In the competition for the best talent, adidas’s executive education programs offer opportunities to reward, develop—and disrupt—their best employees.
Karen Parkin, adidas executive board member responsible for Global Human Resources, views executive education as a critical component of developing individual leaders—and growing the organization.
"World of Sports"—adidas' global headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany—serves as the hub for the company's 57,000+ employees. Coordinating this diverse and global workforce is Karen Parkin, who took an unconventional path to her position as board member responsible for Global HR. After joining adidas in 1997, Parkin worked in both the United Kingdom and the United States in sales, customer service, logistics, and supply chain management before ascending to her current role.
While professional development has always been part of the agenda, adidas' strategy around talent and leadership has shifted. "When we think about our culture and how we treat people, we reference four pillars," explains Parkin. "First, how do we want to attract and retain talent? Second, how do we ensure that we have inspiring role models in the company? Third, how do we bring forth fresh and diverse perspectives in our organization? And finally, how do we create an environment that’s conducive to achieving these goals?”
At adidas, identifying great leaders is a responsibility shared between Parkin and CEO Kasper Rorsted. "We look for gaps in the organization and consider who might fill those gaps," says Rorsted. "Karen and I both evaluate potential high performers and make sure we are in agreement. After all, we have to sing from the same songbook."
Once candidates are selected for advancement, adidas invests in them. Parkin explains, "When we identify a candidate for executive education, we're saying, 'We want to invest in you because you're a great leader. We're going to take you to the best business school in the world and give you the skills you need to be that role model that's so important to our people, our company, our brand, and ultimately, our consumers.'"
Before deciding to work with Harvard Business School, Parkin and other members of the senior leadership team carefully reviewed several executive education programs. "We knew we needed to bring in a world-class partner to help us be better than we are today," says Parkin. "And if we want to be the best sports and fitness firm, and have the best people, we have to partner with the best—and that is Harvard Business School. We’ve worked really well together to develop a program that supports our journey and desire to disrupt the industry—and ourselves."
The program's initial year was a success, equipping 30 top leaders with critical skills and knowledge. But in a global company of more than 57,000 employees, Parkin and Rorsted discovered that it was not enough to rapidly institute meaningful change. "That's when we started to say, don't just bring the top, expand the program," says Parkin.
"We recognized that the top 150 leaders in the company don't have the same challenges and needs, so we decided to separate the two programs," explains Rorsted. "The top 30 in the company are formulating long-term global strategy. The next 120 might be dealing with operational issues. Both groups might use the same case studies but focus on different takeaways."
The programs have had such a profound impact that adidas now brings their leadership team back to HBS on a regular basis. "The first time anyone comes to HBS, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the case studies, the networking, and the environment," says Parkin. "Consequently, the output of the second experience ends up being much greater. It's like seeing a freshman class become a senior class."
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