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Evaluating espoused values: Does articulating values pay off?
Abstract
Many corporations these days publish and talk about their values, believing these values, and their culture more generally, to be critical to their success. This study illuminates the phenomenon of values articulation and examines the link between these espoused values and financial performance. By examining the values posted by Fortune 100 companies on their websites, we analyse the performance implications associated with the espousal of (certain) values, number of values and their stability or change over time. Drawing on this analysis and previous studies on values, espoused values, and underpinning theoretical frameworks, we test hypothesis related to number of espoused values, differentiation and stability over time. We provide interpretations about why it matters not just what companies do but also what they say.
... In addition, 96% of these CEOs agreed that they need to explain how their company's values influence the business decisions they make. The importance of company values is well established in the academic literature: they have been linked to both positive financial performance (Jonsen et al., 2015) and increased market orientation (Zander et al., 2016). ...
... Theoretical foundations Research on corporate values has been ongoing since the 1970s, and there has been a recent resurgence of interest in this topic (Jonsen et al., 2015). The research in this area is both deep and wide and covers identification of values, groupings of values, relationships between values and financial performance, values and company orientation and values and company reputation, among others. ...
... Sull et al. (2020) stated that "values refer to ideals, and norms translate these into day to day actions." Jonsen et al. (2015) posit that they support a certain way of conducting oneself in the workplace, and thus, provide direction for internal and external stakeholders. There is great consistency in the research on the definition of values in the literature. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to determine if pharmaceutical companies can be grouped based on their espoused values, and second, to examine the relationship between these values and company reputation.
Design/methodology/approach
A descriptive study design is used with two separate analyses: cluster analysis for grouping the companies; and descriptive data analysis for determining cluster differences.
Findings
The findings suggest that there are three value clusters: competent, community and interpersonal, with the community group showing the highest relative reputation, and the interpersonal cluster as the lowest. Brand portfolio composition appears to positively contribute to reputation. The effect of portfolio specialization is based on a company’s closeness to its therapeutic community, which may be influenced by the outward characteristics of its values.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should examine the longitudinal effects of values on reputation combined with case studies.
Practical implications
Regardless of cluster classification, all firms should develop strong ties with their therapeutic communities using both personal and digital/omnichannel strategies.
Social implications
A company’s values are becoming an important consideration for all customers and stakeholders.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to systematically examine the activities of leading pharmaceutical firms to link a specific value cluster to company reputation.
... As signaling theory suggests (Bergh et al., 2014;Saxton et al., 2019), CSR communication is an important signal that shows an organization's commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen (Branco and Rodrigues, 2006), thus reducing the reputational risk (Minor and Morgan, 2011). Cording et al. (2014) and Jonsen et al. (2015) argue, in fact, that what matters is not just what companies do but also what they say they do. Signalers (i.e., managers or executives) need to strategically manage what they signal on their values and actions since receivers (i.e., stakeholders) interpret these signals to evaluate the companies' sustainable processes (Jones and Murrell, 2001). ...
... First, companies send signals concerning their CSR-related motives, values, and intentions in order to make them explicit (Hetze 2016). Value statements are a strategic tool of stakeholder management since they represent a form of organizational self-presentation to different stakeholders (Ogbonna and Harris, 2002;Jonsen et al., 2015). These signals refer to CSR policies (Sims 1991;Stubbs et al., 2013;Graafland and Smid, 2019), which express a company's environmental (or social) intentions through "formal arguments, including written and published symbolic statements, declarations, and slogans about environmental [or social] management" (Rhee and Lee, 2003, p. 177). ...
... A corporate website is a public representation of the whole organization and its formal CSR commitment (Fukukawa and Moon, 2004;Illia et al., 2017). Websites are widely adopted as corporate image-building tools aimed to generate brand goodwill and provide information about the company and communicate firm's values and policies to different stakeholders (Winter et al., 2003;Jonsen et al., 2015). In this study, the corporate websites of all the companies in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSWI) from 2016 constitute the unit of analysis (311 companies). ...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are signals used by organizations to reduce information asymmetries within the market and to make their commitment to sustainability observable. The present study aims at investigating the hypothesis that responsible companies operating in controversial industries (i.e., companies whose core business or production processes are perceived as questionable by society given current environmental, social, or/and ethical issues) are likely to be more active in using different types of CSR signals. Through ANCOVA, we assess how firms belonging to both controversial and non-controversial industries differ in the way they manage CSR signals. The empirical results show that companies in controversial sectors are significantly more focused on developing CSR policies and transparency tools since they expect these signals to be really visible and distinctive to stakeholders. However, companies in controversial industries seem to be similar to non-controversial companies in signaling CSR governance, suggesting that organizations expect receivers to attribute little relevance to the least visible signals. Therefore, these signals do not grant a sufficiently large reputational payoff, discouraging firms from taking advantage of the implementation of CSR governance structures. The study supports the idea that firms, in designing different types of CSR signals, take into account the peculiarities of different receivers. At the same time though, this could make firms underestimate the receivers’ ability to decode the signals and to generate countersignals, thus failing in assessing properly the expected return from their CSR signaling.
... For this reason, the construct used to trace the modernization in Barcelona's business context are the espoused values (Bourne, Jenkins and Parry, 2017). Essentially, because the espoused values (EVs) are extremely sensitive to scenarios of change because they are a first approach about organisation concerns and perceptions about the context (Kabanoff, Waldersee and Cohen, 1995;Bourne and Jenkins, 2013;Jonsen et al., 2015;Bourne, Jenkins and Parry, 2017). ...
... It is necessary here to introduce the term espoused to refer to those organisational values, formally conveyed by top management as a statement of intent about organisational behaviours (Kabanoff, Waldersee and Cohen, 1995;Bansal, 2003;Bourne and Jenkins, 2013). The espoused values (EVs) are extremely sensitive to scenarios of change because they are a first approach about organisation concerns and perceptions about the context (Kabanoff, Waldersee and Cohen, 1995;Bourne and Jenkins, 2013;Jonsen et al., 2015;Bourne, Jenkins and Parry, 2017) and looking for reflect social desirability of the contexts where organisations operate (Brummette and Zoch, 2016). Therefore, the EVs still be good as a clear construct to demonstrate the organisational internal and external priorities to monitor the value change in determined business context. ...
... For organisational values collection purposes, a content analysis was carried out for describing organisational values patterns in organisational documents and measured them based on the value frequencies (Kabanoff, Waldersee and Cohen, 1995;Kabanoff and Holt, 1996;Daly, 2000, 2002;Jonsen et al., 2015;Bourne, Jenkins and Parry, 2017). Consistent with previous works in the field of organisational values, this study has adopted the methodology to address the presence of EVs in the mission statements published in the corporate website Daly, 2000, 2002;Jonsen et al., 2015;Bourne, Jenkins and Parry, 2017). ...
It was attempted to illustrate how Barcelona's firms address the values change upheave by the agency of the 2nd Strategic Metropolitan Barcelona Plan released in 2010 and examines the influence of Firms' organisational factors and value orientation on the degree of business internalizing of new normative values, considering the differences among firms created before and after of the strategic plan releases. Methodologically, it develops a statistical descriptive analysis and multiple linear regressions for each period. The main findings evidence the values change through the coexistence of two different values priorities in Barcelona's business context, namely "materialist-driven values" and "postmaterialist-driven values". The materialist-driven values in this context are compliance, innovation, agility, service, effectiveness, being global and professionalism. In contrast, the postmaterialist-driven values are inclusion, passion, simplicity, individuality, growth, diversity and fun. In consonance, it reveals that firms created before 2010 are closer to Barcelona's normative values than those created after. Finally, it found for firms in both creation periods that organisational factors and value orientation significantly predicted the degree of internalizing of normative values. However, it highlights the presences of significant differences in value orientation impact between organisations. This research contributes to understanding the changes in business contexts and organisations, triggered by new normative frameworks promoted by policymakers. It offers relevant implications for firms’ legitimacy actions management and visualization of the contextual concerns.
... although theory provides sound material regarding the relationship between values and firm's prosperity, empirical studies are limited. Without taking into account broader fields such as corporate social responsibility and corporate culture, and after narrowing the research focus to only include managerial (and corporate/organizational) values and financial performance, empirical studies become remarkably rare (e.g., Donker et al., 2008;England & lee, 1974;Jia, lee, Moon, & li, 2009;Jonsen, galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015;Kotey & Meredith, 1997;Ofori & sokro, 2010;sousa, Ruzo, & losada, 2010). no research has been done on how the degree of embedded managerial values influences corporate financial performance. ...
... Espoused values are those that are formally stated and intended to inform all stakeholders about the aspirational norms and standards of the firm (argyris & schön, 1987;Purang & sharma, 2007). Embedded values, in contrast, are those lived and expressed through firm's actions and the employee's behavior (Bourne & Jenkins, 2013;Jonsen et al., 2015). ideally, espoused and embedded values overlap with each other (argyris & schön, 1987). ...
... additionally, statistical analysis showed that ROs, revenue growth, and EpFtE generally increased with increases in the levels of maturity; that is, Mls and financial performance were positively linked. these findings were consistent with prior studies that found a positive relationship between values and financial outcome (e.g., Donker et al., 2008;England & lee, 1974;Jia et al., 2009;Jonsen et al., 2015;Kotey & Meredith, 1997). ...
This paper explored the relationship between the embeddedness of a firm’s managerial values and corporate financial performance in Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by developing a conceptual maturity model of managerial values (MM-MV). The MM-MV articulates the extent to which managerial values are embedded within organizations, allowing the analysis of the interrelationship between the degree of values- embeddedness and financial performance in SMEs. The findings suggested that as managerial values become more embedded, financial performance increases; therefore, SMEs exhibiting highly embedded managerial values such as customer-minded, team spirit, innovation-driven reliability, persistency, competency, and
engagement tend to financially outperform SMEs that have not fully embedded managerial values throughout the firm.
