The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University wants to be known for educating leaders who inspire growth, and it’s rolling out a new brand strategy with this in mind, the school announced earlier this month. Part of a larger strategic plan launched four years ago, the new “inspiring growth” theme is intended to capture both what the school has achieved since the overarching Envision Kellogg plan was first implemented and what’s still ahead.
Kellogg Dean Sally Blount noted in a statement that while growth is a challenge faced by every organization, bigger is not always better. “Sometimes growth means pulling back to attain greater clarity and focus,” she said. Kellogg’s new brand strategy – “brave leaders inspire growth in people, organizations and markets” – is intended to spotlight this focus on developing growth-minded leaders, which Kellogg believes sets it apart from its peers. The new brand strategy is the latest in a series of changes Kellogg has implemented across its curriculum, degree portfolio and global programs as part of its overarching strategic plan. In terms of innovations within its curriculum and research, Kellogg has reorganized its thought leadership around four strategic initiatives: Markets and Customers; Architectures of Collaboration; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; and Public-Private Interface.
“This thought leadership translates directly into what and how we teach,” Thomas Hubbard, Kellogg senior associate dean of strategic initiatives and professor of strategy, said in a statement.
Over the past three years, Kellogg has launched more than 55 new courses emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurship, growth and scaling and data analytics. These courses now comprise a full quarter of the school’s total curriculum.
Kellogg’s degree portfolio is also evolving. Earlier this month, the school announced that it will expand its M.S. in Management Studies (MSMS) degree, currently open only to Northwestern University undergraduates. Beginning with the class that enters in the summer of 2015, the MSMS program will be open to all undergraduate applicants.
Kellogg has also increased the size of its one-year MBA program by almost 20 percent over the past two years. This has been in response to significant demand, and the program will continue to evolve with the market, the school notes.
A final component of the ongoing strategic plan includes expanding Kellogg’s global programs. Kellogg claims to have the largest “integrated global footprint,” which includes 37 exchange programs across 20 countries that give students, faculty and alumni opportunities for immersion learning and cross-cultural exchange.
In addition, Kellogg announced a new global experiential learning program called International Growth Lab earlier this month. International Growth Lab is a course through which students from Kellogg and a network school can collaborate both remotely and on the ground to help global companies develop international growth strategies.
To make these initiatives possible, Kellogg has been doing some record fundraising, bringing in $47 million during the 2013-14 academic year alone and $215 million since Dean Blount joined the school in 2010.
Look for Kellogg’s “inspiring growth” tagline and a new logo across all new materials and its website in coming months.
