Digital Workplace Group Awards 2025: Kellanova – Winner for Digital Workforce Enablement
In a winner cohort defined by rapid advances in AI and digital transformation, Kellanova emerged as a standout leader in leveraging the AI opportunity through people empowerment, earning the 2025 Digital Workplace Group Award for Digital Workforce Enablement. This recognition celebrates Kellanova’s commitment to putting people at the heart of its digital workplace strategy, empowering employees through a globally integrated, Microsoft 365-powered ecosystem and its innovative WorkSmart initiative.
Now in their eighth year, the awards are produced by DWG and celebrate organizations and teams that have excelled in creating well-executed, high-performing digital workplace environments. Find out about previous winners in the awards Hall of Fame and our free report Celebrating the best digital workplaces: 5-year trends from DWG’s awards.
A human-centred, grassroots movement
WorkSmart is more than a programme – it’s a global movement that began with the transition from Skype to Teams, and has evolved into a strategic enabler of digital transformation, embedding AI, data and digital literacies across Kellanova. Judges praised this “grassroots movement turned enterprise-wide transformation”, highlighting its powerful story of employee empowerment through peer learning and community engagement. The integration of GenAI via Microsoft Copilot is particularly impressive, with initiatives like Kuriosity Clinics and Credly badges enhancing productivity and digital confidence across the organization.
Impact that resonates
WorkSmart’s impact is both measurable and transformative. During the Copilot pilot, 91% of users said they would not want to give up their licence, citing time savings of 1.5–2 hours per week on average; 76% reported better work quality; 73% less effort on repetitive tasks; and 72% increased productivity – freeing time for innovation and skill development.
Copilot Chat sees nearly 7,000 daily interactions; Kuriosity Clinics have generated 10,000+ learning hours; and Credly badges earned an NPS of 92. Employees report greater confidence, reduced stress and transformative ways of working.
The judges were impressed with the extent of the impact, noting that the programme “was really powerful in terms of building confidence and capability” and praising “the scale of enablement across the enterprise”.
Enabling success – now and for the future
The success of WorkSmart has been driven by four key enablers: strong cross-functional collaboration; grassroots energy from a global network of champions; structured, scalable learning embedded in day-to-day work; and strong strategic alignment and governance.
WorkSmart is not a standalone initiative; it is an integral part of Kellanova’s broader digital workplace strategy. With full transition to Microsoft 365, Kellanova’s cloud maturity enables rapid innovation, security and consistent experiences globally. Kellanova’s story is not just one of transformation, but also one of innovation and sustainability. In the team’s words: “We’ve built a digital workplace that’s modern, inclusive and ready for what’s next – and WorkSmart is the heartbeat of that evolution.”
Conclusion
Kellanova’s WorkSmart initiative is a masterclass in digital workforce enablement. By blending AI, grassroots energy and a relentless focus on people, Kellanova has created a future-ready digital workplace that empowers employees and drives measurable impact. It’s a shining example of how thoughtful design and strategic vision can elevate the digital employee experience – and sets a new benchmark for the industry.
Categorised in: → Digital Workplace Group Awards
