Nestlé Waters North America, Aspirations and Beliefs
Introduction"Nestlé Waters North America, has always been a dynamic organization, flexible and adaptive to change. Our long-term position as America's foremost bottled water company requires that we continue to change. Why? Because the industry is changing. Competition is intensifying, driving an increase in the cost of doing business. Our economy is pulsating with the immediate gratification enabled by technology, and consumers' and customers' expectations are increasing as a result. We must change more quickly than this external environment or put our business at risk.
To deal successfully with the challenges of the future, our company's "culture" must also evolve. The foundation of our culture is the Aspiration and Beliefs that were introduced in 1997.
Going forward in business, and in life, requires a certain amount of self-awareness and analysis. We applied that to our company, which led us to define and reinforce our roles as community members and stewards of the environment. Because these roles are so critical to who we are and what we do, we have incorporated them into our Aspirations and Beliefs. The following outlines the evolution of our Aspirations and Beliefs and further refines the intentions and ideas they embody.
Over the last several years, we have made great strides in creating and maintaining a special culture at Nestlé Waters North America. I truly want to make this the best place for people to come to work everyday.
Aspirations
We aspire to be the best company in the beverage industry. We will do this by:
- Building Customer Loyalty
- Inspiring Employee Passion and Commitment
- Consistently Achieving our Key Business Objectives
- Acting with an Entrepreneurial Company Spirit
- Constantly Improving our Company and Ourselves
BeliefsWe believe in:
- Respect for People, Community and the Environment
- Honesty and Integrity
- Teamwork
AspirationsWhat we are striving for our company to become; how we will know if we are making progress along the way.
We aspire to be the best company in the beverage industry. We will do this by: Aspire: All employees are on a journey to be the best we can be and to make this the best possible company we can make.
Best: We want to be the best because, frankly, being good isn't good enough. Other companies in our industry are very good at what they do. Being the "best" means we can never be complacent or satisfied.
Beverage: We are not just a "water" company. We compete with others in the beverage industry to offer the beverage of choice. We do that with the healthiest, most precious and most renewable resource on earth.
Building Customer LoyaltyWe must act in ways that earn our customers' undying loyalty, forming an emotional bond with our customers by:
- Providing our customers the best possible value
- Being reliable: we must honor our commitments to our customers.
- Being responsive: we must be fast and flexible in meeting our customers needs.
- Striving to be the industry's lowest cost producer and distributor so that we can pass savings on to the customer.
- Providing great products through constant innovation: Recognizing that "one size doesn't fit all." Different customers have different needs and we must adapt ourselves to them…not the other way around.
- Listening to our customers and using their feedback to innovate and improve our products and services.
Inspiring Employee Passion and CommitmentWe want to create an environment that goes far beyond mere satisfaction for our employees. We want to create an environment in which people are here to do more than just draw a paycheck. We want everyone to be excited about:
- The value we are trying to create for our customers.
- Our ability to use our minds, to be creative and to provide customers with healthy products.
- The opportunity to learn and constantly grow and develop our skills and capabilities.
Employees are excited and passionate when they have real responsibility and the ability to act on it.
To create this environment, we must:
- Create a cause worthy of commitment.
- Provide everyone with the responsibility, freedom and skills to make real contributions to the success of the company.
- Help everyone grow and develop.
- Serve as positive role models that embody our beliefs.
Commitment also means doing the right thing for the company and the customer, even when it is not the most convenient thing for us personally. Being the best is hard work and requires the character and the discipline to do the right thing for the company and our customers.
Consistently Achieving Key Business Objectives Being the best means constantly setting and achieving the highest goals - for customers, for process improvement, for market share growth, and for qualitative issues like "making Nestlé Waters North America a great place to work." Our focus must be on these business goals as well as our fundamental financial goals.
We value consistency and predictability in performance. We expect individuals and teams to set realistic, but challenging targets and to employ their best efforts to achieve them.
We make financial decisions based upon both the short and long-term effect on the company.
We think and act like owners; we treat the company's financial resources as if they are our own.
We hold people accountable for performance, and we celebrate when we have done well.
Acting With an Entrepreneurial Company Spirit Entrepreneurial means everyone thinks like an owner and works to improve the business daily. The entrepreneurial spirit at Nestlé Waters North America has been alive since the creation of the company in 1976. Being entrepreneurial means:
- We innovate or we will face extinction. We must constantly find new and better ways to create value for our customers and to manage our business.
- We take risks…and we quickly learn from our failures.
- We think prudently, but we do not spend so much energy on analysis that we don't take action. - Individuals and teams take initiative to get things done. We share our experiences - both good and bad - with people throughout the company so we can learn together.
Constantly Improving Our Company and Ourselves Constant learning and improvement is key to sustaining and enhancing our success as a company and as individuals.
As a company we learn about our customers, competitors, business conditions, and ever-changing technologies. We constantly experiment with new ways of doing things and quickly adopt the best practice across our national organization. Our focus must be on finding ways to distinguish ourselves from our competition, being better at what we do and constantly improving the speed at which we understand, adapt and react to our customers' changing needs and expectations.
As individuals, we enhance our own value through constant learning and improvement. We challenge our own mental models - our assumptions and beliefs - which shape our behavior. We grow and improve our teams and ourselves so we can truly enhance the value we provide our customers.
We look for opportunities to learn and teach. We invest in the learning of others. Quickly learning from, and sharing, our experiences is the single activity which contributes most to our future success.
BeliefsOur beliefs provide a framework for decision-making. They guide individual actions on a daily basis. They are at the heart of what we do and who we are. Intentionally taking action outside the beliefs is not tolerated.
Respect For People, the Community and the Environment.We treat everyone fairly and with dignity. We strive to be an exemplary citizen and participate with sensitivity in the community. We are stewards of the environment. We consider it our utmost duty to preserve and enhance the natural environment. Treat everyone fairly and with dignity and courtesy.
Listen patiently and with empathy.
Respect the time of others.
Express disagreement openly and respectfully.
Be open to difference and value diversity of thought and background. Encourage openness in others and solicit ideas.
Be actively involved in community events and activities.
Be a good neighbor. Reach out to the communities in which we operate and learn about their views and concerns.
Be a positive individual and corporate role model.
Volunteer time and expertise in service to the community and to charity.
Preserve, enhance, and protect the precious spring water resources with which we have been entrusted.
Seek opportunities to reduce the waste of any resource.
Recycle and re-use whenever and wherever possible.
Fortify the sustainability of our industry and our business.
A sustainable industry is one that gives more than it takes from our earth.
Above all, take care to do no harm.
Honesty and IntegrityWe inspire trust and confidence in our customers, our shareholders and each other. We tell the truth even when it contains bad news. We deliver on our commitments. Openly share information, even when it contains bad news. Keep commitments and promises. We do what we say we're going to do.
Give open and honest feedback.
Speak up when we feel something is not right
Maintain confidentiality.
Accept good and bad news gracefully.
Say, "I don't know" when we don't.
TeamworkWe work and play well with others inside and outside Nestlé Waters North America to achieve our results. Put the customer, other individuals, and the company above ourselves when making decisions.
Human Resource Information System Manager/Supervisor