... Espoused values are distinct from other forms of organizational values including those that may be enacted (Howell et al. 2012), attributed to the organization, or shared amongst members (Bourne and Jenkins 2013). Recently, espoused values have been linked to organizational performance (Jonsen et al. 2015), social integration (Grøgaard and Colman 2016) and organizational commitment (Howell et al. 2012). At the same time, espoused values are acknowledged to involve a degree of impression management and sensitivity to cultural norms (Kabanoff and Daly 2002;Zander et al. 2016). ...
... Comparing and contrasting the values of individuals and their organization has advanced understanding of the problems and challenges relating to person-organization fit (Cable and Edwards 2004;Kristof 1996), commitment (Finegan 2000;Stride and Higgs 2013) and employee attitudes (Ostroff et al. 2005). Organization values are associated with corporate governance (Kabanoff and Nesbit 1997;Nohria and Ghoshal 1994), relationships with external constituents (Voss et al. 2000), ethical behaviour (Auster and Freeman 2013;Pruzan 2001) and firm performance (Jonsen et al. 2015). In short, organizational values are associated with a wide range of organizational phenomena, actions, orientations and outcomes. ...
... In recent years, espoused values have been linked directly to a number of organizational outcomes. Jonsen et al. (2015) suggest that espousing differential values improved financial performance through impression management, employee fit and clarity in focus. Meanwhile, Grøgaard and Colman (2016) found that despite-or perhaps because of-widespread local interpretation of the meaning and significance of espoused values amongst a MNE's subsidiaries, they had a positive impact on social integration. ...
This paper develops an inventory and conceptual map of espoused organizational values. We suggest that espoused values are fundamentally different to other value forms as they are collective value statements that need to coexist as a basis for organizational activity and performance. The inventory is built from an analysis of 3112 value items espoused by 554 organizations in the UK and USA in both profit and not-for-profit sectors. We distil these value items into 85 espoused value labels, and these are assessed in terms of their similarity and difference through judgements made by 53 experienced individuals. The resulting conceptual map facilitates the evaluation of values which are espoused at the organizational level, as opposed to aggregations of personal values, an important distinction that is often ignored in the literature. This analysis identifies a number of distinct areas of emphasis occupied by espoused values. In particular, the richness of value labels that relates to broader ethical issues may be aimed at external stakeholder management, but also may have an increasing influence on organizational behaviour as they are embedded into organizational practices. By advancing our understanding of espoused values, through an analysis of those being used in practice, we provide a means by which future research into organizational values and ethical issues can progress.
... As suggested by Kuhn (cited in [62]), "company documents help to understand particular problems and prescribe appropriate behaviors for the different ways of doing things in organizations". These are used in this research process to observe how core values relate to proenvironmental behavior. ...
... These are used in this research process to observe how core values relate to proenvironmental behavior. The method applied [62 -64] in the data gathering is unobtrusive and provides that the information was not generated in response to a researcher's direction [62]. ...
This article analyses the core values of the largest European family-owned companies and cross-references them to their CO2 emissions and energy consumption reports. It does so by following the findings from environmental psychology, which indicate that self-transcending values lead to better pro-environmental behavior. Additionally, it expands the premises from earlier studies of environmentalism in family business research, which point out family-owned companies' higher tendency to go beyond environmental compliance practices. Following the results, gathered from various indicators associated with pro-environmental behavior, the analysis of different positions within the environmentalities framework is conducted. It determines the companies' stance regarding the Green Deal for Europe's governance and introduces the discussion of the benefits of incentivizing competition over compliance and promoting environmental over sustainability strategy.
... Attending the former arguments, we propose that legitimation in entrepreneurship is a process shaped by the moral space of each context, which defines the entrepreneurial identity that individual will use to gain the trust of their holding society. From a symbolic interactionist perspective, we consider that espoused values (Kabanoff, Waldersee and Cohen, 1995;Kabanoff and Daly, 2000;Jonsen et al., 2015;Bourne, Jenkins and Parry, 2017) represent a valuable construct to track the legitimation process because they contribute to understand the entrepreneurs' view of the moral space of entrepreneurship. With espoused values, this research accepts the meanings that entrepreneurs attribute to the moral space. ...
... Our main data, the espoused values, were collected over two months (July-August 2019) from 800 websites of digital start-ups in four European cities (London, Berlin, Paris and Barcelona) considered top digital environments. For data collection purposes, we adopted a content analysis approach (Kabanoff and Daly, 2002;Jonsen et al., 2015). We examined 75 espoused values based on Bourne's (2017) framework. ...
This paper examines how digital entrepreneurs pursue legitimacy in the digital world. We argue that digital legitimation is a process based on the interplay between moral space and entrepreneurial identity production and the trust of digital network. We use the espoused values as declarations of what entrepreneurs deem to be important; values underpin ethics and shape morality. From an inductive approach, we conducted a content analysis, examining the values that digital entrepreneurs espouse of 800 digital start-ups’ websites in four European cities (London, Berlin, Paris and Barcelona). Our findings show a portrait of digital moral space defined by the romanticism about change and future caused by technology and the hyper typification of the heroic entrepreneur as a the legitim identity of this context
... A corporate vision is an increasingly important part of an organization's, struggle to be fast, flexible and competitive (Thornberry, 1997). Also, the corporate espoused values and culture are generally critical to their success (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015). The different quality audit panels issued 8 different recommendations to 8 different HEIs that are directly and clearly linked to the Mission, vision and value statements. ...
... Wirtz (2011) demonstrated the existence of positive correlation between the maintaining of an efficient system of governance potentially and the effectiveness of financial management. Also, Bartkus et al. (2006) and (Jonsen et al., 2015) have demonstrated a positive correlation between the existence of a corporate mission and values from one side and the financial performance from another side. The data analysis showed us that the majority of the Omani HEIs presented a major lacks in their governing bodies and style of governance. ...
This paper aims to evaluate the role and effects of national accreditation practices in the improvement and development of the Omani private higher educational institutions in term of Governance and Management. A documental collection, revision and analysis was performed in order to enhance our understandings of the impact of quality audit in terms of Governance and Management. The study focused on analysing the quality audit reports of 25 assessed Omani HEIs. It covered published reports of all private institutions who already completed the first stage of national accreditation process. From one side, the data analysis showed us that the majority of the Omani private higher education institutions operate their activities without having a clear strategic direction. Also, they don't have performant governance and management systems. From another side, a progress was observed in terms of institutional Affiliations for Programs and Quality Assurance, Student's grievance processes and Health and Safety management. Among other things, the findings revealed that the Omani HEIs perceive quality assessment programs as strategical imposed tool made under the constraint of accountability, rather than an effective mechanism of development.
... In general, diversity cues on recruitment websites influence the way job seekers process website information (Walker, Feild, Bernerth, & Becton, 2012;Windscheid et al., 2016), thus analyzing websites to understand how diversity is communicated is a well-established process (Heres & Benschop, 2010;Point & Singh, 2003, Sing & Point, 2004) that can be used to show how diversity branding takes shape. This is also in line with recent cross-cultural research on espoused values and underpinned by the importance of values articulation on corporate websites (Bourne & Jenkins, 2013;Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015). Given that diversity policy is often framed and justified using the language of the business case (Guerrier & Wilson, 2011;Heres & Benschop, 2010), corporate websites highlight this trend across a range of indicators, including better performance, added stakeholder value, enhanced corporate reputation and a better environment Singh & Point, 2004). ...
... However, some companies (more likely to be headquartered in the UK) embrace as many dimensions as possible to address a value proposition to a widely diverse and different employee group. This is in line with recent findings on espoused values by Jonsen et al. (2015) and also reflects the importance of national diversity and anti-discrimination legislation (for discussions, please also see € Ozbilgin et al., 2015;Kirton & Greene, 2015). Our results indicate that the aim of distinctivenessin regard to diversity or inclusion brandingrelies mainly on 'family situation,' 'religion' and 'opinion and beliefs' disclosures. ...
In their quest to attract talent and appear as an employer of choice, organizations must articulate the benefits of having a diverse and inclusive workforce. By communicating the attractiveness of the workplace, a company increases its exposure to the environment as an employer of choice. Within the context of employer branding, we highlight two emerging concepts that encompass corporate communication in the form of diversity and inclusion statements: diversity branding and inclusion branding. We examine the websites of 75 major companies in five different countries (France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US). The article highlights that organizations use diversity and inclusion branding to attract talent, become employers of choice and dimensionalize diversity to signal that specific dimensions of diversity are relevant to the organization. We show that diversity and inclusion branding has become ‘mainstream’ and how a focus on diversity is particularly useful to attract talent while to appear as an employer of choice a focus on inclusion seems particularly beneficial.
... For an organization to be successful, it is crucial that managerial values be both espoused and enacted by all its members to implement management's vision and mission (Anitsal, Anitsal, & Girard, 2013;Chi-hsiang, 2015;Varbanova, 2012). Espoused values are those that are publically stated to describe the organization's values (e.g., Argyris & Schön, 1987;Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015;Kabanoff, 1994;O'Neil & Horne, 2012;Purang & Sharma, 2005Schein, 1990). Espoused values are visible and intended to inform all stakeholders about the behavior that can be expected (Argyris & Schön, 1987;Purang & Sharma, 2007). ...
... Enacted values, in contrast, are lived and expressed through employees' behavior (Jonsen et al., 2015;Purang & Sharma, 2005), and thus impact all stakeholders. Ideally, there is no gap between espoused and enacted values. ...
It is crucial for organizational success that managerial values are both stated and enacted by all employees and at all levels of the organization. Only then can employees’ behavior be aligned with senior management’s strategic vision and mission to which values are fundamental and core. This paper develops a conceptual Maturity Model of Managerial Values (MM-MV) which articulates the extent of value enactment within organizations. The sequential six-step model (from Indifferent/Non-existent to Optimized/Mastered) proposes that an organization’s employees first become aware of senior management’s values, then they begin to implement these managerial values throughout the organization, and ultimately the organization can leverage the values into enhanced performance. Each maturity level contains detailed criteria against which an organization can be assessed and rated with specific examples that demonstrate the application. The MM-MV is developed and tested using a sample of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper contributes to practice by offering a model of organizational values adoption that senior managers can employ to analyze and possibly adapt their values and organizational values integration process.
