Patagonia: In Business to Save our Home Planet
How Patagonia is setting a higher standard for businesses to reach their full potential and achieve more than just the bottom line.
CONTACT USThe Challenge:
Patagonia’s newly-revised mission statement which focuses even more emphasis on environmental impact, necessitated problem solving of key strategic issues, organizational shifts, as well as an evaluation of challenges and opportunities to guide the future of the business. The core team sought strategic discussion, scenario planning, decision making, and alignment to set priorities and direction for the next 5 years.
The Outcome:
Patagonia’s leadership team built a 5-year strategic roadmap re-examining everything from their new mission statement to their bold strategic initiatives for all areas of the business. The result was a clear picture of the organization they want to become in 5-10 years to reach their full potential.
The Vision:
We are in the business to save our home planet.
The Approach:
OnStrategy facilitated the process to develop Patagonia’s 2020-25 strategic direction. The approach included connecting individually with each core team member, business unit director and channel VPs as part of the pre-planning process. Our senior strategists, Erica Olsen and Kim Perkins, facilitated a series of eight, 1-day strategy sessions with Patagonia’s core leadership team that included agenda development, pre-read summaries and post-session notes; post-session follow-up and process refinement. The ultimate deliverable was a 5-year plan outlining the bold strategic shifts for the major areas of the business, specifically addressing Board of Directors and the CEO’s strategic questions about the future.
- Team Interviews: We connected one-on-one with each core team member, business unit director and channel VP as part of the pre-planning process.
- Onsite Planning Sessions: OnStrategy facilitated a series of eight 1-day strategy sessions with Patagonia’s with the core team including agenda development, pre-read summaries and post-session notes.
- Strategy Design: Identifying strategic issues and priorities from the executive team and directors to influence the design and direction of an actionable roadmap with goals, accountabilities and timelines across all divisions and regions worldwide.
- Development of a 5-Year Plan: In collaboration with Patagonia’s team, OnStrategy helped outline the bold strategic shifts for the major areas of the business, specifically addressing the Board of Directors and the CEO’s strategic questions about the future.
- One-Page Strategic Plan & Communication Materials: Developed communication tools to inform the whole organization of the priorities and why they matter.
The Deliverables
OnStrategy provided Patagonia’s core team with a summary of strategic issues, shifts and decisions made; scenario planning/recommendations for the Board; and a high-level plan with a clear set of priorities tied to the mission and overall impact of the brand:
- Scenario Planning: Compiled three scenario evaluations including the core team’s recommended direction for the Board.
- SWOTs: Summarized SWOT reports for each category, channel and area of the business.
- Future State Narratives: Category view and summary of strategic direction, market position, product leadership, marketing/distribution strategy, and mission impact for each business unit.
- One-Page Strategic Plan: High-level summary of strategic direction and brand priorities.
- Narrative Strategic Plan: Detailed strategic decisions, intent, mission impact and direction.
- Strategy Session Notes: Detailed documentation of all meetings.
The Results
With a keen focus on sustainability and the future of our planet, Patagonia, together with OnStrategy, aligned their leadership team around a new weighty mission statement and agreed to recommendations to take to the Board of Directors. They tackled strategic issues to ensure they become the company they envision in the next 5-10 years and identified necessary organizational shifts to realize their mission, create higher industry standards and increase their brand impact. The team articulated guiding brand priorities to direct the future state of the business.
The impact? A clear line-of-sight into how Patagonia can grow and save their home planet.
- Future Vision: A clear, concise and agreed-upon future state for the business.
- Team Alignment: Core team alignment to a shared strategic direction and recommendations to the Board of Directors.
- Bold Direction Setting: Decisions around key strategic issues defining how the company wants to evolve in the next 5-10 years.
- Organizational Shifts: Identified necessary shifts within Patagonia to further their mission, create higher industry standards, and have greater impact as a brand.
- Brand Priorities: Articulated a set of brand priorities to guide the company for the next 3-5 years.
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