The Nike Chronicles -- Part II: Corporate Culture

As we toured the buildings and grounds of Nike's campus, one could easily mistake it for that of a liberal arts college, nestled in a lush northwest small town.  The same stately venues, the same soothing tranquility.  Buildings carefully placed around large ponds, Japanese gardens, external signage kept to a minimum.  Environment always affects behavior, and Nike's campus layout obviously advocates and promotes a "collegial" approach to corporate life.

It would be naive to assume that the company doesn't have its fair share of internal political battles and the all too common individual agenda.  But I would also guess that in that relative pastoral environment, turf battles and the like don't have much of a shelf life.  I've never met Nike co-founder Phil Knight, but it seems obvious that minimizing the ugly stuff and promoting an atmosphere where staffers would be inclined to truly work together is what he had in mind. 

The factors that impact "corporate life" and therefore "corporate culture" are pretty universal and unavoidable.  Financial performance, competitive pressures, budget cuts, customer satisfaction, etc. are the issues that define the agenda in any publicly traded corporation.  The range of responses to these issues from company to company is breathtaking.  The "enlightened" firms typically take a proactive stance and encourage fresh thinking from everyone engaged in the enterprise.  And the results of that approach typically show up on the bottom line--dramatically.  Nike certainly belongs in that category.

Aside from pretty trees, and stately buildings, what else has Nike done to promote that kind of culture?  One thing that was clearly obvious was the sense of history and the heritage Nike's employees seem to have in spite of the company's amazingly short life of 40 years and counting.  Start with the fact that Nike is easily the biggest source of local commercial pride that Oregonians could possibly have--Portland's answer to Seattle's Starbucks if you will.  A work force that knows and feels that it was part of the early development of one of the world's great companies.  Call it a positive and progressive sense of pride that generates loyalty and general good feelings among the rank and file.

Along with its superior brand name and commitment to innovation, Nike's corporate culture should serve it well for years to come.