... They help organizations in creating implicit contracts with their customers, suppliers and shareholders, as well as with all other stakeholders (Cording, Harrison, Hoskisson, & Jonsen, 2014). Espoused values serve as a communication tool through which top management shapes the behaviour of employees (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015), clearly suggesting to them what the organization especially appreciates and-indirectly-what forms of organizational behaviour are not desirable. If they are not only well developed and communicated, but also combined with good recruiting practice, they may help in reducing employee turnover and recruitment costs for the company (Cennamo & Gardner, 2008). ...
... The need to define espoused organizational values was best highlighted by Covey (2002, p. 28), who explained it very simply: 'unless you institutionalize your values, they won't happen'. One recent study even indicated that espoused organizational values are positively associated with the financial performance of the company (Jonsen et al., 2015). Finally, even if espoused values serve no other organizational purpose, 'they would still serve as motivational tools because they offer people a basis for engagement with their work, a sense of membership, and an anchor of stability in the midst of constant change' (Kanter, 2008, p. 50). ...
The purpose of this article is to clarify whether congruence between espoused and attributed organizational values (CEAOV) in contemporary business circumstances is a necessity or just ‘nice to have’. Accordingly, two objectives are formulated: (a) to investigate whether CEAOV has a direct impact on organizational effectiveness and (b) to assess the mediating effect of organizational commitment between CEAOV and organizational effectiveness. The research was conducted within 15 Croatian companies (n = 523). Data were collected through content analysis of the official websites of the companies, surveys of employees, semi-structured interviews with the members of top management and analysis of publicly available financial reports. A conceptual model is proposed regarding the mediating effect of organizational commitment on the impact of the espoused–attributed value fit on effectiveness. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for the analysis. The results show that CEAOV positively affects organizational effectiveness through the mediation of organizational commitment. The only path to attaining effectiveness is through commitment. No direct effect is found. Our research sheds light on the relevant role of authenticity, in the light of value congruence, in every organization. When employees and organizations live their values to the same degree, there is an impact on organizational commitment and hence on organizational effectiveness.
... In general, diversity cues on recruitment websites influence the way job seekers process website information (Walker, Feild, Bernerth, & Becton, 2012;Windscheid et al., 2016), thus analyzing websites to understand how diversity is communicated is a well-established process (Heres & Benschop, 2010;Point & Singh, 2003, Sing & Point, 2004) that can be used to show how diversity branding takes shape. This is also in line with recent cross-cultural research on espoused values and underpinned by the importance of values articulation on corporate websites (Bourne & Jenkins, 2013;Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015). Given that diversity policy is often framed and justified using the language of the business case (Guerrier & Wilson, 2011;Heres & Benschop, 2010), corporate websites highlight this trend across a range of indicators, including better performance, added stakeholder value, enhanced corporate reputation and a better environment Singh & Point, 2004). ...
... However, some companies (more likely to be headquartered in the UK) embrace as many dimensions as possible to address a value proposition to a widely diverse and different employee group. This is in line with recent findings on espoused values by Jonsen et al. (2015) and also reflects the importance of national diversity and anti-discrimination legislation (for discussions, please also see € Ozbilgin et al., 2015;Kirton & Greene, 2015). Our results indicate that the aim of distinctivenessin regard to diversity or inclusion brandingrelies mainly on 'family situation,' 'religion' and 'opinion and beliefs' disclosures. ...
... Espoused organizational values influence organizational outcomes, as they provide a foundation for behavior within the organization, representing the values the top managers believe the organization ought to hold to achieve its goals (Bourne et al., 2019;Kabanoff et al., 1995). Organizational research has investigated how espoused values impact important organizational outcomes, such as performance (Jonsen et al., 2015), organizational change (Kabanoff et al., 1995), social integration (Grøgaard & Colman, 2016), and organizational commitment (Howell et al., 2012). Successful companies show an alignment between the company's espoused values and the reasons employees cite for considering their organization an exceptional workplace (Dominick et al., 2021). ...
School vision statements articulate an aspired future state for the school, highlighting its ideals, purpose, and unique aspects to direct behavior and promote motivation and commitment among stakeholders. This paper investigates vision statements of schools as artifacts expressing the values emphasized by schools, drawing on organizational literature that shows the role of central organizational artifacts in conveying the values important to the organization. Using a comprehensive sample of elementary schools across all districts in Israel ( N = 99), we built on Schwartz’s values theory to identify values and analyze expressed values. We employed a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze these values. First, we analyzed the content of vision statements to investigate how values were manifested. Then, we investigated the values hierarchy reflected in the vision statements, and compared sectors to identify the impact of the broader social context. Our analysis revealed variation in values expression: as expected, self-direction and benevolence emerged as the most prevalent values in school vision statements; power and hedonism were less salient. Comparison of vision statements from public and public-religious schools, as well as across schools with varying socioeconomic status (SES), revealed differences in universalism values. Public schools and those with higher SES placed greater importance on universalism values compared to public-religious schools. Additionally, tradition values were less prominent in public schools but were the second most significant values in public-religious schools. We discuss the results within the framework of values theory and educational policy.
... A noção de valores compartilhados, em que não há uniformidade e sim convivência com os valores da organização, quando estes são diferentes dos valores individuais, é fundamental para a análise do alinhamento cultural (BUCH; WETZEL, 2001). Valores compartilhados favorecem a criação de um espírito de grupo (cluster) em que o sentido de pertencer à mesma equipe pode promover a congruência cultural e a solução de conflitos, além de aumentar a confiança organizacional (KABANOFF; DALY, 2002;JONSEN et al., 2015;). ...
A congruência de valores culturais e a humildade nas organizações contribuem para o desenvolvimento e desempenho organizacional. Analisar o alinhamento cultural da percepção dos líderes e dos seguidores de uma organização, no que diz respeito aos comportamentos humildes expressos, é o objetivo principal deste artigo. Apoiando-se em um estudo de caso único de abordagem descritiva qualitativa, a investigação conduziu entrevistas embasadas em roteiro semiestruturado em uma organização de comercialização de energia. Os resultados mostram a existência de subgrupos de culturas diferenciadas que limita a evolução organizacional desejada, bem como constatam uma concepção idealista de comportamentos humildes dos líderes, inibindo os efeitos que a humildade pode gerar às práticas organizacionais. A adoção de comportamentos humildes pelos líderes tende a reforçar o alinhamento cultural e dá suporte aos valores sensíveis à cultura da empresa. Aprofundar investigações acerca dos comportamentos humildes é uma oportunidade cara às práticas organizacionais.
... This can be found written down in most organization or explicitly stated by management. The act of stating organization value does positively influence organization's success as the act of expressing making the idea contagion (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015). The third type is basic assumption which is not observable and is not debatable or easily challenged (Schein, 2010). ...
This research focuses on the drivers of millennials employees experience. It highlights the importance of the corporate culture and the technology that employees use for delivering quality services to customers. The research shows that the physical workplace is less relevant for millennials.
... However, many authors pointed out that some organizations find a new ides of greenwashing in which they only pretend that they care about green practice, but in reality, they are not concerned about green business strategies (Stephenson, Doukas and Shaw, 2012;Smith and Font, 2014;Guo et al., 2017a;Siano et al., 2017). Besides, spreading false claims about green strategies can help organizations to get enough capital, expenses reduction and can even trigger stakeholders' pressure (Aras and Crowther, 2008;Husted and Allen, 2009;Jonsen et al., 2015;Rahman, Park and Chi, 2015;Esposito and Ricci, 2017;. ...
Based on the attitude-behavior-context theory, this study proposes to explore the intervening mechanism of green brand loyalty between greenwashing of food industries and their customers' green purchase intention. The direct influence of greenwashing is also explored in relation to green purchase intention and green brand loyalty. A cross-section survey technique is used to collect data from study participants. Primary data of this study is analyzed through descriptive statistics analysis, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Hayes process Macro for mediation analysis with the help of SPSS and AMOS. The results indicate that the green purchase intention of consumers is negatively influenced by the greenwashing perception of consumers. Also, it is confirmed in the current research that greenwashing is not only negatively associated with green purchase intention but also negatively influence the green brand loyalty of consumers. However, green brand loyalty exerts a positive impact on green purchase intention. The mediating role of green brand loyalty is also confirmed between greenwashing and green purchase intention relationship. The results of the current study recommend that businesses should eliminate greenwashing practices to increase their consumers' green purchase intention and to develop green brand loyalty.
... Engaging in purpose marketing by using self-transcendental values does not deliver stronger brand effects than messages only focusing on product bene ts, as was measured in this study based on a new and ctitious brand and in isolation of competitors. It will, however, lead to potentially desirable outcomes such as more persuasive value communication, positive effects on the selected purpose itself, staff motivation, shareholder attitudes and attractiveness of the brand's company on the labor market (Golob & Podnar, 2021;Jonsen et al., 2015;Story & Neves, 2015). Additionally, it could give brands competing in highly competitive real market situations, where functional attributes are often comparable, an attractive competitive edge (Vilá & Bharadwaj, 2017) as well as a better response to a greater consumer need for symbolic brand meaning as expressed in brand values (Torelli, 2013). ...
This study is based on research focused on the importance of values in marketing communication. It looks into the effects of self-transcendent values as used by purpose brands, in comparison to self-enhancement values. In this context, values are important life goals on which the attitudes and actions of people in various situations are based. The results of an experiment (N = 1000) set up to this end show that self-transcendental values are considered to be more important than self-enhancement values. Also, the use of self-transcendental values leads, both directly and indirectly, to stronger perceived product quality, a more positive brand attitude and increased consideration to buy than the use of self-enhancement values. The indirect and positive effect of values on the dependent variables is the result of mediation through consumer brand identi cation. The current study complements previous research conducted into the importance of different value types in consumer behavior and provides new insights into which value type is more bene cial for purpose marketing efforts.
