Adidas Company Culture
Apparel & FootwearAI-generatedAdidas is a massive, historically rich sportswear brand currently undergoing a 'back to sport' turnaround. The culture is pivoting rapidly from a bureaucratic, top-down KPI obsession to a decentralized, ex-athlete-led environment focused on 'common sense' and retail partnerships.
Clear culture profile with defined traits
Measures how clearly defined the profile is, not whether the culture is good or bad. Methodology
Bjørn Gulden
CEO
Adidas is an apparel & footwear company with 1,000+ employees headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, founded in 1949. Play fast, ignore the bureaucracy, and earn the consumer.
Adidas Culture Dimensions
Innovation
Adidas leans toward boundary-pushing with a score of 65/100.
Hierarchy
Adidas takes a balanced approach to hierarchy with a score of 45/100.
Collaboration
Adidas leans toward team-oriented with a score of 80/100.
Work-Life Balance
Adidas takes a balanced approach to work-life balance with a score of 60/100.
Mission
Adidas leans toward purpose-driven with a score of 75/100.
Growth
Adidas leans toward stable & steady with a score of 30/100.
What It's Like to Work Here
Adidas Culture Highlights
- Radical Transparency: The CEO published his personal mobile number to all 60,000 employees to dismantle hierarchy.
- Activity-based Workplace: Corporate offices have abandoned assigned desks for specialized, task-based work areas.
- Decentralized Autonomy: Local managers in global markets are empowered to bypass global templates to speed up decision-making.
- Back to Sport Mandate: A sharp pivot away from high-fashion hype back to core performance and heritage products.
Adidas Leadership
Bjørn Gulden
CEO
Initiated a 'radical transparency' turnaround, dismantled KPI bureaucracy, and gave his personal phone number to 60,000 employees.
How to work the culture
Do
- Use common sense and move fast, even if it means breaking a global template.
- Embrace 'team sports' logic by focusing on making your teammates better.
- Utilize the 40% remote work and 'Working from Elsewhere' perks to manage your energy.
Don't
- Don't manage by ticking boxes or relying solely on financial data analysis.
- Avoid filtering feedback through layers of middle management.
- Don't cling to 'DTC-first' or high-fashion hype mindsets.
Fit & playbook
Who does well here, who doesn't, and how to actually navigate Adidas once you're in.
You'll do well if
- You have an 'ex-athlete' mindset and thrive under the pressure of a turnaround.
- You prefer decentralized autonomy over following rigid global templates.
- You appreciate direct, 'common sense' communication and speed over polished presentations.
You might struggle if
- You rely on strict, top-down KPIs to guide your daily priorities.
- You are looking for a highly stable environment without the turbulence of restructuring.
- You prefer formal hierarchical channels to resolve roadblocks.
Find out if you'd thrive at Adidas
Discover your culture fit and get personalized insights about how you'd experience working here.
Discover your culture fitWhat People Say About Adidas's Culture
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