Case 8.1: Vision Boards at Lululemon

Read chapter 8. Scroll down to the end of the chapter to find Case 8.1. Read the case study and any accompanying articles, then respond to the tasks and questions below.

Brief Case Description Vision boards are Lululemons means of empowering employees to understand their SMART personal and professional goals. This case details the effects these workshops have had on employee satisfaction and forces students to think about what they would put in a vision board they created themselves. Even a concept as appealing as vision boards will run into speed bumps as it is implemented within a company. This case forces readers to think about how to best implement the concepts they are learning about in this book, as Lululemon faced pushback by forcing employees to partake in these workshops. Whether it be a great concept, workshop, practice, or software, the implementation of it is not an exact science and leaders ought to consider creative ways of driving adoption, because forcing participation could have the opposite desired effect.

Task and Discussion Questions

1. Do you think that the vision boards are important to Lululemons business success? Explain why or why not. What are some of the benefits of Lululemons focus on personal development of its associates?
2. Do some research and locate photos of vision boards. Do you find them inspiring?
3. Do you think the creation of vision boards would work for other retailers? Other companies in general? Why or why not?
4. What is your opinion regarding employees being required to attend personal development workshops and create vision boards?