... The relationship between culture and behavior is the theoretical basis for the assertion that culture influences effectiveness (Gregory et al. 2009). The literature on organizational effectiveness has increasingly emphasized the importance of culture to motivate and maximize the value of its human capital, in addition to being a critical competence for organizational management (Baker, 2002;Diana et al., 2021;Jonsen et al., 2015). ...
In order to analyze the role of humility in organizational culture, in this work, companies that formally declared humility as a value on their home pages were chosen, as to understand the internalization of this value in their practices and behaviors. The research adopted a descriptive‐analytical design with a qualitative approach, and in addition to secondary data referring to the organizational profile, fourteen semi‐structured interviews were analyzed with the decision‐making elite of the seven chosen organizations, based on theoretical‐deductive categories of the construct identified in the organizational literature. The study identified that the value of humility is effectively present in behaviors and practices of these organizations, which develop a culture of humility in their daily lives. The main results indicate that the internalized value of humility is associated with (i) shared behaviors; (ii) clear self‐assessment of strengths and weaknesses; (iii) culture of innovation; (iv) awareness of their own limitations; (v) support for third‐party contributions and feedback practices (vi) employee learning; (vii) culture of praise. The results reinforced the main categories and constructs for a Humble Organizational Culture (HOC) Model, opening opportunities for future research that explore the elaboration of cultural maturity diagnoses and humility measurement instruments in the organizational field.
... As companies increasingly integrate sustainability into their reports and execrating for higher environmental performance, there are deferent types of pressure for greenwashing, and several greenwashing drives have been identified for firms to present themselves as sustainable and "green". For example, the potential benefit on financial outcome and reputational capital (Jonsen et al., 2015), and the climbing "green" pressure from different stakeholders (Testa et al., 2018). Delmas and Burbano (2011) developed a framework and concluded the greenwashing drivers as non-market external drivers (e.g. ...
... However, according to Pucik et al. (2017), the study of organizational socialization is relatively recent, and few studies specifically examine how corporate values are transferred across borders using various socialization mechanisms. This is unfortunate since recent evidence shows that articulating corporate values is linked to economic success (Jonsen et al., 2015) and that they serve as an important social control mechanism for firms (O'Reilly & Chatman, 1996). ...
Companies that nurture a shared corporate culture based on specific corporate values can improve their performance. However, when companies expand globally, communicating and transferring these values can be challenging, particularly when there are significant linguistic and cultural differences. This qualitative study examined the case of a small Norwegian IT company that has put its two corporate values at the core of its activity, and how these values were transferred to a subsidiary in India. Drawing on the concept of recontextualization and socialization theory, the study investigates the following: (1) how the corporate values were transferred, recontextualized and renegotiated in the Indian subsidiary; (2) how those values were implemented through a set of socialization mechanisms. Our main findings reveal how the Indian leaders actively recontextualized the values into prevailing cultural practices in India, and how senior employees were engaged in the value transfer process. Moreover, this article outlines how a small company without a formal HR department and with no expatriates to guide the process can use soft control mechanisms related to more formalized and structured HR practices to implement the headquarters’ values. Additionally, the article discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.
... Stated values are the values organizations claim to hold (e.g., "entrepreneurial," "profit driven," "environmentally friendly"). They are typically generated via consensus among members of an organization's top management team and are communicated through verbal or written statements (Kabanoff et al. 1995, Bansal 2003, Jonsen et al. 2015). An organization's stated values communicate intent and the central features of an organization's identity (Bansal 2003, Perkmann andSpicer 2014); these identity claims are important because they shape an audience's expectations of organizational behavior (Ravasi andSchultz 2006, Gioia et al. 2010). ...
A growing body of research documents that audiences reward organizations perceived to be authentic with positive evaluations. In the current work, we adopt a mixed-methods approach—using data collected from Glassdoor.com and two experiments—to establish that perceptions of authenticity are elicited by perceived congruence between an organization’s stated values (i.e., the values it claims to hold) and its lived values (i.e., values members perceive as embodied by the organization), which in turn lead to more positive organizational evaluations. We then explore the conditions under which audiences are less likely to respond favorably to organizational authenticity, finding that the positive effects of stated-lived value congruence on evaluations are attenuated when audiences have a lower preference for stated values. Although scholars have often explored whether and how organizations can successfully make themselves appear authentic to reap rewards, our findings suggest that the perceived authenticity that results from stated-lived value congruence may not prove fruitful unless the audience holds a higher preference for an organization’s stated values.
History: This paper has been accepted for the Organization Science Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory.
Funding: This research was supported by the Interdisciplinary Research Award from the Management and Organizations Department at the Kellogg School of Management and by the Michael-Lee Chin Institute for Corporate Citizenship Research Grant from the Rotman School of Management.
Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2022.1578 .
... Even though various companies are well aware of greenwashing's consequences such as damaging the company's reputation, however companies still engage in deceptive tactics to gain a competitive advantage by labeling their products safe for the environment (Laufer, 2003;Parguel, Benoît-Moreau, & Larceneux, 2011). Importantly, enhanced pressure from stakeholders (Testa, Boiral, & Iraldo, 2018), potential benefits in terms of financial performance (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks & Braga, 2015), and reputational capital (Aras & Crowther, 2011) encourage organizations to engage in greenwashing. Researchers have confirmed that consumers' perception of greenwashing results in destructive consequences such as it negatively affecting consumer's trust and loyalty, brand value, brand image (Chen et al., 2014), purchase intention (Leonidou & Skarmeas, 2017), green purchase intention (Chen et al., 2020), and so forth. ...
... It expresses a company's engagement in CSR through symbolic statements, declarations about environmental and social issues (Rhee & Lee, 2003). Value statements are a strategic tool of stakeholder management since they represent a form of organizational selfpresentation to different stakeholders (Jonsen et al., 2015). An organization can be defined sustainable if it is able to guarantee the right balance between achievement economic results, the preservation of environmental resources and progress social (Quaddus & Siddique, 2011). ...
Organizations are increasingly involving stakeholders in their CSR activities through social networks. Despite the growing interest by academics and practitioners in this field of research, empirical studies are still limited, highlighting a gap in the identification and the use of effective measurement tools for evaluating sustainable marketing performances on social networks. The study aims to develop a framework to measure and assess stakeholder engagement strategies, in terms of CSR information and involvement, on Facebook pages of sustainable organizations. The framework is based on a set of dimensions (macro-item, item and micro-item) and adopts different types of variables (dichotomous and indices) and techniques (manual detection, Facebook developers tools, content analysis through the NooJ, and Likealyzer). A pilot study on firms classified by the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (2015) confirms the applicability of the framework, showing that organizations prefer a “one-way” communication approach (CSR information strategies), rather than a “two-way” communication approach (CSR involvement strategies). The framework constitutes a tool aimed at analyzing and measuring the CSR communication strategies on corporate Facebook pages. It provides managers and consultants of digital communication useful indications to improve sustainable marketing activities and stakeholder engagement strategies on Facebook.
... However, according to Pucik et al. (2017), the study of organizational socialization is relatively recent, and few studies specifically examine how corporate values are transferred across borders using various socialization mechanisms. This is unfortunate since recent evidence shows that articulating corporate values is linked to economic success (Jonsen et al., 2015) and that they serve as an important social control mechanism for firms (O'Reilly & Chatman, 1996). ...
Companies that nurture a shared corporate culture based upon corporate values can drive companies towards high performance. However, when companies go global and establish subsidiaries in foreign countries, transferring these corporate values may be challenging. This process is particularly challenging when there are significant linguistic and cultural differences between the headquarters and the subsidiary that may lead to a misalignment of values. This study examines the transfer of corporate values and HR practices of a small Norwegian IT company into a subsidiary in India. Our data are based on a four-year field study of a small IT company based in Norway that during this period established a subsidiary in India. We examine how the leaders recontextualize the company's corporate values, how the corporate values were implemented through a set of HR practices in India, and how the local employees perceived the corporate values. Our main findings show how the Indian leaders are active participants in the recontextualization process, translating the meaning of the headquarters corporate values into the specificities of the Indian culture and day-to-day practices. Moreover, we show how a small company without a formal HR department and with no expatriates to guide the process can use activities related to more formalized and structured HR practices to implement the values. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.
... We suggest, though, there could be a hidden danger associated with propping up a firm's ethical reputation using virtue rhetoric. Top managers might be tempted to use virtue rhetoric as a means of securing reputational capital and positive investor sentiment (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015) but fail to meet stakeholder expectations. For example, some top managers use "green talk" in public statements aimed, in part, at satisfying socially responsible investors, without necessarily backing up their talk with concrete actions (Marquis, Toffel, & Zhou, 2016;Siano, Vollero, Conte, & Amabile, 2017). ...
Many companies prominently espouse their virtuous character in communications with investors, with a view toward influencing investor perceptions about the firm’s standards of behavior. While there are benefits to investors perceiving an organization to be virtuous, what happens if the firm violates those standards by engaging in unethical behavior? In this study, we use expectancy violations theory to argue that virtue rhetoric sets investors up for disappointment. When an organization claims to be virtuous but then acts unethically, investors respond to the ethics violation more negatively than they would otherwise. We also theorize about scenarios where investors may overlook unethical behavior or intensify their disapproval of it. To test our ideas, we assemble a unique sample of unethical events committed by S&P 500 companies over a 12-year period, combined with analysis of the virtue rhetoric found in their annual letters to shareholders. Our main finding is that investor reaction to unethical behavior is more negative for companies that claimed to be virtuous prior to the violation than for those that did not make such claims. This relationship is less strong when the company has high expected future value.
