Organizational culture is one of the key elements of its design.

An organization’s culture acts

as a diffuser of its values and beliefs amongst its employees and determines how it is perceived
by its stakeholders. Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear manufacturer, is one of the
companies possessing a unique and strong culture. Founded by a climber, Patagonia values are
rooted in its love for the environment and has managed to create a culture that reflects this love.
Patagonia has managed to create a mission culture in its organization where the company’s
mission “to save our home planet” is aligned with its external and internal policies.

Patagonia has crafted its recruitment policies to filter candidates who identifies with the
company’s values. The company evaluates its candidates by reading their resumes from the
bottom up. The candidate’s hobbies and interests are checked out before any other aspect of
their profile. This helps the company identify the candidates sharing the company’s love for
outdoors. The hiring managers are motivated to hire candidates who are really passionate about
the planet and have, in the past, worked for organizations serving the environment. The
company also values diversity in its workforce and thus looks for other interests as well in its
candidates.

Patagonia has instituted various workplace initiatives to reinforce its values. Through its
flextime work policy named: Let My People Go Surfing, Patagonia has created a positive work
environment which allows its employees to lead more rich and rounded lives. It encourages its
employees to pursue the sports they love. Employees are also allowed to go outdoors to be with
nature or go surfing anytime they want. These initiatives create a positive impact on the
employee morale and productivity. The company also has on-site childcare facilities and a
parental-leave policy which fosters an enabling environment for people with children as well.
Keeping in mind its mission to save the environment, Patagonia has also instituted few policies
which are extremely unique in nature. First is the environmental internship program where its
employees can work for up to two months for any non-profit environmental organization of
their choice. Second is the policy of free bail for employees peacefully protesting for any
environmental cause. Such initiatives have helped Patagonia reinforce its identity by
embedding the core tenets of its values into its culture.

Patagonia has strengthened its identity and core values by engaging in extensive environmental
activism. The company donates at least 1% of its sales to environmental organizations all over
the world. They recycle polyester and only use sustainable materials like fleece made from
recycled plastic, organic cotton, etc. In addition to this, Patagonia has also been part of a
multitude of initiatives supporting numerous environmental causes.

Patagonia’s culture has been shaped around its mission. The company lives and breathes the
outdoors. Through its unique HR policies and external initiatives, the company has managed
to create a strong outdoorsy culture that brings the employees closer and motivates them to
work towards a common mission.
References

1. Spotlight on Patagonia: core values key to employee engagement. (2019, February

14). Retrieved from https://wethrive.net/blog/spotlight-patagonia-core-values-key-
employee-engagement/
2. 5 ‘Ridiculous’ Ways Patagonia Has Built a Culture That Does Well and Does Good.
(2017, September 27). Retrieved from https://business.linkedin.com/talent-
solutions/blog/talent-connect/2019/5-ways-patagonia-built-ridiculous-culture
3. Patagonia's HR chief says he reads resumes 'from the bottom up' to avoid the culture-
fit trap. (2019, October 18). Retrieved from
https://www.businessinsider.in/strategy/news/patagonias-hr-chief-says-he-reads-
resumes-from-the-bottom-up-to-avoid-the-culture-fit-trap/articleshow/71656529.cms