ESPN has a strong culture focused on innovation, collaboration, and community. Their headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut features an open office layout and on-site amenities to foster interaction between employees. ESPN's core values center around their global fan base, providing an inclusive workplace, and increasing market share. Key aspects of their culture include heroes like company president John Skipper, rituals like diversity awards, and encouraging entrepreneurship through transparency and risk-taking. ESPN strives to create exceptional employee experiences through a commitment to people, partnerships, culture, and excellence.

1. The Culture of ESPN and
It’s Community
By: Seth Stillman

2. Background on ESPN
• ESPN is a U.S. based global cable and satellite television channel
owned by ESPN Inc, a joint venue between Walt Disney and the
Hearst Corporation
• ESPN headquarters are in Bristol, Connecticut.
• The network also operates in Miami, New York, Seattle, Charlotte
and Los Angeles.
• John Skipper is the current president.
• Since February of 2015, ESPN is available to 94,396,00 paid
television households in the United States.

3. Background Continued
• Bill Rasmussen was conceived the concept of ESPN in late May
1978, after he was fired from his job with the World Hockey
Association’s New England Whalers.
• Another event that helped build ESPN’s credibility was
securing an advertising agreement with Anheuser-Busch in
1979
• The company invested $1 million to be the “exclusive beer
advertised in networks.”
• In 1992 ESPN launched ESPN Radio
• ESPN currently shows over 10 programs

4. Cultural Metaphor
• Cultural metaphor is defined as any activity, phenomenon, or
institution with which members of a given emotionally and/or
cognitively identify. Such as Cultural metaphors reflect the
underlying values of a culture.
• Part of the book focuses on organizational communication
based on culture, and the two ways to view it.
• 1) Look at culture as something an organization has.
• 2) The second approach considers culture as something an
organization is.

5. The Concepts
•Deal and Kennedy's “Strong
Cultures”
•Peters and Waterman’s themes
for Excellent Organizations.

6. Deal and Kennedy’s
• Deal and Kennedy assessed that a successful company
contains the key components they defined as a “Strong
Culture”
• The four components
• 1)“Values are the beliefs and visions that members hold for an
organization.”
• 2)“Heroes are the individuals who come to exemplify an
organizations values.”
• 3)“Rites and rituals are the ceremonies through which an
organization celebrates its values.”
• 4)“The cultural network is the communication system through
which cultural values are instituted and reinforced.”
• (The following was found via the online book on page 83)

7. Values
• ESPN, like most successful companies have a set of core values
that defines what the company represents and what the
employees should live by.
• Workforce: Reflects the global fan base
• Workplace: Where all employees can contribute to their full
potential
• Marketplace: Increase domestic and emerging market share
and improve fan loyalty

8. Values (Cont.)
• Collaboration Aspect: ESPN has taken the time to see how
individuals communicate with each other, whether that is
across the hall or across the world.
• Feel The Brand: “In order to achieve, you really need to
dedicate the time and energy for collaboration, and firstly
thinking of the people who are in that work space. Our facility
team never works in a bubble; we always put the needs of our
employees first.” –espncareers.com

9. Heroes
• -Everyone is a hero by playing their role and contributing but
ESPN’s biggest heroes are the biggest names and faces of the
company.
• John Skipper- President, ESPN, Inc.
• Sean Bratches- Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing.
• Christine Driessen- Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer.
• Ed Durso- Executive Vice President, Administration.
• Aaron LaBerge- Executive Vice President and Chief Technology
Officer.

10. Rites and Rituals
• A few of ESPN’s recent diversity awards include:
• -DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity (TWDC)
• -Human Rights Campaign Best Places to Work for LGBT
Equality (TWDC)
• -Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
Media Award Winner (ESPN)
• ESPN treats their employees as a family, they offer a day care
on their campus that has 185 kids enrolled along with a
gymnasium, many fitness classes, and a cafeteria that took
almost a year to build.

11. Cultural Communication
• At ESPN, their people are their most valuable resource. They
hire the best, and support, empower, and develop them to
achieve their goals both personally and professionally.
• Curiosity is the fuel that drives ESPN’s learning and
development culture.
• Being a apart of The Walt Disney Company allows ESPN to tap
into learning and development experiences across the
enterprise that are uniquely Disney and the quality you would
expect.
• “Together, we create exceptional employee experiences with a
passionate commitment to PEOPLE, PARTNERSHIPS, CULTURE,
and EXCELLENCE.”

