Currently many organizations are going through disruptive changes in the way they stay in the world. Organizations that were successful for decades do not mean that they will continue to be if they do not adapt to the current environment of evolution. Digital transformation is on the agenda of many CEOs of the world’s leading companies.
In addition to the above, the new generations of students who graduate from universities with new knowledge, skills and ready to face this changing environment are added. Today there is another conception of work different from how it was years ago. Currently people work for another purpose and want to maintain a balance of life beyond work.
Today’s successful companies are not the ones with the most revenue or the ones that distribute the greatest economic value to their shareholders. Also the most successful companies today are those that return value to society. Socially responsible companies. The case of the clothing brand Patagonia is a good example. I wish there were many organizations around the world with this vision of social value. This is reflected in Patagonia’s employee turnover rate of just 4%, when the industry average is 13%. The vision of its founder Yvon Chouinard should inspire everyone.
Patagonia hires employees who are genuine protectors and defenders of our planet. The company hires activist employees and encourages them to peacefully protest environmental neglect. Those who end up arrested and imprisoned for protesting, Patagonia pays the lawyers to free them and gives them their full wages for the days they were out of the office. Everyone remembers the “anti black Friday” movement and against its own growth led by Patagonia: “Don’t buy this Jacket” inviting consumers to reflect on the environmental impact of buying clothing.
To talk about the organizational culture of a company is to understand that it is the union and mixture of pasts, experiences, feelings, beliefs, values, ambition, purposes and much more. The most important thing about a company culture is that employees embrace and promote it. They live it not only when they are in the office, but every day. Patagonia is again a powerful example of the above. The vision of customer loyalty is very simple: “Share your beliefs. It shows how you integrate them in all processes: product, design and presentation. Communicate what inspires you. Those who believe in what the brand believes will become your tribe.”
Patagonia moves away from traditional marketing It sticks to emotional marketing. The customer becomes a brand advocate because they develop an emotional connection to the purpose.
To conclude by way of reflection: today we are in a world of transformation where people seek more than work for an organization; they seek to identify with it through purpose and cause. Those that are socially responsible with the purpose of returning value to society are gaining ground. When the organization has an organizational culture based on its principles and beliefs, focused on employees, customers and society, they are the ones that generate greater loyalty through an emotional connection.