Ajinkya Sirsikar
BUS-788
12 November 2013
NIKE P O Fit Paper

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze and perceive person–organization (PO) fit and organizational attraction, intentions to accept a job offer, and actual job offer decision. The importance of fit between employee and organization culture is an increasingly common topic in the study of organizational development. This paper proposes a method to predict Person-Organizational fit based on measurement and definitions that are well known and statistically reliable.
About

NIKE, Inc. is a “Global brand of athletic footwear”. NIKE, Inc. operates in 160 countries and has many brands including Nike Golf and Air Jordan. The mission statement of NIKE is to “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. It is a powerful example of corporate culture. The main reason behind this is that the NIKE employees have a sense of belonging which helps NIKE is retaining and attracting the employees. The organization fosters a community culture, which serves as an irresistible pull for the employees. It also encourages the employees to voice their opinions, which gives them a sense of responsibility. Decision-making is an innovative process in the organization.

Personal Assessment

Personality plays an important role in determining how well you fit with an organization. The duties and responsibilities of each occupation require people in those roles to behave in specific ways for successful performance. Personality helps determine preferences, temperaments, and behavior. It also influences job performance by determining whether an individual has a natural inclination for job duties and/or will enjoy the job.
Among the tests, which have been in conducted in the class, I have used the NEO Personality scale and the Locus of Control scale for my evaluation. According to the personality profile, I can describe myself as an individual with conscientious personality with an Internal Locus of Control. Briefly, as an individual with conscientious personality, I am more of achievement oriented, dependable and responsible. Having an internal Locus of Control, I tend to base my decisions on personal values and on what I feel is right. I believe I have a proactive personality, which helps me in identifying good opportunities and act towards them. I prefer to lead life in a simple, organized manner. I enjoy knowing people and do not have any problem approaching a new person or introducing people. I am easy to get to know, as I am very talkative, friendly and approachable. I am strong in class discussions and feel comfortable sharing my opinions and taking risks.
All these values have been of great help in my previous college life and at the work place. Being an easily approachable person, my manager would always ask me to give my opinions on a particular project or a decision to be made. Although I was a Project Associate and assisted my manager, he highly valued my decisions. He always praised me for my determination towards any given job and my achievement oriented perception. During my undergraduate college years, this aspect of my personality has highly benefited me. Being a conscientious person, my professors considered me as an ideal candidate for assisting in their research projects. I enjoy the challenge of learning new skills and incorporating new ideas, which enables me to express more creativity and originality.

Culture at NIKE
Organizational culture can be defined as a system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members. Companies have cultures and personalities. And they have values, such as compassion, achievement, learning, or innovation. At NIKE, Inc., a talented, diverse and inclusive employee base helps drive the creativity that is central to the brand. At the organization the employees are challenged through group exercises and brainstorming sessions to define how the future could look and how they would get there. Employees are encouraged to voice their opinions and the scenarios are accordingly planned. Innovation is at the heart of the culture at NIKE, Inc. Employees at Nike, Inc., are encouraged to be curious and open to new ideas, whatever their source is. The organization encourages its people to be honest and transparent and to promote diversity and sustainability. At NIKE, Inc. training and development opportunities are offered that teach the managers how to amplify their employees’ talent, energy and capabilities. It strives to create venues and environments for open dialogue that encourage diverse opinions and a multitude of perspectives. For example, in FY08, the Diversity & Inclusion team created an experience called as "Culture as Offense” (CAO). The CAO session provided the employees at the early stage of their careers an opportunity to connect with other diverse and passionate employees and empowered them to share their perspectives with high-level decision makers.

Person-Organization Fit Assessment
Personally I would like to work at NIKE because it has an open-minded culture and it makes a continuous effort to be better at what it does best. It strives to achieve operational and functional excellence. As mentioned earlier that I am an achievement-oriented person, I believe that I would be an ideal fit at the organization. NIKE, Inc. is a responsible organization, which cares for its employees. Also NIKE, Inc. supports creative thinking and encourages the employees to ask the right questions, examine learning opportunities, and continually rethink the needs of the business are ever-present priorities. This aspect of its personality is something what I have always expected from an organization as it continually engages your mind and makes you more creative.