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Never Undervalue the Importance of a Standout Corporate Culture

By Melissa Howell, Chief Human Resources Officer, Kellanova

An organization’s culture can be its secret to success – or it can hold a company back from reaching its goals. The recipe for the right culture isn’t easy to attain. According to Gartner, fewer than one-third of CHROs in one survey believed their culture could support their company’s future business strategy.

But it can be a game changer. That’s why Kellanova is on a journey to build and embed our Culture of Best – because as a new company, with a sharpened strategy and a vision to be the world’s best, our culture is critical to achieving our goals. Kellanova’s Culture of Best celebrates boldness and empowers our employees to challenge the status quo, achieve results, and win together.

As part of this, we also refreshed and simplified our values. Kellanova’s values are Integrity, Accountability, and Courage. Why just three? Our CEO Steve Cahillane and I want every single person at Kellanova to be able to name our values without hesitation and to understand how they look in practice.

Integrity captures our commitment to do what’s right, the right way – which has been a hallmark of ours since Kellogg was founded in 1906. Accountability signifies our long tradition of taking initiative, taking ownership, and delivering – all central our culture. Courage signals that we each intend to be brave and bold in challenging the status quo, thinking big, and fearlessly pursuing opportunities.

We put a lot of time and care into ensuring our aspirations and values are right for us. But culture doesn’t exist on a page – it’s brought to life by our people. By how each of us conducts ourselves and our business every day. It is how we support and positively challenge each other to reach our individual and collective best.

As we rolled out Culture of Best, we commissioned a survey of potential job seekers in six countries. Its conclusions underscore why Kellanova revisited our ways of working, starting with our culture and values. The findings show that potential talent seeks workplaces where they can thrive and become their best (94%) and where they can make an impact and will be rewarded for their accomplishments (95%). Nearly two-thirds (63%) view workplace flexibility and career development as “must-haves”.

The survey results also highlight the importance potential job seekers place on learning and development opportunities, workplace flexibility, and the ability to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

Kellanova has always believed that our people are our competitive advantage. That’s why we are focusing so much on building our Culture of Best and providing our people with opportunities to build powerhouse careers. And it doesn’t stop there. Our Culture of Best asks Kellanova leaders and employees to be bold, to challenge the status quo, and to ask themselves and our teams, “Is what we are delivering truly the best?”

We know that “Best” isn’t a destination – it's a journey – and we’re fired up about this next chapter for Kellanova. Let’s Go! 

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