The Workplace of Kellogg's: Comparison to Welch's perception of an ideal workplace

The Workplace of Kellogg's: Comparison to Welch's perception of an ideal workplace

Overview

This paper has two contexts. One is the success of an organization and how it depends on the level of employee motivation and satisfaction that the company is able to achieve and the other is the views of Jack Welch, his concept of successor plans and candor in the workplace and how the two relate to Kellogg's, UK's leading cereal manufacturer.

In the paper, we shall discuss certain theories and concepts, as proposed by Jack Welch and compare them to the current practices at Kellogg's to see how close the fit is. Towards the end of the paper, there are suggestions and alternatives that the company could adopt to improve their performance management and human resource management.

The vision of Kellogg's is to enrich and delight the world with their food and the brands that are important to the people. The mission/purpose of the company is to nourish families so that they may flourish and thrive. As stated on the official website of the company:

“By being mindful and committed to these ideals, we uphold our founder's dedication to people and their well-being. And we promote an environment where we can push beyond boundaries and across borders to create foods and brands that help to fuel the best in everyone everywhere.” (Kellogg's, 2012).

During last summer, the author of this paper participated in an internship at the company. Kellogg's takes internees every summer and the recruitment is done on the basis of two factors: the first is the entrance test and the other is the qualification of the applicant. Hence, application and entrance is entirely merit based.

Discussion

According to Jack Welch (as discussed in his famous interview 'Create Candor in the Workplace'), a business organization is not just a part of the industry, it is a part of the society. He discusses that people working within the organization are the representatives of the organization, internally as well as externally. These employees, (when they wind up their daily work and step out of the organization), take the company name with them and hence, the brand extends much beyond the boundaries of the organization. Welch discusses that the best way to improve the workplace is by ensuring that there is smooth and flowing communication within the organization.

What criteria do they meet?

According to Welch, it is not wise to treat all employees equally. He says that there should be a certain level for each employee in the organization, according to the performance of the employee. Welch discusses that twenty percent of the employees in the organization should be treated as the top employees and this should reflect on a corporate level through official rewards and recognition. This would motivate the others to do the same. The next 70% employees should be clearly told what they need to do to be able to reach the 20% layer, so that they also work much more effectively and the ...