Campbell Soup Company Beliefs: A Case Study Of Campbell's Culture

As CEO, Morrison possessed 30 plus years of experience in the packaged food industry and a reputation for delivering results (Wang, 2013). Thus, Morrison possessed personal, expert and prestige power, as she had an in-depth working knowledge of the industry and a positive reputation (DuBrin, 2016). This power translated to inherent respect, as Morrison truly understood Campbell’s to its core. In knowing the basics, and recognizing that Campbell’s had remained stagnant as the external environment shifted, Morrison was determined to “invigorate a successful iconic company [Campbell’s] so it could meet the realities of today (Schiffman, 2013).” Morrison did so in the best way she know how, proper planning and exhibited charisma, to ultimately enhance Campbell’s culture (DuBrin, 2016).

The overarching theme she derived from her market research was the concept of team-based approach, and the utmost importance of continuously responding to the fluidly shifting external environment. With this knowledge and a sense of direction, Morrison established the vision of, “Together we will build the world’s most extraordinary food company by nourishing peoples lives, everyday (“Campbell Soup Company Beliefs,” n.d.).” Morrison knew that for this vision to be carried out, she would need the right executive team, which could work in a collaborative setting through a nimble approach. To find the right team, Morrison used her inherited positional, legitimate and coercive power as CEO; where decisions she made were expected to be complied with, and non-compliance could result in repercussions (DuBrin, 2016). As a result, individuals who could not support the approach and align with the vision were foregone, while others were shifted to new departments, and outside talent was