Yesterday’s Advisor presented Gregg Tate, GPHR, and the New Way of Working (NWoW) at adidas®. Today, how NWoW was implemented.
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adidas Group AG, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, was founded by Adi Dassner, hence the correct pronunciation is AH-dee dass with the accent on the first syllable. (Note: adidas is spelled with the lower case “a,” even at the beginning of a sentence.)
adidas is the world’s second largest athletic footwear and apparel company, with 50,000 employees, and over 3,000 of their own retail stores globally. The company operates in roughly 200 countries around the world.
Tate, adidas senior vice president, Human Resources—Commercial, delivered his program about NWoW at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exposition in Orlando.
Rolling Out NWoW
It was HR and the training people’s job to incorporate NWoW into the company’s DNA, says Tate.
After executives approved the program, the team conducted 83 Leadership Journey training sessions to head-of-function employees. These consisted of a 3-day meeting, a 2-day meeting, and a 1-day meeting. The facilitator was a “torture expert,” says Tate, but these sessions “get the elephants out.”
Then came 586 NWoW Workshops for many more employees. Here’s an example of the enthusiasm. Employees change the “Am I living it?” question to an emphatic ”Living It! (and spreading it)” and sign off personally.
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What did we learn? asks Tate. Sooner or later you have to DO. (As Tate says, When is the best time to plant a shade tree? 20 years ago.) Yes, he admits, they are still struggling in some ways, but struggling “in the spirit of the NWoW.”
What is HR’s role in developing and implementing NWoW? Tate points out three key objectives of HR:
- Leadership. That is, ensuring that adidas has the right level and strength of leadership now and in the future.
- Right people. That is, being sure that the right people are in the right jobs, which also means offering opportunities and especially relocation packages. It’s matching dreams and capabilities, Tate says.
- Out-of-the-box thinkers. Where will the company be and where will the consumer be in 2020? In sports? In fashion? In retail? And where might adidas head? Fitness centers/nutrition? Sports camps? Sports resorts? Do they want to be resort managers or hotel managers?
Engagement at adidas
We strive for head intelligence and heart intelligence, says Tate. Satisfied with your job but not engaged? That’s not enough at adidas. They want you thinking, “I get to go to work today.”
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