You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Why This Ad Agency Makes Every New Hire Climb Mount Fuji This company takes team building to a whole new level – literally.

By Laura Entis

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

comm604 | Foap.com

Company culture remains the buzzword of the moment. From quirky free perks to team vacations to regular office happy hours, businesses are attempting all kinds of strategies to forge bonds between employees in order to create a collective sense of identity that links its organization.

The Japanese advertising agency Dentsu takes this strategy to a whole new level – quite literally. AdAge reports that the agency, one of the largest in the world, has a longstanding tradition that every able-bodied new hire and newly promoted executive must climb Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan.

According to the outlet, since 1925, each July a group of fresh employees and executives starts the 12,388-foot trek in the afternoon, hikes through the night and reaches the summit around sunrise.

Related: Culture Eats Technology for Lunch

Christopher Demetrakos is a former employee who worked at Dentsu for 13 years. He sees the annual climb as a tangible symbol of the company's ambition to reach new heights together, as a team.

"The message is, 'We are going to conquer the one symbol that represents Japan more than anything else," he told the outlet. "And, 'once we do that, it will signify that we can do anything.'"

For such a large organization – 6,200 employees work out of the company's Tokyo headquarters – enacting an extreme bonding experience makes a kind of sense. Hiking through the night with your coworkers will likely lead to more memorable shared experiences than a tepid welcome office happy hour.

Perhaps it's working: Dentsu's global expansion push is paying off, AdAge reports. Its revenues inside and outside Japan are now about equal, a longtime goal for the agency.

Related: Suits and Ties Be Damned: Bringing Startup Culture to Big Business

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Money & Finance

5 Simple Wealth-Building Tips For This Generation's Forward-Thinkers

Explore practical finance tips for young professionals striving to overcome economic challenges.