James T. Hale
General Counsel
Target Corporation’s diversity efforts have produced results from the sales floor to the boardroom.
Target employs more than 300,000 team members in 47 states, 63 percent of whom are women and 37 percent of whom are minorities. In its legal department, attorneys are a direct reflection of the diversity initiatives it supports and the culture it has helped create. Women make up more than half of its attorneys and minorities consist of more than 10 percent.
Target leads both the national and retail industry averages for employment of women and minorities in senior positions, and its management is accountable to the board of directors for creating a more diverse workforce.
The company respects and values the individuality of all employees and believes that valuing diversity makes good business sense and helps to ensure its future success. The company retains a diverse workforce by ensuring that team members are rewarded for their contributions to the organization, they develop products and services that reflect the diverse needs of the marketplace, and know that diverse teams produce better solutions that provide an innovative advantage.
Target has implemented several initiatives to accomplish its sought-after diversity goals. These include participating in Project Equality, a national program committed to the achievement of diversity and equal opportunity, and encouraging the development of employee networks that create a forum for people of similar backgrounds.
The company engages in diligent recruitment of minority candidates through appropriate job fairs, advertisements, web sites, conferences, and an INROADS program (which helps minorities break into retail management careers), and provides comprehensive skills-development training for its employees. In June of this year, the Minneapolis chapter of the National Black MBA Association named Target Corporation, “2003 Corporate Partner of the Year” in recognition of its 20 year support of the National Black MBA Association annual conference and career fair.
The company also maintains a Steering Committee that fosters support for diversity at all levels, and a Minority and Women Business Development Program to help it become a preferred business partner to minority- and women-owned enterprises.
Target is a past winner of the Minnesota Minority Corporate Counsel’s Outstanding Participant award, and its General Counsel, Jim Hale, was co-chair of the highly successful NAACP Freedom Fund dinner.
Additionally, Target participates in the Hennepin County Bar Association program to provide summer work experiences to minority and disadvantaged high school students
For its steadfast dedication to diversity, Target has received national praise and recognition, such as awards from Working Mother, Latina Style and Business Ethics magazines. Recently, the National Association of Female Executives recognized Target as one of the “Top 30 Companies for Executive Women.”
From the November/December 2003 issue of Diversity & The Bar®