Organizational Purpose
WestRock’s organizational purpose defines our reason for being. More importantly, by clearly defining our organizational purpose, current members and potential partners of our organization may understand what we intend to achieve as an organization.
“Our purpose is to generate above average long-term investment returns through investment in leading businesses and through partnership with highly capable business managers.”
Organizing Values
Our organizational values define who we are as an organization. They serve as an unwavering influence and standard that directs our activities and behavior in everything that we do. Our values are transcendent and are enduring. Thus, our strategy may change, the industry in which we invest and operate may change, and the products or services offered by our business may change or evolve. But these values that define who we are never change.
Our values are not mere words, but are a call to action. They must be embodied at all times and in all instances, otherwise they lose all meaning and significance, and remain simply words. Each and every day we decide either to uphold our values, or to accept some lesser standard.
Honesty & Integrity
Integrity in our actions and honesty in our communications are values to which we are forever committed. These values serve as a starting point for our organization, since without honesty and integrity all other values are meaningless.
Humility & Gratefulness
We believe that conducting business and creating value for others though our organization is an honor for which everyone in our organization should be grateful. By doing well for our customers and clients, we do well for ourselves. We must never take this opportunity for granted.
Service & Contribution
Our long-term success as an organization is ultimately determined by how well we create value of others. In turn, the value we create is ultimately a culmination of our contribution and service to our customers, employees and investment partners.
Partnership
We believe the idea of partnership should form the basis of all business relationships, and that these interactions be mutually beneficial for all partners. Furthermore, we intend to uphold this notion of partnership in our interactions and relations with our employees, customers, investment partners and in the communities in which we operate.
High Standards of Conduct
In all instances and at all times we must maintain high standards. Invariably, from time to time we will have setbacks and we will have failures. However, what we must never stand for is a lowering of our standards. Whether that be the standards we set for the individuals associated with our organization, our investment partners, and the businesses in which we invest.
Diligence, Passion & Discipline
We believe in the notion that there is no substitute for hard work. To have meaningful success, one must care passionately about the work which is to be undertaken. And furthermore, that meaningful long-term accomplishment can be had only by focused intention, persistent effort and unwavering determination.
Operating Principles
We believe our success is ultimately determined by our actions. And our actions are guided by our Principles which determine how we will conduct ourselves at any given moment. Our Operating Principles thus provide guidelines and boundaries on how we intend to conduct ourselves as an organization. It also provides boundaries as it pertains to our view regarding suitability for investment. Businesses sharing few or now of our operating principles are not likely to result in productive partnerships for our organization. Conversely, businesses sharing many of our operating principles are much more likely to produce successful working relationships and result favorable long-term investment results.
Decisions Based on Data
Making decisions can be hard and fraught with uncertainty. The best decisions are made when derived from have the best data. Decision that move organizations forward is most likely to occur when those decisions are founded on superior information. When are decision are based on good data, we are more much more likely to create meaningful value for our customers. And more likely to perform activities generate value for ourselves. As much as possible our organization must be an organization driven by understanding, and the information that arises from this understanding. We view it as a key component of making good decisions.
Decisions, Outcomes & Responsibility
Make decisions ultimately means taking responsibility for the resulting outcome. Results are the result of performance. We can only know if our actions are effective we must be able to measure results. Assuming ownership for our performance and our results must be pervasive throughout our organization. Ultimately, outcomes are what matters, not hierarchy or position. To the greatest extent possible, every member of our organization must think and acting as our ultimate business owner. This is much easier said than done, and it will never be carried out with absolute perfection. However, it is a standard to which we must continually strive.
Courageous Goal Orientation
Courageous goal setting is an integral part of our organization. We continually set difficult to reach goals throughout our organization so that their pursuit drive us individually and collectively forward. For that reason, we must aspire to set goals that are meaning and significant, but not easily attainable. Doing so helps to ensures that we achieve the greatest strides from our effort.
Systems & Processes Focus
Our systems and processes are the actions and behaviors we perform on a consistent basis. We focus on these systems and processes because we know that ultimately it is our actions and behaviors that determine out outcome. Information and understanding that allows us to perform more efficient and less wasteful activities give us additional resources to invest in our organization and to provide greater value for our customers.
Obsess Over Customers
Long term success business success means consistently serving our customers well. It also means continuing to find new and better ways to serve our customers. This is our task first and foremost. Our commitment to service and contribution is a value that must always be fully embraced.
Our People First
Our employees are out most valuable resource. Serving our customers well means first ensuring that our employees are treated well. We are, and we always will always be an employee focused organization, because our long-term future success is dependent upon every members of our organization knowing that they are an integral part of that success.
Cultivate Alignment
Proper alignment throughout our organization is critical for ensuring that our organizational ideology translates into principled behavior that permeates every area of our organization. This alignment is a critical part of our ability to maximize the value we are able to create for our customers and for our organization.
Unending Innovation & Improvement
We must never stop learning. We must never stop improving. We must never cease striving to get better in everything we do. In this endeavor there is no endpoint. Our quest to improve in everything we do will always remain an unreachable goal, but it is a goal in which we continually strive to achieve.
Financial Strength
Financial strength means having the ability to operate from a position of power. It is our belief that WestRock and its investment partners should always remain financially strong. This means being prepared financially to act from a position of strength, and ready to capture opportunities when they invariably arise. Having financial strength means having the ability to weather downturns and setbacks. It also means minimizing the use of debt or other risky forms of leverage in our investments and opening businesses.
Disciplined Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is the process of creating new and different forms of value. Entrepreneurship also means capitalizing on the limitless opportunities available for improving current value being offered in the market. When performed in a disciplined and systematic fashion, entrepreneurship is a power force for innovation allowing us to better serve our customers and clients outside of our organization, and also for creating value within our organization. Every area of our organization benefits from disciplined entrepreneurship.