12. Office Space

13. Office Space (Cont.)

14. Peter and Waterman’s theme
• Based on The Eight Themes for Excellent Organizations
1) A bias for action: Excellent organizations react quickly and do not spend
excess time planning and analyzing.
Applied to ESPN: ESPN puts in a ton of effort into creating the best platforms for their online pages and content in
their stories for its fans from start to finish. They thrive off customer satisfaction
2) Close Relations to the Customer: Excellent organizations gear decisions and
actions to the needs of customers.
Applied to ESPN: For most companies, solving every single issue from a customer is almost an impossible task. ESPN
tries everything they can do to correct any issue (Fantasy Football Online Platform) using their knowledgeable and
skilled web masters and support staff.
3) Autonomy and Entrepreneurship: Excellent Organizations encourage
employees to take risks in the development of new ideas.
Applied to ESPN: ESPN is ran like majority companies in terms of a Hierarchy, but they also strive off innovation. Therefor, they encourage
transparency between teams and management to ensure the best outcome will come out of any situation. Plus, the way the offices are set
up, creates a family environment which encourages different teams to group up with each other.

15. Peter and Waterman’s theme (CONT.)
4) Productivity through people: Excellent organizations have
employees and managers who share the same core value of
productivity and performance
Applied to ESPN: As I previously stated, ESPN thrives off innovation. Therefor, they encourage their employees to take risks. ESPN thrives to
come out with the best product possible and release the best news possible. Which would nearly be impossible without their employees who
put their hands on the material before it goes public. It doesn’t matter if you are across the hall or across the globe, ESPN will figure out how
to communicate with you in a pleasant way.
5) Hands-on, value driven: Excellent organizations have
employees and managers who share the same core value of
productivity and performance.
Applies to ESPN: ESPN looks to hire individuals who will fit their family-like work environment. These individuals must thrive off being
successful, not afraid to take risks, and open to communicate with others while having a big passion for sports and wanting to be a part of the
sports world.

16. Peter and Waterman’s theme (CONT.)
6) Stick to the Knitting: Excellent organizations stay focused on
what they do best and avoid radical diversification.
Applied to ESPN: No matter how much criticism ESPN gets, they will continue to run their show and stick to the plan instead of responding to
the critics and shifting their focus. They may get criticized by other publishers, but that doesn’t stop them from showing PTI (Pardon The
Interruption) at 5:30pm Eastern Time every single day.
7) Simple form, lean staff: Excellent organizations avoid
complex structures and divisions of labor.
Applied to ESPN: I don’t believe this one necessarily applies to ESPN. Although I wouldn’t call ESPN’s headquarters a “complex structure” they
definitely have a different but yet more comfortable office space than most. Also, they encourage different teams to work together for
certain projects.
8) Simultaneous loose-tight properties: Excellent organizations
exhibit both unity of purpose and the diversity necessary for
innovation.
Applied to ESPN: ESPN thrives off of innovation hoping they get better customer feedback/satisfaction from it. They encourage all employees
to take risks because innovation doesn’t just happen itself. The employees come together to create the best product they can for their huge
fan base.

17. The Culture at ESPN
-Besides for its many awards, ESPN is constantly raising awareness
about the new trends in the sports world while also notifying their
fans on the latest news.
-Getting involved in the local community outside of office work is a big
part of working for ESPN.
-ESPN supports eight Employee Resource Groups that represent
various dimensions of diversity and engage employees through
professional development, social networking and volunteer
opportunities.
-In a 2013 University study, ESPN was leading the way in racial and
gender hiring according to The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in sport.

18. Questions
-What is the best thing about working for the leader in sports
news?
-Will the office culture change as the community changes
around you? Or will it stay the same?
-Who is the nicest/coolest athlete to come to the headquarters
in Connecticut?
-What is your favorite memory about that Athlete visiting?

19. Possible Survey Questions
• How can we, at ESPN, Improve our fantasy
football platform?
• Would you like to see ESPN get invovled in the
video game world?
• What if your favorite show on ESPN and why?

20. sources
1) Abbot, R. (n.d.). An Inside Look at ESPN's Culture and
Space (Part 1). Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
http://chicagocreativespace.com/an-inside-look-at-espns-
culture-and-space-part-1/
2) By developing initiatives that focus on the needs,
expectations and lives of our people, we've created an
inclusive environment where all employees can contribute
to their fullest potential. (n.d.). ESPN Jobs and Careers.
Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
https://espncareers.com/working-here/diversity-inclusion-
wellness
3) ESPN Jobs and Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16,
2016, from https://espncareers.com/working-here/learning-
development
4) ESPN, INC.|Company Profile|Vault.com. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 16, 2016, from http://www.vault.com/company-
profiles/media-entertainment/espn,-inc/company-
overview.aspx