— Culture Transformation
— Leadership Transformation
— Learning & Development
Case study
Adidas — Kickstarting a revolution in learning
In a nutshell.
In today’s hyper-competitive sports retail market, leadership capability is a critical differentiator. This is why adidas challenged us to design and launch the “Manager Development Experience” (MDE)—a transformational 12-month program to embed a new Global Leadership Framework and accelerate delivery of the company’s ambitious growth strategy across 70 countries.
On top of transformational learning and culture outcomes, the program has led to 4,000 mid-level managers directly contributing to an uplift in adidas’s global business performance. This includes iconic product innovations, higher operating margins, and a sevenfold increase in e-commerce sales—significantly strengthening the company’s overall market position.
MDE was so successful that it became the blueprint for all future leadership programs at adidas.
5 key insights.
- Leadership capability is a strategic enabler – Building consistent behaviors across 11,000 managers was essential to executing adidas’s growth strategy
- Cultural authenticity drives impact – Infusing program design with the sporting metaphors of adidas’s brand and culture drove engagement and results
- Global scale requires flexible program design – Modularity and choice enabled MDE to adapt to different territories, learner preferences, and business needs
- Collaborative learning accelerates cultural change – Creating opportunities to network, cross-pollinate learning and build a connected global community of leaders
- Results drive momentum – When 84% of line managers see tangible skill improvements, leadership development becomes a competitive advantage that fuels further investment
The strategic context.
Middle managers were pivotal to strategic execution
As one of the world’s leading sports brands, adidas employs over 62,000 people across 70 countries. At the heart of the business are 11,000 junior and mid-level (M4 and M3) managers who play a vital role in sustaining the culture and performance of the business.
With the launch of its “Create The New” business strategy, adidas set out to revitalize the business through creativity, collaboration, speed-to-market, and cultural impact in key global cities. To bring this vision to life, the company identified M4 and M3 managers as the critical link between strategy and execution.
The challenge.
Strategic change demanded leadership alignment
Artgym research revealed an inconsistent learning experience for M4 and M3 managers across adidas’ different territories. To create consistency, a new Global Leadership Framework was launched that defined key behaviors across three core pillars: Collaboration, Confidence, and Creativity
Our mission was to turn that framework into lived behavior, designing and delivering a leadership program that would unite M4 and M3 managers worldwide and strengthen their ability to deliver the “Create The New” strategy. Without the program, the company’s ambitious growth plans would be vulnerable to inconsistent leadership capabilities at a critical tier of the organization.
“We want to bring our Leadership Framework to life by creating a unified global network of leaders who can learn, connect, and grow as they contribute to our business strategy.”
Bruce Dudley, VP of Global Leadership Development and Learning
Our solution.
An energizing and highly immersive program
Working collaboratively with adidas, we used Design Thinking to build innovation in from the start. This meant the program could be adapted, tested and improved as business and learner needs changed—a feature that became hugely beneficial during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After extensive research and several rounds of ideation, the 12-month “Manager Development Experience” (MDE) was born. Structured around a sport-inspired adaptation of our award-winning methodology (Mindset+Practice=Performance), it created a natural connection between high-performance sports and high-performance leadership.
Key elements included:
- A strong sporting metaphor that ran through all content, comms, and learning moments, leveraging adidas’s brand DNA to create deeper engagement and stronger results
- Strategic alignment through a “3Cs Team Challenge” where participants contributed directly to the delivery of the “Create the New” business strategy and measurable business outcomes
- Deeply immersive, practice-led experiences where participants applied new skills to their real-world jobs, group sessions, and live “Showcase” presentations
- Energizing communications, including a distinct tone of voice, fast-paced “movie trailers,” and “countdown to launch” emails generating buzz and traction
- Self-driven, flexible learning with a degree of autonomy and choice in learning paths
- Peer-to-peer learning through in-person and virtual workshops that enabled participants to collaborate with peers, network, and cross-pollinate their learning across functions and regions
- Digital enablement, to sustain momentum and engagement through the program, including virtual workshops, social learning tools, and participant blogs and vlogs
- Psychological self-assessments that guided the personalization of content and aided in both self-reflection and impact tracking
- Modularity within a constant structure, so content could be adapted when needed
To ensure successful global delivery, we provided clear and tailored communications to all stakeholders, alongside robust local support for HR administrators. Rollout started with a 96-manager pilot in three countries—to test, learn, and refine—before scaling to over 4,000 leaders across 70 locations.
“MDE aligns to adidas culture… It goes beyond theory to constantly push you out of your comfort zone… absolutely necessary if you want to grow as a leader.”
MDE participant
The outcome.
A new benchmark for leadership development
MDE achieved every single one of its design objectives and its global impact on adidas’s culture and business continues to this day.
The “Create The New” strategy that MDE helped to activate is widely considered a turning point for adidas. In the five years following its launch, adidas saw higher operating margins, a doubling of sales in North America and Greater China, and a sevenfold increase in e-commerce sales. Iconic product innovations (Yeezy, NMD, Stan Smith/Superstar) became global bestsellers, and significant growth saw the brand strengthen its market position.
The program’s success led to it becoming the blueprint for all future leadership programs at adidas, including the “Director Development Experience” (DDE) launched a year later. And it’s so popular with participants that places are literally snapped up within minutes of release.
The program went on to win the Brandon Hall Gold Award for “Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Program”, cementing its status as a global benchmark for leadership development.
74%
reported MDE as “Very” or “Extremely Effective” at helping them develop and implement new initiatives
84%
of line managers saw improved leadership skills in participants
7x
increase in global e-commerce sales in the 5 years following the launch of the new strategy
“The Mindset, Practice, Performance learning structure has become the best practice standard at adidas. It’s how all our learning programs are now modelled.”
Shelly Tuohy, Global Director of Leadership Development