Nike was founded in 1964 and is now a $90 billion company known for athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment. It has partnerships with many sports organizations and athletes. Nike expects employees to be creative and knowledgeable about sports. Its organizational culture is based on Deal and Kennedy's "strong cultures" framework of shared values, heroes, rituals, and communication. Nike values diversity, talent, and inclusion in its workforce. It uses training and mentoring programs and initiatives like "Speak Up!" to promote these aspects of its culture.

1. NIKE’S ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
BY: JEFF RODISEL

2. NIKE
▸ Founded in 1964 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight
▸ Headquarters located in Oregon
▸ Produces athletic footwear, apparel, sports
equipment, and other sports and athletic products
▸ Currently worth over $90 billion

3. NIKE CONT.
▸ Nike currently is doing business with the following
organizations
▸ NFL
▸ NBA
▸ Multiple NCAA athletic teams
▸ Multiple professional athletes
▸ Own the Jordan Brand and Converse

4. WHAT IS EXPECTED OF EMPLOYEES
▸ Nike’s workers are given set instructions, rules, and
regulations on how to do their jobs
▸ Expected to be creative and innovative
▸ Exceptional knowledge of sport, athletes, and what is
needed by athletes to succeed in their field
- Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon

5. DEAL AND KENNEDY’S “STRONG CULTURES”
▸ According to the text, Deal and Kennedy argue that a
business can succeed by creating a “strong culture”
▸ They then describe four key components of a strong culture:
▸ Values and Beliefs
▸ Heroes
▸ Rites and Rituals
▸ Cultural Network

6. VALUES AND BELIEFS
▸ Values and beliefs refers to what a company stands for and
what values or qualities they are looking for in their
employees
▸ Nike believes in equality and diversity in the workplace
▸ They also value innovation and creativity as they
encourage their employees to think outside of the box

7. HEROES
▸ Heroes are the individuals who exemplify the
organization’s values and personify what the company
stands for
▸ Nike’s heroes include:
▸ Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight-
▸ Michael Jordan-

8. RITES AND RITUALS
▸ These are ceremonies through which an organization
celebrates its values
▸ Nike strongly believes that their employees should be
compensated or rewarded for performing well
▸ They do this through benefits and rewards such as
providing the employee the opportunity to stay fit, ensure
the wellness of their families, and create a positive working
environment

9. CULTURAL NETWORK
▸ The cultural network refers to the communication system
through which cultural values are instituted and reinforced
▸ Nike often uses content marketing videos to communicate
with its employees to relay news or various other topics
▸ They are also able to communicate with their stakeholders
through their website to inform them on the current
standing of the organization

10. SYSTEM COMPONENTS
▸ If you look at an organization as a system, it is comprised of
components which are the people and departments that
make up the organization
▸ There are three components which characterize an
organizational system:
▸ Hierarchical Ordering
▸ Interdependence
▸ Permeability

11. HIERARCHICAL ORDERING
▸ Hierarchical ordering refers to how the system’s
components are organized in different systems and
subsystems
▸ Nike also has systems and subsystems of employees who
have authority over each other
▸ They are also apart of the supersystem of the sporting
goods industry

12. INTERDEPENDENCE
▸ Interdependence implies that the functioning of one
component of a system relies on other components of the
system
▸ An organization can be compared to the human body in
that all parts must work together to be successful

13. PERMEABILITY
▸ Permeable boundaries allow information and materials to
flow in and out of different parts of an organization
▸ Each section of an organization must be able to
communicate and pass information to one another easily
to be as efficient as possible
▸ Nike strongly promotes permeability and wants their
employees to work together and communicate with one
another

14. DESCRIBING NIKE’S ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
▸ Organizational culture is the combination of
traditions, habits, values, and behavioral expectations
among employees
▸ Nike wants their employees to be:
▸ Talented
▸ Diverse
▸ Inclusive

15. TALENT
▸ Nike believes that talent and innovation go hand in hand
▸ Use training programs to maintain employee talent
▸ The company also uses coaching and mentoring programs
to help their employees grow and keep production at a
high level

16. DIVERSE
▸ Diversity leads to a dynamic workforce that draws from a
multitude of ethnic backgrounds
▸ It promotes:
▸ Creativity
▸ Innovation
▸ Brand Image
▸ Competitive Advantage

17. THE “SPEAK UP!” PROGRAM
▸ Nike’s Speak Up! program facilitates the sharing of ideas
among workers, especially between those of different
ethnicities
▸ Calls for employees and athletes to fight racism, not only
at work but also in their everyday lives

18. INCLUSIVE
▸ Helps minimize barriers to employee performance
allowing them to be the best workers possible and
increase efficiency
▸ Encourages employees to be creative and build a strong
community within the workplace
▸ Also minimizes problems amongst the workforce and
supports streamlining athletic shoes, apparel and
equipment design and production processes

19. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
▸ How will Nike be able to adapt to future changes and
overcome upcoming companies such as Under Armor?
▸ Does Nike still have the appeal to sign the top athletes in
sports?
▸ How does Nike’s organizational culture effect their
relationships with their athletes?

20. WORKS CITED
‣ Miller, K. (2015). Organizational communication: Approaches and processes
(7th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
‣ Nisen, Max. "At Nike, Workers Quote The Company's Maxims Like The Ten
Commandments." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 15 Feb. 2013. Web.
13 Nov. 2016.
‣ Odell, Patricia. "Nike Uses Content Marketing Videos for Internal
Communications - Chiefmarketer." Chiefmarketer. N.p., 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 13
Nov. 2016.
‣ Young, Justin. "Nike Inc. Organizational Culture Characteristics: An Analysis -
Panmore Institute." Panmore Institute. N.p., 01 June 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.