The organization I chose to do my diversity statement analysis on was Nike. I chose Nike because I thought they were a great model for what organizations should do when dealing with diversity. Nike does not fear having diversity they welcome. As you can see from the recent ad they just aired within the past month using Colin Kaepernick, a controversial sports figure who is an activist, as the narrator for the commercial. They do not care about the backlash for airing such an ad. They have such a great infrastructure that Nike’s stock actually rose from the commercial airing. For proof, just read what CEO and President of Nike, Mark Parker, said: “At Nike, we believe that diversity fosters creativity and accelerates innovation. We value the unique backgrounds and experiences everyone brings, and want all who join us to realize their full potential. Because different perspectives can fuel the best ideas, we are committed to a workplace that is increasingly diverse and inclusive.”
At Nike they BELIEVE IN THE INSPIRATIONAL POWER OF SPORT TO BREAK DOWN BARRIERS, OVERCOME DIFFERENCES AND BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER.
At Nike they believe in the power of sport to break down barriers, overcome differences and bring people together. “No matter where we come from, a love of sport unites us. It teaches us to be fiercely competitive, but always collaborative and welcoming. To include different perspectives, because teams win when everyone contributes. To take a ‘next play’ attitude to failure, and apply what we’ve learned instantly.
Creativity fuels our culture. With Nike’s open and global mindset, Nike is constantly curious about the world. Nike serves athletes in 190 countries, and are inspired by every one of them. By listening to the unique voices of every country, culture, and community, we can unleash the potential of every athlete*.”
Nike’s inclusiveness is on a different level compared to that of other organizations around the world. They created employee networks to keep employees united. NikeUNITED is a collection of employee resource groups that represent the diversity of our employees. These networks serve to deliver career development experiences, increase cultural awareness, and demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the communities where we live and work. NIKE, Inc. has eight employee-formed and managed communities. These programs include: Ability & Friends Network, Asia Pacific & Friends Network, Black Employee & Friends Network, Latino & Friends Network, PRIDE Network, Nike Military Veterans & Friends Network, Native American & Friends Network, Women of Nike & Friends Network.
Nike recognizes that pay can be managed and assessed in a number of ways. To ensure competitive pay, each year Nike benchmarks with other leading global companies, and uses this data to inform salary investments, and adjust the pay ranges we use to guide pay decisions. At Nike, they define Pay Equity as equal compensation for women, men, and all races/ethnicities who undertake the same work at the same level, experience and performance. Based on this, their FY17 data show that for every $1 earned by men, women globally earned 99.9 cents, and for every $1 earned by white employees in the U.S., non-white employees earned $1. Nike will maintain focus, driving with 1:1 as our goal for both every year. Nike monitors this data on an ongoing basis.
Globally, Nike is working to accelerate representation through hiring, promotion and retention. Here are ways Nike is accelerating their investment: Holding leaders accountable accountable for representation growth within their teams (women globally, and POC in the U.S.). Development of diverse talent: A multi-faceted approach to investing in their high-potential diverse talent. This includes evolving their current development programs, creating new programs for emerging diverse leaders, and leveraging their employee networks in a new way to invest in their diverse talent of the future. Inclusive hiring: Investing in a dedicated diversity sourcing team to be immersed in the marketplace; increase visibility and accountability to ensure slates of diverse candidates when hiring; and remove bias from critical moments of the hiring process through creating more inclusive job descriptions, enabling blind resume reviews, eliminating the collection of candidate salary history and using data to inform hiring decisions. Accelerated training: Customized manager training will roll out, ensuring that all managers are clear on expectations – when and how they are compelled to act – and have resources to lead in a way consistent with our values and behaviors. Mandatory Unconscious Bias Awareness training will be available for all employees aimed at unlocking the full potential of every employee and aligned with our values to support a stronger, more inclusive culture.
As you can see from the examples I presented. Nike is great at diversity management. Being diverse is not just something to try to accomplish for Nike it is a lifestyle. They are one of the greatest companies of the world and they operate so differently from other companies. The risks they take, for being such a big brand, never hurt them even when people think it should. This also goes to show that Nike’s brand loyalty is strong and always will be. Nike is a great model for how big businesses should deal with diversity management.