Strategic Leadership and Ethics

Strategic Leadership started with Kellogg’s founder, W.K. Kellogg, back in 1906. Mr. Kellogg had a strong commitment to nutrition, health and quality and we still see these qualities being carried out today. His vision to drive improvement in Kellogg products and processes and produce the greatest tasting, nutritious products still continues, as well. By Mr. Kellogg being an inspirational and motivated founder, he set the tone in the company early. He pushed that their purpose was to “nourish families so they can flourish and thrive.” This has been driving Kellogg’s to success since the beginning.

Kellogg’s also shows strategic leadership by empowering employees. Kellogg’s employees are their competitive advantage. They have created a culture in which employees can succeed and grow in the company. Leadership believes that the company won’t succeed unless the employees succeed. They also empower their employees by recognizing their efforts with awards through out the year.

Internal knowledge is shared through out the company. I read through some of the employee biographies and this is what I learned. Employees enjoy working for Kellogg’s because they get to work in cross-functional teams, network to share and gain information, and that everyone is truly working towards the same goal.

Kellogg’s also uses external information to make decisions about products. Since they are a global company, they have to adjust their products to the tastes and preference of each culture. In order to find out what those consumers want, Kellogg’s listens to them and makes products that fit the different cultures. They have also listened to consumers when they said they wanted healthier foods. Kellogg’s has created the most nutritious foods to meet the needs of their consumers.

Ethics are a concern in every company, however Kellogg’s has created a Global Code of Ethics to promote ethical decision-making through out the company. Their 5 key points are integrity, trust, fair, accurate and respect. It states that Kellogg employees act with integrity and show respect for themselves, each other, consumers, customers, shareholders, communities and in the marketplace. They have an Ethics Office if ethical concerns arise and need to be discussed. Every year, employees are required to take a Business Conduct Questionnaire to reflect on personal circumstances and disclose any information about ethical misconduct.

http://www.kelloggcompany.com/company.aspx?id=32

http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/K/1701282836x0x148401/0FBF97EA-585E-4ADA-B9D5-2C49AE56491D/KelloggsCodeOfEthics.pdf