Chapter 7
Citizen Nordstrom
Doing Well, Doing Good
We like to start off on the right foot, to give back something to the community before we open our doors.
—Bruce Nordstrom
Corporate social responsibility has become a new benchmark for customer loyalty. A significant portion of today’s consumers want to spend their money with companies that they believe are also good corporate citizens.
While Nordstrom is in the business of consuming, the company wants its customers, employees, vendors, and shareholders to understand that it is also in the business of doing good, while doing well.
Nordstrom has had a long-running dialogue with its employees and customers to learn what matters most to them when it comes to being a good citizen, and it has created a comprehensive strategy of social responsibility based on the input of a task force of leaders from all areas of the company.
The task force focuses on four key areas—“pillars,” in the company’s jargon. These areas are: caring for employees (including health and wellness initiatives); supporting the communities in which the company does business; protecting human rights (in countries where the products that Nordstrom sells are made); and being good stewards of the environment by developing inventive programs around recycling, packaging, sustainability, and other green concerns.
As we have said previously, Nordstrom believes that the best ideas for improving the company’s performance come not from management but from front-line employees. ...