... Third, the method applied in the present study only captures tip-of-the-iceberg artifacts (or e-memes). The deeper levels of i-memes (mental representations), espoused beliefs and values, or even basic underlying assumptions (Schein 2017) cannot be unequivocally revealed with the approach used here (see also Jonsen et al. 2015, on a related discussion). In other words, the authors could only measure what was verbalized, which may have been subject to social desirability bias despite the attempt to improve the willingness of interviewees to answer truthfully due to anonymization. ...
While organizational and business researchers have fruitfully applied evolutionary theory at various levels of analysis, few utilize organizational memetics to capture the complexity of organizational culture. This article contributes to bridging the gap between theorizing and empirical research on organizational memetics by raising and addressing the question if and how the diversity and interdependence of organizational memes can be captured. To tackle this exploratory question, the authors present a comprehensive literature review on organizational memetics and demonstrate how meme mapping can be used to highlight interdependencies among organizational memes based on the case of a German consulting firm. Besides revealing the most prominent memes in the complex memetic system of the organization, the meme map illustrates connections of varying strength among the organizational memes, thereby supporting the argument that organizational memetics can help to expose attractive memes that are important for both the stability and change of organizational cultures.
... This desire for congruence is best captured by the analogy of human relationships in similarity-attraction theory: That is, people generally prefer to befriend those similar to themselves (Aron et al. 2006;Finkel and Baumeister 2019). Jonsen et al. (2015) further support the importance of values-based positioning; they demonstrate that a focus on human values increases financial returns for companies. However, the marketing and brand literature rarely focuses on the effects of congruence between a consumer's values and a brand's values (Alsem et al. 2007;Elbedweihy et al. 2016;Lorgnier et al. 2020;Shokri and Alavi 2019;Sihvonen 2019;Susanty and Tresnaningrum 2018;van Esterik-Plasmeijer and van Raaij 2017;Zhang and Bloemer 2008). ...
Human values-life goals-guide our attitudes and actions. Brands such as Patagonia, TOMS, Warby Parker, Chobani, and Nike successfully position their marketing around human values such as safety, harmony, seeking pleasure, or social welfare. Evidently, consumers attach importance to brands whose values align with their own values. However, the alignment of values (value congruence) and the resulting effects on (re)purchasing behavior are scarcely discussed in the marketing literature. The effects of "traits" and "functional congruence" on purchasing behavior receive considerably more attention. Since human values are conceptually distinct from personality traits, the following question is posed: What is the role of value congruence in the process of consumer brand selection compared with that of trait and functional congruence. An online survey (N=1,182) is conducted to study the effects of these different types of congruence on re-purchase intentions for a range of product categories. Multiple regression and mediation analyses reveal that value congruence is a significant predictor of re-purchase intentions and that it is more important than trait congruence for the categories of services and durables, but not for consumables. This study offers insights into when brand marketing should be aligned with personality traits and human values, respectively.
... Third, the method applied in the present study only captures tip-of-the-iceberg artifacts (or e-memes). The deeper levels of i-memes (mental representations), espoused beliefs and values, or even basic underlying assumptions (Schein 2017) cannot be unequivocally revealed with the approach used here (see also Jonsen et al. 2015, on a related discussion). In other words, the authors could only measure what was verbalized, which may have been subject to social desirability bias despite the attempt to improve the willingness of interviewees to answer truthfully due to anonymization. ...
This book explores the question of whether and how meme theory or “memetics” can be fruitfully utilized in evolutionary economics and proposes an approach known as “economemetics” which is a combination of meme theory and complexity theory that has the potential to combat the fragmentation of evolutionary economics while re-connecting the field with cultural evolutionary theory. By studying the intersection of cultural and economic evolution, complexity economics, computational economics, and network science, the authors establish a connection between memetics and evolutionary economics at different levels of investigation.
The book first demonstrates how a memetic approach to economic evolution can help to reveal links and build bridges between different but complementary concepts in evolutionary economics. Secondly, it shows how organizational memetics can help to capture the complexity of organizational culture using meme mapping. Thirdly, it presents an agent-based simulation model of knowledge diffusion and assimilation in innovation networks from a memetic perspective. The authors then use agent-based modeling and social network analysis to evaluate the diffusion pattern of the Ice Bucket Challenge as an example of a “viral meme.” Lastly, the book discusses the central issues of agency, creativity, and normativity in the context of economemetics and suggests promising avenues for further research.
... For example, Howell et al. (2012) reported that affective commitment increased when employees perceived congruence between espoused and enacted values. Jonsen et al. (2015) reported that firms whose espoused values stood out as different from those of others in their industries achieved better financial results. Grøgaard and Colman (2016) documented how clearly articulated espoused values helped establish greater alignment across foreign subsidiaries of a multi-national organization. ...
This study identifies and describes the values espoused by the 62 companies that have consistently (2014–2018) appeared on the “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For” (FBCWF) list. We identify 24 separate values and offer an analysis of the keywords and phrases used to promote them. We confirm that these values fall within the categories of four well-accepted theoretical frameworks of corporate values and culture. We then provide evidence for three underlying dimensions transcending all four models. They are values that guide relationships and self-regulation; values that describe desired outcomes and performance; and values that inform learning and change. Next, we present the results of a qualitative study describing how these companies put their values into practice. Finally, using publicly available information from the Great Place to Work® Institute, we show how the espoused values we identified relate to: (1) what employees report about their experiences and (2) company self-descriptions. Our findings highlight connections between leadership and values and they offer guidance to those seeking to understand keys to values-based cultures.
... to the verbal and nonverbal ways an organization communicates to its internal and external stakeholders (Cornelissen, Durand, Fiss, Lammers, & Vaara, 2015;Lammers, 2011 (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015). This suggests an organization can benefit by espousing multiple values, even if some values are far less important to its overall mission. ...
Lack of diversity in engineering programs has drawn recent national attention (National Science Foundation, 2017). Scholars have suggested the normative engineering culture perpetuates the marginalization of students and faculty with excluded identities (Leydens & Lucena, 2017; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Walden, Trytten, Shehab, & Foor, 2018). This multiple case study examined three engineering units committed to creating an inclusive engineering culture that values social justice in order to redefine the "ideal" engineer. The overarching research question was: How do engineering diversity champions produce and circulate institutional messages about diversity and inclusion? Drawing from communications studies, cultural studies, and organizational theory, I systematically analyzed data from 11 interviews and 209 pages of documents to better understand if gaps existed between engineering diversity champions' espoused beliefs and the institutional messages they circulated, and whether university resources shaped those messages. Findings indicate that engineering diversity champions make sense of diversity and inclusion in ways that reflect their internal commitments to social justice, but institutional resources shaped what messages were actually circulated. The theory of neoinstitutionalism is offered as a lens for understanding the isomorphic and divergent organizational behaviors evident among the cases.
... Third, the method applied in the present study only captures tip-of-the-iceberg artifacts (or e-memes). The deeper levels of i-memes (mental representations), espoused beliefs and values, or even basic underlying assumptions (Schein, 2017) cannot be unequivocally revealed with the approach used here (see also Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015, on a related discussion). In other words, the authors could only measure what was verbalized, which may have been subject to social desirability bias despite the attempt to improve the willingness of interviewees to answer truthfully due to anonymization. ...
While organizational and business researchers have fruitfully applied evolutionary theory at various levels of analysis, few utilize organizational memetics to capture the complexity of organizational culture. This article contributes to bridging the gap between theorizing and empirical research on organizational memetics by raising and addressing the question if and how the diversity and interdependence of organizational memes can be captured. To tackle this exploratory question, the authors present a comprehensive literature review on organizational memetics and demonstrate how meme mapping can be used to highlight interdependencies among organizational memes based on the case of a German consulting firm. Besides revealing the most prominent memes in the complex memetic system of the organization, the meme map illustrates connections of varying strength among the organizational memes, thereby supporting the argument that organizational memetics can help to expose attractive memes that are important for both the stability and change of organizational cultures.
... 89-101). Few current studies embrace such essentialism, but there is still a tendency in much of the literature on values to regard leaders as primary movers (Grojean et al. 2004) and the articulation of values as forming part of "value management" (Barrett 2006) or trickledown ethics (Mayer et al. 2009) that starts with leaders and may also have primary economic motives (Jonsen et al. 2015). Likewise, notions of the sacred have been theorized as managerial resources for cultural transmission (Kamoche 2000), or as part of a leaders' narrative practice to facilitate organizational change (Dalpiaz and Di Stefano 2018). ...
How and why could some stories be construed as sacred in organizations, and what functions does the sacred have in organizational values work? Research has shown how values can be made formative of a range of organizational purposes and forms but has underscored their performative, situated, and agentic nature. We address that void by studying the sacred as a potentially salient yet under-researched realm of values work. Drawing on an ethnographic case study of a faith-based health care organization and the ethical philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, we describe how the sacred is figured in two sets of tales that were lived and told with surprising intensity and consistency: the parable of the Good Samaritan and the tale of the legacy bestowed by the organization’s founder. We theorize how this figuring of the sacred in story and in action recasts values work from a centralized and unitary process to a two-way learning dialectic between the ongoing creative imitation of action and narrative. Values in the shape of stories of the sacred do not achieve their meaning as unchangeable cores or sanctioned beliefs. Rather, they come to life in a process of ongoing moral inquiry that co-evolves with moral agencies. In the latter regard, the sacred primarily becomes manifest in everyday work in the form of questioning and creative acts of care. People become moral agents when they feel and respond to the sacred in the call of the other.
... Mas por que exercer tal comportamento? Existem várias razões possíveis para essa tendência emergente, se destacando os potenciais benefícios que uma empresa pode obter em termos de desempenho financeiro (JONSEN et al., 2015) e capital de reputação (ARAS; CROWTHER, 2011). ...
