A brief overview of everything
Core values
Be brave Team up Develop Get the job done Keep it simple
Always keeping a playful approach. All of the core values are approached best with a playful mindset to avoid the “Must Monster”, combing for example “get the job done” with having a playful approach. This will make us “happy warriors”! Work will be hard, development will sometimes be demanding and uncomfortable. That’s normal and we want the high intensity. When we manage to keep a playful approach and can substitute “must” with “want to” or “will” we can avoid that it becomes heavy and tense. Hard work done with a smile is lighter. The core values give us an indication of what is expected of us as individuals and what we can expect from each other, how we work together as an organization and how we interact with the World.
Vision
Icebug’s vision is being a changemaker, for a society where people can thrive, on a planet in balance.
This is our North Star at the horizon, the direction to strive for and keep pushing towards. But it’s not just some distant future, it is the direction we commit to moving in every day. It is the job at Icebug. What is the change we’re looking for? It’s a system change where growth is not prioritized above everything else. Where business is a driving force to improve the livelihoods of many, but where business is not fueled by exploiting people or exceeding planetary boundaries. We believe that capitalism has a positive force, but to leverage that and mitigate the negative force, it needs to be properly reigned in and given fair rules of play that stays within what’s for people and nature. The change is also a change to a culture where we consume less but have a greater quality of life by connecting and experiencing deeper, where we value resources and take responsibility for our footprint.
Commitment
To do the right thing
even when it hurts Icebug
We strive for value creation in three dimensions: For the customer, for Icebug and for the World. The commitment is about what’s happening when there is a conflict: We will do what’s best for the World long term over what is best for Icebug short term. This is not about being perfect. We won’t always know what the right thing to do is but when we do, we won’t do the opposite. That would be unethical. We’re putting our effort first and foremost in moving towards a society where people can thrive and getting the planet in balance. We’re using our business for this goal. Since our business gives us a unique position to influence, this is a responsibility. The further commitment is to have a scientific approach towards building best available knowledge, challenge what we think we know by rethinking to build on the knowledge base. This loops with taking renewed action in the BUG method and when it’s not black and white, navigate the grey scale with the guiding principle of what makes most positive impact.
Decisions where we put the long-term effect for society and planet over the short-term effect for Icebug are “planet decisions”. Those are key, as they put our vision into practice. When we make “planet decisions” we should flag them and communicate them in the following steps: What are we doing? Why does this matter? Why should others do the same? This is a further way to try and amplify the impact. Putting pressure on business as usual to change and inspiring people to stop unethical work. An example of a “planet decision”: Since we know that we’re in a climate emergency, we can’t use air freight to catch a delivery delay. Full transparency will be a key to trust and credibility, we should take our responsibility here.
Purposes Inspiring more sustainable lifestyles Empowering people to get out more Scaling climate action Disrupt the destructive industry Develop and spread good work, that works on developing people
The purposes are a bridge between our vision towards the strategy and what we do every day. We’re also seeing how external and internal change are strongly related. Sustainable development and development of consciousness. Outer and inner development. A culture shift Inspiring more sustainable lifestyles This is the main purpose of our communication with users. Encouraging people to respect resources by putting products to good use, care for them and use them for a long time. (Showing old products too, the evolution of style. Finding the deep value in experiences that are close.)
Empowering people to get out more To connect with nature, with themselves and others. Getting exercise.
Scaling climate action How we do this is by sharing our data and learnings, setting best practice and offering our best hacks (such as: go straight to the energy). Do we need to talk about why this must be done?
Disrupt the destructive industry How we do this is by speaking up when there are things hidden in supply chain and practices that we know are unethical, but which keep happening anyways (example conventional dyeing of polyester with coal fire boilers when there is low impact dyeing processes). When business as usual is unsustainable, we want to disrupt it. Friction is useful since it creates traction and spurs change.
Develop and spread good work, that works on developing people “Good work” can be defined by what it is not. It’s never unethical. When you know what the right thing to do is (based on a scientific approach and best knowledge, not just opinions), you can’t do the contrary for sales or profit. It’s work that contributes to the greater good. Spending so much time at work, we also believe that work is the ideal place for us to keep developing all through life. Making people reach closer to their full potential. By improving perspective taking skills and increasing responsibility, making people more able to be a part of the sustainable transformation needed This is what we work on developing and part of the purpose is to scale this – everybody deserve a working place where they can thrive, and the World will be better off if people aren’t asked to do the wrong thing because that’s what follows the business logics of growth and profit.
BHAG
Becoming the patagonia of outdoor footwear
A Big Hairy Audacious Goal is an inspiring mission to rally around and embark on internally. A goal that can be reached, but which will indeed be a real stretch. It’s not embarrassing to have role models, so the goal is: Becoming the Patagonia of outdoor footwear. What’s so appealing about Patagonia? They’re not the biggest, but the most relevant. They have built an iconic status that reaches far beyond the outdoor industry. This is based on delivering innovative products and building a catalogue of classics. Being transparent, taking responsibility for lowering their own footprint and caring for the supply chain, and on top of that having a purpose that goes beyond their own business – “we’re in business to save our home planet”. But understanding that their activism and push to change the industry and the world will only be taken seriously if Patagonia is a successful business as well. Patagonia have made real impact. Icebug is more than a brand. We don’t just sell shoes to maximize profit. We also want to have a positive impact on people and the World. How long would this take? Probably at least 10 years. Maybe 20 or 25.
Business idea
Making better shoes
for people that want to get
outdoors every day
This is still central to what we actually do. It also connects to our vision, purpose and BHAG. “Better” means both higher performance/durability and more sustainable/smaller footprint. It stays within the frame work of our vision and what is the job of business: Satisfying relevant human needs with a responsible resource use. The hierarchy of our product sustainability work Making products that people really need. Make those products to be used for a long time (comfort, fit for use/versatility, durability, style longevity) Minimize resource use and negative footprint in production. Strive for positive impact from production and end of life solutions
Strategy
The Icebug definition
The structured way to take on a challenge. Our next challenge is becoming the Patagonia of outdoor footwear, while being a brand and company with much smaller resources (team, marketing, innovation) than the competitors. Our culture is a fundamental part of being able to execute any strategy.
There is a need identified to bridge the gap between the 100 days plans and the BHAG/purposes/vision. Things we need to do and milestones to pass that aren’t quick wins but require longer than a 100 days horizon. Decisions regarding medium term direction (maybe 1-3 years). Often also involving other teams, competences, management and relations to other key partners. The approach we want to take towards strategy work is the same as for all other work: A minimum viable process thinking, looking for the shortest way to creating value. So, we’re not embarking on a huge strategy project with the risk of doing a lot of work that will end up shooting beside the target. Instead, we zero in on closing that gap.
In practical work Starting from the 100 days plan, teams identify what they need to put in “100+” plans and what open questions needs strategic decision direction (1-3 years) and an idea of who else is involved. Those strategic direction decisions are brought to a product owner/management group and addressed there. (Either fast or going into a workflow). Feedback loop to the teams, looking at if strategic direction decisions triggers a 100 days plan revision. Open question: Is there a need for documenting and gathering those decision in one document? Will this be enough? We don’t know. We will learn from the process and be ready to feedback loop to improve it.