When it comes to corporate #culture, do companies walk the talk?

Our @mitsmr paper finds no correlation between official #coreValues and employees' assessment of how well companies live those values

(Eees' assessment from 1.4 million @Glassdoor #Culture500 reviews)

1/

We studied 560 large, mainly US based companies.

82% publicized official corporate #values, and most companies had 3-7 values

We identified 62 distinct values listed by at least 1% of the companies and grouped similar ones (e.g., ethics, integrity, morality) together

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Diversity of values is striking. Most commonly cited value (integrity) listed by fewer than 2/3rds of companies. Long tail of different values

We question the value of frameworks that reduce all corporate cultures to a few universal values or a 2x2 matrix

3/

Lot of variation across industries in core values

No regional banks or grocery stores listed #innovation as a core value, and fewer than one in five Internet companies cited #integrity

In a handful of industries, under 10% of companies listed #diversity as a core value.

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Companies shouldn't scrap their core values

A distinctive culture can differentiate firms in the eyes of customers, boost employee commitment, and create a competitive advantage

More important, culture can promote ethical behavior and social change

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Instead, leaders should assess whether their company is walking the talk based on data not anecdote

It may be painful to acknowledge a gap between cultural rhetoric and reality

But it can also be an opportunity to recommit to the values that matter

6/ https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/when-it-comes-to-culture-does-your-company-walk-the-talk/