The answer, according to Kellogg’s King BraydenIt is the creation of a successful movement culture in the company – one that mobilizes people, inside and outside the organization, to work together to promote a social goal.
This does not mean hunting highly ideally at the expense of the lower line. An effective movement led by purposes must be linked to the company’s strategy, or otherwise employees can be found in relegation scenarios where economic incentives and political goals are in conflict, says King, a professor of administration and organizations.
“Strong cultures will have alignment between their strategic logic and the wider purpose of the organization,” says King.
To one Recent case studyThe king examined a business that has created a proven effective movement culture. After becoming chief executive of the Italian energy company E.on Italia in April 2021, Frank Meyer tried to channel the organization’s long -term viability initiatives into a larger renewable energy movement. The message: “Make Italy Green”.
It was more than a marketing slogan. By the time Meyer abandoned the organization in early 2024, the company’s customized profits had tripled-and millions of Italians had participated in the E.on Italia campaign through art facilities, volunteer efforts and carbon-footprint implementation.
The king and his associates, Mark ClemetsProfessor at Zhaw Administration and Law School, and Amy KlopfensteinA researcher at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business examined how the Leadership E.on Italia team developed a culture that would motivate employees – and the Italian audience – to embrace sustainability.
E.on Italia proves that the development of a movement culture can lead to differentiation and development, the king says.
Here are the king’s proposals on how organizations can undertake a cultural restoration – and how they can expand a cultural campaign beyond the company itself.
Create a clear cultural link
At E.on Italia, Meyer acknowledged that building a successful culture of movement depends on the alignment of culture with the company’s business strategy. Projects related to sustainability were part of E.on Italia’s history almost since its founding as part of the European multinational E.on Group in 2000, so the company had a good foundation to rely.
Most companies would do well to follow this path and build a culture based on the values that have already created internally.
“Understand what your purpose is based on what you do well, what you believe today,” the king says, “and then emphasize the purpose as a way to improve and clarify this culture.”
In more recent years, when it was tackled regulatory pressure, the E.on team had been transported away from fossil fuels and nuclear production services to a new viability -based business model. For E.on Italia, the hierarchy of environmental viability as a purpose has also faced the highest social challenge of encouraging Italians to combat climate change.
The Make Italy Green campaign provided the company the opportunity to promote this environmental mission – and itself. E.on Italia has created art facilities around Italy, including a building frozen over excessive air conditioning and a boat suspended above Lake Garda, which depicts reduced water levels in Italy’s largest lake.
While these facilities were motivated by marketing, they also drew attention to the threats of climate change.
“E.on Italia’s brand campaigns have helped Italian consumers understand how the use of energy has helped to change the climate,” says King. “Call consumers to join E.on Italia to form a movement to reduce carbon emissions.”
Create in and from the base upward
When establishing a cultural campaign, it helps to build it by the organization, starting with the ranking archive and. If the movement is able to create personal attachment to the company, it is more likely to resonate with society in general. At E.on Italia, Meyer does not just dictate the Makeal Green message to the company’s staff.
“You’re never going to get the culture you want if you just tell people what to do,” says the king. “You also need to hear the employees and have them part of this process.”
To this end, E.on Italia held a town hall where it gathered inputs of workers. He also brought a consultant to receive this influx and depict him as a map showing the vision of the body and the challenges in front of graphic form.
“There must be a way to hear and then create an artifact about what culture workers think,” he says. “This is a reminder of them. But also a natural representation of culture.”
Make Italy Green has acted as an unifying idea for E.on Italia’s marketing and volunteering activities. While cleaning the beaches or planting trees are typical forms of commitment to the corporate community, under Meyer’s vision that they were ways for employees to integrate the purpose of the company.
“You started to see employees change their behaviors in their lives,” says the king, including adjusting the thermostat of their home and moving from driving to public transit.
The company is only the beginning
The basic component of a culture of movement, however, is that it is associated with a wider social goal that is aligned with the beliefs and practices of the company.
“I don’t know that Steve Jobs used the term” motion culture “, but when he was leading Apple as CEO, he certainly saw Apple’s technologies as a way to transform the wider culture,” King says. “He made the idea that you make money in it. He wanted to create things that would change the way people related to the world and simplify their lives.
Apple’s goal was different from E.on Italia’s, but it was similarly transformed and linked to the organization. As one of Italy’s smallest energy companies, E.on Italia put on Italy Green Marketing campaign to the general Italian public, not just to potential customers. The company put an application that someone They could use to monitor the carbon footprint, regardless of whether or not they used E.on Italia as a power provider.
In order to have a culture of motion, companies have to expand beyond their usual fenced gardens, the king says. “You have to make the limits much more porous so that people can use the resources provided by the body to achieve the goals of the movement.”
“You may spend the costs you wouldn’t do otherwise, but they saw it as a victory -win, because you achieve the goals of the movement, but you also increase the brand’s visibility and possibly increase your customer base, while increasing your commitment and commitment.” “This is not the naive, ideal model. It is also a clearly leading to the company’s development strategy.”
Stay aligned in large and small ways
Applying a motion culture is not easy. It requires clear communication and buy-in by employees throughout the body-member from whom they can oppose social purpose. But the king argues that a turnover can be a tool for enhancing culture.
“You will lose the employees who may be less believe in purpose, even when you attract other people who believe. Some turnover helps to enhance culture,” he says.
The embrace of a purpose can also expose the body to push the impulse from customers and the general public. After a customer complained when an E.on Italia employee arrived at a diesel car for a solar framework, the company cut a plan to move its fleet to electric vehicles.
“Every time you as a company you take a position on something related to values, you open yourself for criticism,” says King. “It’s something that the company and executives should be willing to do if they believe it is important.”
While any movement culture will not be purely altruistic, consistency is decisive.
“The companies that make these choices need to make sure that what they say abroad is solidified by what they do internally,” says King.
The experience of E.on Italia, which proposes, shows that a coherent and holistic approach can go a long way.
“A cynical person can look at this and say,” Oh, everything is just green washing, “he says.” If it were only smart marketing, it would be a valid criticism, but the fact that he was over and bought, that is really inspired. “