Objetivou -se com a elaboração dessa pesquisa criar um alerta sobre as empresas greenwashing levantando conceitos do termo, o papel do sujeito ecológico frente esta prática, como surgem as empresas que o praticam e seus diagnósticos, além de trazer uma possível alternativa de inibi-las em nível nacional. Também, com intuito de provar a relação estreita entre ciência, tecnologia, sociedade e ambiente realizou-se uma análise cienciométrica do tema greenwashing. No geral, consolidou-se a hipótese da estreita relação entre ciência, tecnologia, sociedade e ambiente, evidenciando a importância deste estudo para a mudança dos hábitos de consumo da sociedade.
... Especially when companies use web-based recruitment, ensuring a highquality applicant pool might be more relevant than simply increasing the number of applicants (Carlson & Mecham, 2013). In addition, organizations must ensure that they clearly communicate their values because this facilitates comparison and matching expectations (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015). Organizations may also consider utilizing instruments that allow jobseekers to accurately assess their fit with the organization, such as a personeorganization fit check instrument (Lyons & Marler, 2011) or an (anonymous) online fit survey with a feedback function (Dineen et al., 2002;Dineen & Noe, 2009). ...
Organizations often use top employer awards to confirm their quality as employers via an independent third party. At first, the advantages of using awards seem apparent, such as giving the organization an edge in recruitment by increasing the organizational attractiveness for jobseekers. Possible disadvantages accompanying the use of awards have received little attention. We argue that awards can cause potential applicants to pay less attention to information provided in recruitment materials that allow them to assess their organizational fit. Therefore, we investigated the influence of awards on the relationship between person–organization fit and attraction to organization as well as application decision. We include the corporate brand awareness (unknown vs. well-known) as a boundary condition. The results of our experiment show that, while awards increase organizational attractiveness, they also reduce the effect of person–organization fit on organizational attractiveness in the case of well-known organizations. Moreover, we found that awards indirectly affect application decision in the same way. Hence, successful self-selection based on fit is disturbed in this situation. Consequently, the quality of the applicant pool is reduced, resulting in a disadvantage for the well-known recruiting organization. Contrary to expectations, unknown organizations do not appear to be affected by this downside and instead benefit from awards. Our study contributes to the literature in recruiting by focusing on how awards change the impact of other information, while also highlighting potential disadvantages of employer awards.
... Notably, not all firms have enough capabilities to undertake green marketing strategies [7]. Besides, greenwashing helps firms gain potential benefits or reputational capital [8] or to reduce expenses [9]. Furthermore, greenwashing may even trigger pressure from stakeholders [10,11]. ...
Along with the acceleration of green marketing in recent years, greenwash has been utilized by firms to get ahead of their rivals. Underpinned by the cognition–affect–behavior (C-A-B) paradigm, this study examines a model linking greenwash and green skepticism with green purchase intentions. It also investigates the moderating role of information and knowledge on the relationship between greenwash and green purchase intentions. Data were obtained from 419 Vietnamese consumers who had been involved in purchasing green vegetables using an online survey. Multivariate data analysis demonstrated that greenwash was negatively associated with green purchase intentions and that green skepticism mediated this negative association. In addition, the moderating effect of information and knowledge was confirmed. These findings enrich the extant knowledge on the relationship between greenwash and green purchase intentions. They also have important implications for firms that aim to reduce consumers’ skepticism and increase their intentions to purchase green food.
... Brand values differ in comparison with brand personality traits, in so far as they reflect more stable and durable brand motivations and intentions-such as a concern for safety, the environment, or equality-whereas brand personality traits, as with human personality traits, are merely descriptions of a brand's personality traits and typical behaviour styles (Aaker, 1997;Geuens et al., 2008). In line with research testifying to the importance of consumer-brand congruence, previous studies showed that when the perceived value of a brand matches with those of consumers (i.e., when brands become part of consumers' extended selves; Belk, 1988), this might not only lead to better financial accomplishments (Jonsen, Galunic, Weeks, & Braga, 2015) but also to attracting the right employees (Amos & Weathington, 2008), stronger staff loyalty and helpfulness (Wang, Fu, Qiu, Moore, & Wang, 2017), and better brand results (Alsem, Wieringa, & Hendriks, 2007;Zhang & Bloemer, 2008). This appears to be especially valid for services and products with which people have long-term relationships such as cars, laptops, banks, or insurance companies (Voorn, van der Veen, van Rompay, Hegner, & Pruyn, 2016). ...
Brand managers have several options in their quest to connect their brands with consumers.They may stress functional brand attributes and benefits, their brand's personalitytraits, or their brand's values (the human values attached to the brand).
Which of these is most important to consumers is an open question, however. This
article proposes that values may take on increased importance over time, as long‐term
relationships (in general) require more than just getting the job done (functional
aspect) or a sense of recognition (trait correspondence). What is required most of
all is a correspondence between long‐term objectives and goals in life. Values are
arguably the most relevant factor in longer relationships. An experiment was put
together to determine if this is indeed the case. The results of our study suggest
that values are indeed considered more important than traits in the case of longer
relationships and that this is particularly true with decisions regarding prospective
relationships and in the case of services.
... This desire for congruence is best captured by the analogy of human relationships in similarity-attraction theory: That is, people generally prefer to befriend those similar to themselves (Aron et al. 2006;Finkel and Baumeister 2019). Jonsen et al. (2015) further support the importance of values-based positioning; they demonstrate that a focus on human values increases financial returns for companies. However, the marketing and brand literature rarely focuses on the effects of congruence between a consumer's values and a brand's values (Alsem et al. 2007;Elbedweihy et al. 2016;Lorgnier et al. 2020;Shokri and Alavi 2019;Sihvonen 2019;Susanty and Tresnaningrum 2018;van Esterik-Plasmeijer and van Raaij 2017;Zhang and Bloemer 2008). ...
Consumers currently place increasing importance on the values that companies represent. Modern values such as transparency, benevolence to society, sustainability and fairness are becoming more relevant, as noted by many major consulting firms among which are Nielsen (2013), the World Federation of Advertisers (2013) and the Boston Consultancy Group (2013). Modern values are grounded in social, political and economic developments and represent the new values of this era. As a consequence, a company’s value to consumers no longer has to lie solely in its products and services. This new, broader scope of value may include the entire business process and organizational culture, ranging from the management’s integrity to values being found in the company’s contributions to society. Although the role of values in human behaviour has been extensively discussed in the psychology literature since the beginning of the 1900s (e.g. Feather 1995; Hofstede 1980; Olson and Maio 2003; Rokeach 1973; Schwartz 2012), limited attention has been dedicated to values in marketing literature. This was the conclusion of a systematic literature review that we conducted on this subject (Voorn et al. 2016). As a follow-up, we organized an online survey (n = 1109) to empirically investigate the role of values in the brand selection process. In this paper, we report on the relationship between values and brand purchase intentions through the concept of value congruence and in relation to several product categories representing services, durables and consumables. Overall, the results confirm the relevance of value congruence as a predictor of brand purchase, in particular in services and durables. Our study shows that companies can benefit from incorporating values into their marketing strategies, especially those values that are congruent with (higher-order) personal goals, rather than more (instrumental) category-specific values. This offers new marketing perspectives, especially for brands. Brands are – by definition – more than just one product or service, which means they can serve as an umbrella for the incorporation and propagation of new values. However, an important question remains for the brand manager: the extent to which values have an advantage over brand personality traits and functional attributes, since investing in values is not only about communication – it means that an organization needs to embody them in the very fibre of its being; otherwise it may be perceived as ‘green washing’, which can undermine brand trust.
Purpose
This study aims to explore how CEO narcissism drives investment in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its mediating mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
This study includes panel regression based on archival data.
Findings
CEO narcissism leads to signaling of organizational virtuous orientation that results in increase in CSR investment.
Originality/value
Relevance of CEO traits on CSR remains unexplored in emerging markets context, especially the underlying mechanism. This study uncovers these mechanisms.
There is tension in the US healthcare system due to conflicting goals of maximizing the public's health and at the same time ensuring shareholder profit among the many private organizations that provide care to those in need. As a result, nurses (often the frontline workers in this mixed public/private and economized system) may experience dissonance between their professional values and the capitalistic values embodied in the healthcare system. Beyond the workplace, nurses are also committed to championing health and wellness, to advocating for social justice, and driving health policy. Yet, constrained by the conflicts between neoliberal values in an economized system and the values of care that inspire many to join the healthcare profession, nurses may lose the ability to live up to their moral ideals, to champion social justice, and to improve public health outcomes. In this paper, we use the critical theory of Juergen Habermas to explore these tensions and to suggest a path forward for nurses. We suggest that by engaging in dialog with each other and the public, and working for greater inclusivity, nurses can find ways to deconstruct ideologies inherent in our current healthcare system, to consider alternatives, and liberate healthcare from the dominance of market forces.
Building on previous values- and competencies-related scholarly research, in this paper we aimed to explore the relationship between espoused organizational values and competencies. We drew on LinkedIn data and focused on the top ten companies with “the best LinkedIn company pages” according to the annual #BestofPages contest launched by LinkedIn. The analysis revealed that values emphasis varied between individual companies and that only one company, the winner of the best LinkedIn company page context, had employees’ competencies fully aligned with the espoused organizational values.
