As announced in my last blog post, I spoke with two other Gen Yers working for the adidas Group to get some insight on how they experience life working at the adidas Group headquarters. As Gen Yers, we come into the workplace with a unique and different mind-set employers haven’t previously seen in employees. Some companies refuse to make the necessary changes to attract and retain Gen Yers and others, like the adidas Group, have made the effort to understand our differences and have created an environment for us to flourish in.
South African born Benjamin Darlington and native Nuremberger Emanuel Dettmann both worked for adidas in Cape Town during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After this experience, both of them pursued careers with adidas. Benjamin is currently working as an Assistant Product Manager in Regional Sports for Rugby and Cricket. Emanuel is a Specialist in Project Planning for Apparel. I spoke with both of them to find out what attracted them to adidas, how they experience the working environment and what they can contribute to achieve the objectives of Route 2015.
What initially attracted you to working at adidas?
Benjamin: It’s quite simple really, the initial attraction stemmed from my passion andlove for sports. As a youngster, I was always loyal to adidas and this, combined with my connection and affiliation towards German sports teams, meant that I was continually exposed to the brand. For example, I grew up supporting Steffi Graf, Bayern Munich and the German national football team who all proudly wore the three stripes.
The decision to pursue a career with the brand came after having spent an incredibly challenging and exciting two months working for adidas during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in my home country, South Africa. During this time, I was exposed to various elements of adidas and quite simply the sheer size and magnitude of the brand made me realise that I want to follow up on the potential that I saw for myself within the company and, as they say, the rest is history.
What is the culture like at the adidas Group headquarters?
Benjamin Darlington from South Africa is working as an Assistant Product Manager in Regional Sports for Rugby and Cricket
Benjamin: The working culture can be best described as all inclusive and, when compared to other companies, informal and less hierarchical. When you take a look at the demographics, it is clear that there are predominantly more young professionals (25-35) in the company, so you are permanently surrounded by so many young, vibrant and charismatic individuals, each of whom speaks a different language, has a different background or thinks in a totally different way, making it not only a stimulating working environment but also a valuable learning experience.
Emanuel: I work in a large cross-functional team with people from different departments, which makes every day different for me. We are a young team and have a passion for what we do and want to achieve. Most of us have not just the same interests at work; we meet socially or play sports together after working hours as well. adidas has a community to not only just move job positions within the companfeeling to it, and it’s a great supportive environment I work in every day. Also for my future development, the company greatly values its employees and provides us with the opportunities to not only just move job positions within the company but also to various locations across the globe.
What are some of the cool technologies you get to use in your work?
Benjamin: Well, with regard to work-related technologies, there are various systems in which apparel and footwear ranges are managed, categorised and then further systems in which accompanying information is either filtered down or augmented. These programmes are easy to use and in essence very cool as they contain mountains of invaluable data, figures and images … I also use social networks like Facebook and YouTube, to get the opinions of our target consumer on our latest products, etc. and to look at what our competitors are doing.
Additionally, the company is continually innovating and striving to streamline and reduce complexity by creating new and improved systems and programmes. To name a few, adidas created the virtualisation wall, which will potentially revolutionise how business is done in the future as the wall will eventually replace all products on the shop floor and allow the consumer to build and personalise their desired products in store.
What gives you a competitive advantage as a Gen Yer in the workplace?
Benjamin: My generation is fully immersed in the digital age and always engaging and conversing through social networks like Facebook and Twitter. adidas successfully utilises these platforms to reach and influence our target consumers and this puts my generation at a distinct advantage with regard to how to approach marketing and communication.
With reference to everyday working life, it is sometimes said that Gen Yers are less focused, easily distracted and too involved in digital media. Even if some of that might be true, we are able to process thousands of pieces of information per day which helps us to be great at multi-tasking. We are constantly communicating, absorbing, analysing and moving through information at work and on social forums. We are the target consumer and we understand their mind-set and thereby, from an adidas perspective, our greatest advantage is to help break through the clutter and help the company understand the consumer we aim to reach.
How have you used your insight, being part of the adidas target consumer group in your work?
Benjamin: Well, I do it in every way possible. I think about the type of product a young avid cricket player or rugby player would like …I analyse the colours, the feel of the product and its features, always having the target consumer in mind. That said, in the area I work we are primarily licensed-driven and therefore we are limited in how far we can go outside the box but, most certainly, instinctively knowing what makes the target consumer tick is a great help!
As colleagues play a valuable role in Gen Yers’ careers, what invaluable lesson have you learnt from your team?
Emanuel Ettmann joined adidas in 2010 and now is working as a Specialist in Project Planning for Apparel
Benjamin: I have learnt that you need a sense of humour to take on the challenges you face in the workplace, that no matter the question, it’s never too silly or too late to ask for help or advice and that targets will be met and achieved as long as we work together in a team; after all, like in a rugby scrum, as long as we hold on a push together, the job will get done.
Emanuel: I have learnt that each team member has his/her own key knowledge and experience and bringing this all together within one department leads to a very successful output. I have experienced through my team how important teamwork and collaboration are and what a significant difference this makes. My colleagues really support me in establishing new ideas and projects and, thereby, I can personally develop within the team.
How are you helping to achieve the objectives of Route 2015?
Benjamin: Well, firstly, the objectives of Route 2015 are speed in our decision-making and processes, consistency across functions and locations and consumer focus, thereby putting the employees at the heart of everything we do, and therefore Route 2015 is a blueprint and a link between all employees and their responsibilities.
I would like to believe, as would any employee, that I provide value to my business unit and, ultimately, the company. Even in a junior position, I feel with my responsibilities and, together with my team, we are all helping achieve the lofty goals of the company by streamlining our business. We focus on learning from and improving on the previous seasons and continually look to improve how we work in any matter and form. As my personal tasks are all based on improvement, efficiency and creating quality products at competitive prices, my day-to-day actions are all in line with the objectives of Route 2015. The adidas Group had yet another record year in 2011, and I expect every year leading up to 2015 will be no different.
