The organizational culture of Nike incorporates several important norms that are critical for the performance of this company and its competitiveness. In particular, one should speak about the following principles:
- continuous search for innovation;
- commitment to the goals of the company and its reputation;
- and willingness to adapt to the changes in external environment (Jackson, 2013).
The employees of this corporation are asked to remember about these principles that should affect their decisions or everyday practices. In turn, among the main values of this organization, one can distinguish autonomy of separate employees, authenticity or integrity of a person, and the diversity of employees’ knowledge and skills (Jackson, 2013).
These characteristics of an individual are important for his/her integration into the company and career growth. There are several assumptions that are imbedded in the culture of this corporation. For instance, the senior managers lay stress on the idea that Nike has to remain an agile organization that does not overlook new trends in the market. Moreover, Nike should not be content with its current successes because such an attitude can eventually lead to stagnation and eventual decline of their performance. Finally, it is possible to discuss the cultural artifacts of this corporation. For instance, one can discuss its commercials which can be very informative. These advertisements are aimed at highlighting such characteristics as willingness to achieve success, authenticity of a person’s behavior, and his/her openness to the outside world (Goldman, 1998, p. 35). These are the main details that one can single out. To a great extent, these values are vital for the long-term performance of this corporation.
It is possible to apply the so-called deep assumptions approach in order to assess the culture of Nike. This method is useful for identifying the core beliefs of employees or senior managers. In particular, the company lays stress on such a value as organizational openness which is important for the sustainability of a company. In this case, the term openness can be described as the responsiveness to new economic or market trends. This assumption is important for the ability of the company to design innovative productions on a regular basis. Furthermore, this worldview is important for adopting new methods of production. Additionally, the employees of this organization are deeply committed to the strategic goals of the organization. More importantly, they have the so-called “tribal identity” which means that they perceive each other as family members (Jackson, 2013).
To a great extent, these assumptions contribute to the successful performance of this company because workers are willing to share ideas with one another. Yet, it also means that these people may not easily accept outsiders, especially if they are not closely familiar with the culture of Nike (DuBrin, 2011, p. 290). This set of attitudes makes this company a leading innovator in the apparel industry. Nevertheless, these characteristics can be regarded as the source of their weakness. In particular, one should pay attention to the tribal identity of this organization. These are the main aspects that can be distinguished because they profoundly shape the performance of this corporation.
On the whole, some researchers argue that Nike has an “insular” culture (DuBrin, 2011, p. 290). It means that a new person, who comes to this organization, may find it difficult to integrate into the new environment. This is why these people do not always perform successfully (DuBrin, 2011, p. 290). This argument is particularly relevant if one speaks about new executives coming to the company (DuBrin, 2011, p. 290). The problem is that these people can be perceived as outsiders; therefore, their initiatives may be disregarded, even if they can bring significant improvements into the work of the company. Thus, these attributes can eventually turn into a weakness.
This issue has become particularly important when Nike has become a multinational corporation that operates in various regions of the world. This is one of the main problems that should be addressed. Under such circumstances, the senior managers should lay stress on the diversity of organizational culture. They should enable new-comers to express their opinions, even if these opinions are critical of the current practices. This policy can be useful for avoiding groupthink in this organization. Moreover, the management of the company should foster cooperation between the employees representing different divisions of the company. These divisions can be located in different regions, and their cooperation can contribute to the introduction of innovative products. These are the main recommendations that can be advanced.
These changes are important because they can foster the performance of the company. In particular, this intervention can improve the spread of best practices across different visions of Nike. Furthermore, in this way, senior managers can make sure that outsiders are better able to adjust to the requirements of the company. To some degree, this policy can eventually strengthen this company that already has a sophisticated organizational culture. These are the main advantages of these interventions.
Reference List
DuBrin, A. (2011). Essentials of Management. New York, NY: Cengage Learning.
Goldman, R. (1998). Nike Culture: The Sign of the Swoosh. New York, NY: SAGE.
Jackson, L. (2013). Strong Organizational Culture: How Nike Drives Innovation. Web.