From the scholarly perspective, this research offers a piece of empirical evidence on the emphasis placed on espoused values in international organizations and provides a nontraditional approach for understanding competencies almost in real-time, which was labeled by previous scholars as a difficult problem. The analysis also helps to shed light not only on the existing versus needed/wanted competencies or their gaps but also provides an alternative approach to understanding how the competencies can mirror organizational values, evolve with them over time, and be better aligned to help organizations achieve their strategic aims. This is the practical contribution of this study.
p class="Default">O objetivo da pesquisa é traçar um perfil identitário das maiores empresas brasileiras com base na análise de suas declarações de valores. A estratégia foi qualitativa, com uso de técnicas de análise de conteúdo e de discurso, bem como software específico (Iramuteq). Os resultados indicaram que a maioria das empresas ostenta uma declaração de visão em seus sites (62,2%). Há uma média de 5,82 valores por empresa, similar à internacional. Os elementos semânticos mais predominantes sinalizam para uma dupla preocupação: ética e inovação. Os resultados demonstram que a técnica de elaboração e o uso de declarações de valores estão bem difundidos e aceitos no Brasil, inclusive apontando para declarações mais extensas de valores das empresas nacionais. O artigo identifica lacunas que sugerem estudos futuros, como a análise da aderência das pessoas aos valores organizacionais e a especificidade das empresas brasileiras em relação às internacionais.</p
Significant behavioral changes will need to be implemented to prevent the energy supply sector from tripling CO2 emissions by the midcentury. However, within the academic research, behavior changes remain primarily focused on the individual level, while the behavior of companies that are responsible for elevated greenhouse gas emissions falls behind.
This master’s thesis analyses the core values of large European family-owned companies and cross-references them to their CO2 emissions and energy consumption reports. It does so by following the findings from environmental psychology, which indicate that on the individual level, the self-transcending values lead to better pro-environmental behavior. Additionally, the research analyses the corporate mission statements, the UN Paris Agreement pledge, and the companies' highest rankings officials' statements as the indicators of their corporate environmental beliefs. This is done within the frame of the Green Deal for Europe's aspiration to decarbonize the economy, and following the intention to define the large family-owned companies' initial stance regarding the governance that is required for achieving it.
The results obtained indicate that, when compared to self-enhancing values, the self-transcending family-owned companies' core values lead to a greater tendency to reduce CO2 emissions and energy consumption. At the same time, these tend to a greater use of renewable energies. This indicates that the internalization of self-transcending values facilitates environmental governance and has the potential to steer the business strategy towards a shift in behavior that is needed to accomplish the decarbonization goals defined by the Green Deal for Europe. Additionally, the research shows differences in behavior among different combinations of self-transcending and self-enhancing values and indicates that different combinations provide elements for sustainability to be considered a competitive advantage.
Family-owned companies are here considered decision-making units, which, like individuals, require incentives to behave pro-environmentally. The analysis of different positions within the environmentalities framework (political ecology) allows business and policy decision-makers to reflect on additional incentives to stimulate companies' environmental behavior and to expand the scope of incentives beyond the strictly economic ones. Understanding mutual initial stands and motivation is fundamental. Values, understood as desirable goals that motivate action, are the first step in the process of mapping out future relations to manage change towards a higher pro-environmental behavior among family-owned companies.
This paper explored the relationship between the embeddedness of a firm’s managerial values and corporate financial performance in Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by developing a conceptual maturity model of managerial values (MM-MV). The MM-MV articulates the extent to which managerial values are embedded within organizations, allowing the analysis of the interrelationship between the degree of values-embeddedness and financial performance in SMEs. The findings suggested that as managerial values become more embedded, financial performance increases; therefore, SMEs exhibiting highly embedded managerial values such as customer-minded, team spirit, innovation-driven reliability, persis-tency, competency, and engagement tend to financially outperform SMEs that have not fully embedded managerial values throughout the firm.
Drawing on propositions from social identity theory and signaling theory, we hypothesized that firms' corporate social performance (CSP) is related positively to their reputations and to their attractiveness as employers. Results indicate that independent ratings of CSP are related to firms' reputations and attractiveness as employers, suggesting that a firm's CSP may provide a competitive advantage in attracting applicants. Such results add to the growing literature suggesting that CSP map provide firms with competitive advantages.
We make the case that there are four distinct forms of organizational values – espoused, attributed, shared and aspirational. These partial, but related, forms encompass variation in temporal orientation and levels of analysis. We use these forms to reveal the dynamic nature of organizational values by delineating the evolution of gaps and overlaps between them. We set out a series of propositions, originating from institutional, organizational and managerial sources to explain the nature of movement between these distinct forms of values and the potential implications for organizational behaviour and performance. Finally, we consider the possibilities of this fine-grained analysis of the organizational values concept for future research.
Significance
We show, via a massive ( N = 689,003) experiment on Facebook, that emotional states can be transferred to others via emotional contagion, leading people to experience the same emotions without their awareness. We provide experimental evidence that emotional contagion occurs without direct interaction between people (exposure to a friend expressing an emotion is sufficient), and in the complete absence of nonverbal cues.
Many scholars across various academic disciplines are investigating the following questions: What do individuals know or believe about an organization? How does a focal organization (and/or other interested entity) develop, use, and/or change this information? and How do individuals respond to what they know or believe about an organization? Cross-disciplinary research that centers on these questions is desirable and could be enhanced if researchers identify and develop consistent terminology for framing these questions. The authors work toward that end by identifying four central “viewpoints” of an organization and proposing labels to represent each of these viewpoints: identity, intended image, construed image, and reputation.
Profound and wide-ranging values shifts among industrialized nations, first noted following World War II and measured on an ongoing basis since, have affected individual decision making in political, social, and institutional settings across the globe. Consequently, the adoption of this set of expansive values is having pronounced and measurable effects on organizational missions, standards, and activities. This change is particularly notable in terms of accountability practices, moral responsibility, and the distinction between ethical and unethical decision making. This article documents this change, the need for a recalibration of ethical standards, and the principalization of a new organizational values order. Future research on the implications of adopting expansive values in organizations is delineated.
Businesses have embraced the Internet to reap economic advantages through the use of Websites. Most Website design guidelines fail to address issues of branding and identity formation, focusing instead on concerns adapted from previous technologies. However, many firms are not getting their desired results from the Website investments they have made following design guidelines reflecting graphic layout and system usability issues. We suggest that Websites should be considered 'electronic storefronts' or public work areas providing frames of symbolic representations that create impressions of their sponsoring firms. Our exploratory study shows that Websites influence potential customers' impressions of firms' legitimacy, innovation and caring, and that these impressions vary significantly across firms and industries. Website visitors encounter symbols that are compared to mental models stored in memory and used to form impressions of the site and to draw inferences about the firm. These inferences have previously been found to influence purchasing behavior. Designers should be cognizant of these aspects of e-Business and executives should recognize the power of Web-based impression management. Identity management must take center stage in creating a Web presence.
A central proposition in organization theory is that discrete organizational forms are matched to environmental conditions, market strategies, or exchange conditions. This paper develops a contrary theoretical proposition. We argue that efficiency may dictate modulating between discrete governance modes (i.e., structural modulation) in response to a stable set of exchange conditions. If governance choices are discrete, as much of organization theory argues, then the consequent steady-state functionality delivered by these organizational forms is itself discrete. However, if the desired functionality lies in-between the steady-state functionality delivered by two discrete choices, then efficiency gains may be available by modulating between modes. We develop an analytical model of structural modulation and examine factors that influence when modulation is ef- ficiency enhancing, as well as the optimal rate of modulation. We conclude that under certain conditions structural modulation is efficiency enhancing. Further, contrary to theories that highlight the potentially destructive consequences of inertia on organizational survival, we identify important efficiencyyielding benefits of inertia.
Existing theory and research on organizational impression management focuses on how spokespersons use remedial tactics, following image-threatening events, to put their organization in the best possible light. By contrast, little theory or research has considered how organizations use impression management tactics to avert undesirable responses to upcoming events. This paper uses a qualitative and inductive study of billing procedures at three large hospitals to develop theory about how organization members use impression management tactics to fend off specific, expected challenges to organizational practices that are ambiguously negative. We found that hospitals use anticipatory impressio n management tactics to: (1) distract, diminish, or overwhelm patients' attention to hospital charges; and (2) to induce emotions that lead patients to simplify their information processing of those charges. Hospitals appear to use such anticipatory obfuscations both to fend off patients' initial challenges and to prevent their existing challenges from escalating. We discuss these findings in terms of their contributions to theories of symbolic management, social influence, and routine service encounters.
This study tests a central proposition of institutional theory, that organizational isomorphism increases organizational legitimacy. Results show that isomorphism in the strategies of commercial banks is related to legitimacy conferred by bank regulators and the media, even in the presence of organizational age, size, and performance.
This article critically examines primary processes and effects of the so-called “new organizational culture” that is organized on the principles and practices of Total Quality Management (and its variations) and increasingly practiced in corporate organizations in the 1990s. The paper specifically analyzes the effects of the organizational cultural practices of “family” and “team” on the employee and discusses their role in corporate discipline, integration, and control. Data are drawn from field research conducted in a large multinational corporation and the analyses and interpretive propositions are informed by a critical social psychoanalytic perspective. The paper disputes the conventional view that the practices of the “new culture” and its purported reform of the hierarchical, specialized, conflict-ridden workplaces of traditional industrial organizations “empower” employees and provide “meaningful” relationships in the workplace. It is argued, on the contrary, that these new “designer” cultural practices serve as processes of regulation, discipline, and control of employee subject selves.
This paper discusses the factors affecting compressibility of peat, and is based upon a large number of oedometer and field loading tests. Observations, with a time interval of about 15 years, show that the drainage of peat bogs causes a small preconsolidation pressure, after which the tangent modulus attains its minimum value. If the load is increased, the modulus rises linearly or slightly more than linearly, indicating that the stress exponent is equal to zero, or is slightly negative. An increase occurs in the dimensionless modulus number when the dry density is raised and is generally of the order of 4 to 8.
Understanding and predicting behavior in organizations requires a consideration of person and situation factors, and how these factors interact. This paper develops and longitudinally tests a model of person-organization fit (POF). POF is defined, and antecedents (selection and socialization) and consequences (commitment, performance, and tenure) are examined.
To understand better the differences in power between subunits, this paper examines the relationship between perceived departmental power and the extent to which departments appear to share important organizational values with top management. Critical contingency perspectives on intraorganizational power are used as a catalyst for exploring similarity of organizational values as an additional determinant of power. Interview and survey data from a quick-service restaurant chain and a robotics company are used to provide support for the role of perceived similarity in values for determining power. Perceived value congruity between department members and top managers, examined from the perspectives of both groups, was found to account for unique variance in departmental power when controlling for the effects of critical contingencies. An objective measure of the similarity of values between department members and top managers, however, was unrelated to departmental power.
