo-inspires-teamwork-massive-scale
Ginnett’s Team Effectiveness Leadership Model, online course lesson, n.d. Leadership in Work Settings — PSYCH 485. Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved March 17, 2016, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych485/001/content/09_lesson/08_page.html