When I think about Nike's greatest resource or capability, I immediately go to their corporate belief system that is ingrained in everyone. Nike employee numbers are hard to come by; the competition is fierce. Why? Why do Nike employees (specifically at WHQ) become so insanely loyal especially in this day and age where loyalty to an employer is so rare? I believe it is due to Nike's core belief that their employees are their greatest asset. While the pay is par, sometimes even low as compared to other companies in a particular area, but the non monetary benefits are phenomenal. On top of that, the most senior leaders believe everyone is a part of the success. That's pretty unique, based on my personal experiences.
As I break down Nike's employee structure in the VRIO framework, here's where I see it:
Nike Employees as a Competitive Advantage
VRIO Analysis
Valuable - Yes
Rare - Yes
Costly to Imitate - Yes
Exploited by Org - Yes
By assessing their employee structure, I believe they very much value their employee resources, as well as a create the rarity in the belief structure of employees as part of something big. I also believe this is very difficult and challenging, as well as expensive for other organizations to imitate. Nike takes great steps to ensure they are fostering the right environment and culture for employees to continue to embrace and "drink the kool-aid" so-to-speak.
To me, it's an amazingly interesting way to look at what makes a company tick. How does Nike continue to blow out their business? How is it being sustained? What's the secret sauce? Hard to say for sure, but I do believe one key component is the value they have and see in their employee resource.
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