Nike, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that is dedicated to the designing, development, manufacturing and selling of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. It is known as the world ' s biggest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and sponsors high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world. the founders of the company are Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, their headquarters is currently located in Washington County, Oregon, United States and in 2015 it was recorded that the company has 62,600 employ ees.
An organization ' s culture or a company ' s corporate culture refers to a system of shared beliefs, values, assumptions and behaviours which govern how it ' s employees act and perform their jobs and duties as well as how they interact within the internal environment and the external environment. Nike ' s mission statement is as follows. " To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete * in the world. * If you have a body, you are an athlete." It may be interpreted that Nike wishes to inspire its workers and consumers to have a winner mindset, coupled with the company ' s slogan " JUST DO IT " as an inspirational goal. The phrase " If you have a body, you are an athlete " also sheds light on the fact that every consumer is targeted by the company and no one is left out, creating a sense of inclusiveness.
The maxims are embedded in the minds of the employees to provide motivation and guidance for the work they do on a day to day basis, the maxims are quoted on a day to day basis. The company is also aware of its history and story and continuously works to keep its employees conscious of it.“ Grounded in the 11 maxims are stories that circle as legends around the company, such as, a Winnebago that was bought on Craig ' s List for $ 750 that is used as their conference room in the middle of the Innovation Kitchen. It ' s a nod to Phil Knight( Nike ' s founder) who sold shoes in the back of his RV. The Winnebago is the same year and make model that Nike started selling shoes in the early days. To serve as a reminder of those humble beginnings. The clock inside the Winnebago reads 2:59 all day. It is said, "
That ' s to signify a sub-3 hour marathon." The waffle iron that co-founder Bill Bowerman destroyed while attempting to make rubber soles is kept on campus like a museum piece.”( Jackson, n. d.) These legends along with many others that known throughout the Nike campus helps to embed a sense of value, shared culture and history in what the employees are doing. Another factor that contributes to the strong organization culture amongst Nike employees is the emphasis on secrecy and mystery. It is not just about trade secrets, or the irresistible pull for people wanting to be in on the secret but also allowing employees to believe what they are doing is valuable- the secret is in the belief there is something valuable and important to " protect ". They internalize stories of secretive-ness because they are proud to be part of the Nike family. This drives the company ' s continuous innovativeness and creativity.
According to the Nike, Inc. official website, " NIKE, Inc. fosters a culture of invention. We create products, services, and experience for today ' s athlete while solving problems for the next generation." Through this self-definition and the first maxim of the company being, " It is our nature to innovate " it is clear that Nike ' s organizational culture is centered on creativity and innovation. Three of the main characteristics of the company ' s corporate culture are talented, diverse and inclusive. The feature of talent emphasizes the need to provide human resource support for product development and internal services in the corporation. As such, Nike provides coaching, mentoring and training programs geared towards the sustaining of its employees ' talents necessary for the companies success and to further mold employees into leaders for global growth. It is believed by the company that its diversity enables a dynamic workforce and promotes their creativity, innovation, brand image, competitive advantage and maximizes product development cycles. Its diversity is maintained through HR programs, such as the‘ Speak Up!' program, which facilitates sharing of ideas among workers.
Inclusiveness is emphasized within the organization as it minimizes barriers to employee performance and enables optimal performance, diversity and talent development. This characteristic is supported by the company through a team-based approach to management. Programs that are put in place in support of inclusiveness are‘ Bias to Breakthrough ', a program for removing barriers to creativity and‘ NCourage ', a set of employee networks for cultural awareness and community building. When is comes to Nike ' s organizational structure, the company has a geographical divisional organizational structure. It is divided into three( 3) sections; Global corporate leadership, semi-autonomous geographic divisions and global divisions for Converse and brand licensing.