This paper explores the early life history of an innovative bureau within a state regulatory commission (The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission). Documentary data and participant observation from the Bureau of Consumer Services are used to describe and analyze the bureau's manipulation of symbols in myth building and the development of a ritual "dramaturgy of exchange" through which the bureau assured its growth and survival in its interorganizational environment. The bureau created "products" (information) for use by its friends and supporters to ensure continued resources to aid its acceptance as a legitimate innovation. Relationships with its presumed adversaries in industry were managed through ceremonial exchanges engineered to achieve predictable coalition solutions. This case suggests that certain features such as the development of a dramaturgy of exchange and a system of ritual classification occur early in the process of institutionalization in societal sectors that are technically underdeveloped.
Previous research on organizational citizenship behavior suggests that employees who engage in such behavior are "good soldiers," acting selflessly on behalf of their organizations. However, such behaviors also may be impression enhancing and self-serving. In this article I provide a framework showing how impression-management concerns may motivate citizenship behavior and address the consequences of citizenship in this context, as well as the interaction of impression-management motives with motives identified in previous research on citizenship. Finally, I discuss the methodological issues associated with isolating self-serving from other-serving motivation and implications for future theory development.
The aims of this research were twofold: first, to compare the levels of organisational harmony between family and non-family firms and, second, to study the influence of organisational harmony on family firms’ performance (profitability, longevity and group cohesion). Starting from a definition of organisational harmony as a value and considering the importance of the management of organisational values, we use the main topics indicated by the general literature (organisational climate, trust and participation) to analyse organisational harmony, as well as three other topics for performance (profitability, survival and group cohesion). Results indicate that family firms have higher levels of these three qualities than non-family firms, and that the levels of trust, participation and organisational climate have a positive and significant influence on the performance of family firms. These results can be understood as a consequence of the influence of family social capital on organisational social capital and so on the performance of family businesses. From the perspective of institutionalism, the higher levels of harmony existing in family businesses are a reflection of the pressures that the owning family as an institution exercises on the organisational social capital in its companies.
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Does consistency between how a firm treats employees (what it does) and its espoused
employee-oriented values (what it says) affect employee productivity? Furthermore,
given that the stakeholder theory perspective holds that what happens to one stakeholder
influences other stakeholders, does this sort of consistency vis-à-vis a firm’s
customers also influence employee productivity? We empirically investigate the influence
of organizational authenticity—defined as consistency between a firm’s espoused
values and realized practices—in the context of a merger, and specifically during
post-merger integration. Our findings show that a lack of organizational authenticity
in terms of both under-promising and over-promising to both employees and customers
is associated with lower productivity, which in turn is related to long-term merger
performance, thus affecting outcomes for shareholders. These findings support the
importance of authenticity and should therefore be of interest to executives responsible
for ensuring the consistency between what a firm says and what it does, as well as
those who participate in and study the merger integration process. In particular, we
propose stakeholder theory as a helpful lens for examining the merger integration
process as well as other joint actions such as strategic alliances.
The argument is made that contemporary management research is driven by misplaced scientific ideals that keep research at a distance from managerial practice. Misplaced scientific ideals are institutionally reinforced, and therefore hard to change. To provide a viable alternative a different ‘soul of relevance’ needs to be constructed, which addresses the localized, embedded, fluid and contingent nature of managerial work. Four tenets are suggested that may tentatively form the basis of such work, which are as follows: practice as constitutive of organization, time as ontology, becoming as essence, and heterogeneity of factors. Narrative patterns that combine these tenets may help constitute a soul of relevance that further energizes European management research.
We provide a conceptual framework and a case study of how an organization links its mission and espoused values with its operating practices. Conceptually, we locate this mission integration theme within Simons’ (1995, Levers of control. Harvard Business Review Press, Boston) management accounting and control framework, and then adapt Schatzki’s (2002, The site of the social. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park) site ontology of social practice to develop general research expectations for case studies of espoused values/practice linkages. Empirically, we apply the conceptual framework to a case study of linkages among an actual company’s espoused values, human resource practices, and financial management during its 40-plus year history. The concluding section summarizes the study and discusses its implications, limitations, and opportunities for future research.
This study tests a central proposition of institutional theory, that organizational isomorphism increases organizational legitimacy. Results show that isomorphism in the strategies of commercial banks is related to legitimacy conferred by bank regulators and the media, even in the presence of organizational age, size, and performance.
This special issue had it roots in a symposium organized by Tammar Zilber and Roy Suddaby for the Academy of Management 2003 annual meetings in Seattle. The symposium was titled "Reclaiming the Symbolic in Institutional Theory" and represented an effort to refocus research attention on the phenomenological aspects of institutions. At the time, we were aware of a growing interest in understanding institutions as, largely, cognitive-cultural constructions, or what Meyer, Boli, Thomas, and Ramirez termed "phenomenological macro-institutionalism" (1997:146). Institutions, in this view, involve collectively shared scripts, frames, and taken-for-granted assumptions (Boli & Thomas, 1999), and actors (individuals, organizations, or states) attain their agency substantially as a result of their embeddedness in culture (Meyer & Jepperson, 2000). Modern organizations themselves thus reflect the intensive cultural rationalization of the contemporary world in their constitutive structures.
This article critically examines primaryprocesses and effects of the so-called neworganizational culture that is organized on theprinciples and practices of Total Quality Management(and its variations) and increasingly practiced incorporate organizations in the 1990s. The paperspecifically analyzes the effects of the organizationalcultural practices of family and"team" on the employee and discusses their role incorporate discipline, integration, and control. Data aredrawn from field research conducted in a largemultinational corporation and the analyses andinterpretive propositions are informed by a critical socialpsychoanalytic perspective. The paper disputes theconventional view that the practices of the "newculture" and its purported reform of thehierarchical, specialized, conflict-ridden workplaces oftraditional industrial organizationsempower employees and providemeaningful relationships in the workplace.It is argued, on the contrary, that these new designer culturalpractices serve as processes of regulation, discipline,and control of employee subject selves.
This study investigates financial correlates of corporate philanthropy in Fortune 1000 companies using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that cash flow (one of the most discretionary types of organizational slack) has a significant impact on a firm’s cash donations to charitable causes, but monetary donations do not affect firm financial performance. These findings support the accepted view of corporate philanthropy as a discretionary social responsibility and the traditional thinking about firm giving in the business and society literature—that doing well enables doing good. Contrary to some contemporary thinking, the findings imply no significant effect on profits from corporate generosity.
A firm’s social performance can shape the impressions of key stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, and investors, that influence subsequent decision making and relationships to the firm. To test this notion, we examine how a firm’s public recognition for exemplary social performance can serve as a positive signal of the firm’s business performance to shareholders. We conduct an event study of firms named to Working Mothermagazine’s list of “Most Family- Friendly Companies” for the first time between 1989 and 1994. We find statistically significant, positive, abnormal returns for such firms, in particular for firms whose shares are traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
The stakeholder theory has been advanced and justified in the man- agement literature on the basis of its descriptive accuracy, instrumen- tal power, and normative validity. These three aspects of the theory, although interrelated, are quite distinct; they involve different types of evidence and argument and have different implications. In this article, we examine these three aspects of the theory and critique and integrate important contributions to the literature related to each. We conclude that the three aspects of stakeholder theory are mutually supportive and that the normative base of the theory-which includes the modern theory of property rights-is fundamental. If the unity of the corporate body is real, then there is reality and not simply legal fiction in the proposition that the man- agers of the unit are fiduciaries for it and not merely for its individual members, that they are . . . trustees for an institu- tion (with multiple constituents) rather than attorneys for the stockholders.
In this research, we traced the development of natural environmental issues in two organizations in real time over the period of a year. Participant observations, discussions with organizational members, and corporate documents yielded insights used to develop a model describing issue flows in both organizations. With this model, we identified the factors that influenced the scope, scale, and speed of organizational response to issues. Our methods provided insights into why issues generated organizational responses and also why they did not.
Two factors appeared to be critical in explaining organizational responses to issues: individual concerns and organizational values. Individual concerns gave rise to an issue champion or seller. An issue consistent with organizational values was perceived as strategic. These were necessary conditions; without either condition, the issue would not be resolved. It is argued further that individual discretion and excess resource slack will moderate the relationship between these direct effects and the scope, scale, and speed of organizational response. The framework that emerged from the data is conveyed through a set of four propositions.
This study is an exploration of industry moderated relationships between organizational culture, as manifested in practices, and revenue-growth among seventy-seven firms in six industry types. Beginning with the premise that organizational practices are shaped by organizational culture and industry demands, it is proposed that the culture-performance link is industry contingent. The results corroborate the existence of cultural practices that are industry or ‘industry type’ specific, and that variations in revenue growth within industry types are associated with practices different than those that characterize the industry-type culture. The implications for both culture research and organizational management are discussed.
ABSTRACT Increasingly, scholars and practitioners recognize the importance of understanding organizational culture when implementing operations management practices. This study investigates the relationships among organizational culture, infrastructure and core quality management practices, and manufacturing performance using two alternative models. Understanding these relationships is important because culture can provide insight into the context dependence of quality management practices and shed light on the mixed results of past studies concerning the link between quality management and performance. Analysis of manufacturing plants from six countries indicates that organizational culture has a stronger influence on infrastructure quality management practices than on core quality management practices, regardless of whether the plants are located in Eastern or Western countries. In addition, infrastructure quality management practices have a significant effect on manufacturing performance. These results contribute to the quality management literature by emphasizing the importance of accounting for culture when making decisions to implement quality management practices to achieve a performance advantage. Finally, we also contribute to the literature on the culture–performance linkage by finding support for a direct link between culture and manufacturing performance.