Passion for the Planet

Passion for the Planet

1, What role, if any, does McGregor's Theory Y play at Patagonia? Explain.

McGregor's Theory Y plays a critically important role in the formation and continual strengthening of the Patagonia culture. It underscores a belief, in fact a core attribute of the company culture, that autonomy, mastery and purpose are critically important for employees to take ownership and thrive in their jobs (Camps, Rodriguez, 2011). Theory Y also brings a very high level of participative management into any culture. In the case of Patagonia, the focus on how to create more trust so collaborative workflows are created and maintained is achieved through participative management (Kim, 2002).

How does Patagonia build human and social capital?

Patagonia takes the mindset that creating a more open, collaborative culture will over time lead to greater levels of human and social capital being generated, accumulated and available for initiatives and strategies to be completed. The steps taken to ensure the development and continual effective growth of human and social capital is predicated on a highly participative leadership style that concentrates on collaborative learning and knowledge sharing, and the development of a culture that values intellectual intelligence and the ability to generate results over just measuring seniority or forma authority that is not always earned (Rad, Yarmohammadian, 2006).

3. How does this case bring the profile of the 21st-century manager to life? Explain.

The Patagonia case brings many of the core aspects of the profile of the 21st century manager to life, beginning with the manager being more of a facilitator and less of an autocratic, controlling type of leader. The managers at Patagonia, starting with the CEO, are more focused on how to enable greater levels of autonomy, mastery and purpose, the three core building blocks of long-term learning and ownership of ones' job (Ramsey, 2010). The case also illustrates how effectively Patagonia has shifted their focus away from being focus on formal authority as the primary means to get compliance, to a reliance on expertise and knowledge. This shift in the balance of power within organizations can also lead to entirely new decision-making, ethical and interpersonal relationship standards as well. All of these aspects of the 21st century manager are exemplified in how Patagonia is architecting its culture so it is agile enough to respond to turbulent market conditions as well. It is implicit in the case study that the company has an abundance of competitors and is a rapidly changing industry. Taking these steps to 21st century management ensures that the company will be able to keep its employees motivated and focused on the challenges o the future.

4. Which of the seven moral principles in Table 1-5 appear to be in force at Patagonia? Explain.

Autonomy, honesty, loyalty, fairness, humanness, and the common good are all principles the company adheres to and are in force at Patagonia. The focus on how to translate these values into a corporate culture capable of competing in very challenging markets is an aspect of the company's operation the case alludes to. These moral principles however are critically important for ensuring a high level of credibility and consistency throughout the organization over time. They are also critical for ensuring employees continually have an opportunity to take accountability and responsibility for their jobs (Ramsey, 2010).

5. What appeals to you (or does not appeal to you) about working at Patagonia? Explain.