Research & implications
References
- Accenture (2018, December 5). Majority of consumers buying from companies that take a stand on issues they care about and ditching those that don’t, Accenture study finds [Press release]. accenture.com
- Adomako, S., Zahoor, N., Tang, S., Chu, I., & Zhang, S. X. (2025). CEO vision articulation, TMT relational attachment, and corporate entrepreneurship. The Leadership Quarterly, 36(3), Article 101881. doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2025.101881
- Allan, B. A., Batz-Barbarich, C., Sterling, H. M., & Tay, L. (2019). Outcomes of meaningful work: A meta-analysis. Journal of Management Studies, 56(3), 500–528. doi.org/10.1111/joms.12406
- Baum, J. R., Locke, E. A., & Kirkpatrick, S. A. (1998). A longitudinal study of the relation of vision and vision communication to venture growth in entrepreneurial firms. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(1), 43–54. doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.83.1.43
- Brim, B. J. (2015, updated 2021). Strengths-based leadership: The 4 things followers need. Gallup. gallup.com
- Burbano, V. C. (2016). Social responsibility messages and worker wage requirements: Field experimental evidence from online labor marketplaces. Organization Science, 27(4), 1010–1028. doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2016.1066
- Business Roundtable (2019, August 19). Business Roundtable redefines the purpose of a corporation to promote “an economy that serves all Americans” [Press release]. businessroundtable.org
- Buss, M., Kearney, E., & van Knippenberg, D. (2026). From words to deeds: The moderating role of leader decision-making autonomy in the link between visionary leadership, follower extra effort, and follower innovation. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1177/15480518261469605
- Carton, A. M. (2018). “I’m not mopping the floors, I’m putting a man on the moon”: How NASA leaders enhanced the meaningfulness of work by changing the meaning of work. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(2), 323–369. doi.org/10.1177/0001839217713748
- Carton, A. M., Murphy, C., & Clark, J. R. (2014). A (blurry) vision of the future: How leader rhetoric about ultimate goals influences performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(6), 1544–1570. doi.org/10.5465/amj.2012.0101
- CECP (2026). Corporate purpose: Driving business value. Building resilience through purpose integration (2026 ed.). Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose. Report · Press release
- Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (1994). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. HarperBusiness. Book description (Jim Collins)
- Deinert, A., Homan, A. C., Boer, D., Voelpel, S. C., & Gutermann, D. (2015). Transformational leadership sub-dimensions and their link to leaders’ personality and performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(6), 1095–1120. doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.08.001
- Deloitte (2019). Purpose is everything. In 2020 Global Marketing Trends: Bringing authenticity to our digital age. Deloitte Insights. deloitte.com
- Desmidt, S., Prinzie, A., & Decramer, A. (2011). Looking for the value of mission statements: A meta-analysis of 20 years of research. Management Decision, 49(3), 468–483. doi.org/10.1108/00251741111120806
- Fink, L. (2018). A sense of purpose [Annual letter to CEOs]. BlackRock. blackrock.com
- Gagnon, C., John, E., & Theunissen, R. (2017). Organizational health: A fast track to performance improvement. McKinsey Quarterly. mckinsey.com
- Gallup (2026, September 24). How to improve leadership alignment. gallup.com
- Gartenberg, C. (2023). The contingent relationship between purpose and profits. Strategy Science, 8(2), 256–269. doi.org/10.1287/stsc.2023.0194
- Gartenberg, C., Prat, A., & Serafeim, G. (2019). Corporate purpose and financial performance. Organization Science, 30(1), 1–18, p. 11. doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2018.1230
- Gast, A., Probst, N., & Simpson, B. (2020). Purpose, not platitudes: A personal challenge for top executives. McKinsey Quarterly. mckinsey.com
- Guiso, L., Sapienza, P., & Zingales, L. (2015). The value of corporate culture. Journal of Financial Economics, 117(1), 60–76. doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2014.05.010
- Hedblom, D., Hickman, B. R., & List, J. A. (2019). Toward an understanding of corporate social responsibility: Theory and field experimental evidence (NBER Working Paper No. 26222). National Bureau of Economic Research. doi.org/10.3386/w26222
- Henning, E., & Nussbaum, J. A. (2026). Brand purpose as an amplifier of brand loyalty? The mediating role of brand distinctiveness. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 34(4), 298–315. doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2026.2622975
- Hülsheger, U. R., Anderson, N., & Salgado, J. F. (2009). Team-level predictors of innovation at work: A comprehensive meta-analysis spanning three decades of research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1128–1145. doi.org/10.1037/a0015978
- Kirkpatrick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (1996). Direct and indirect effects of three core charismatic leadership components on performance and attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81(1), 36–51. doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.81.1.36
- Lee, A., Legood, A., Hughes, D., Tian, A. W., Newman, A., & Knight, C. (2020). Leadership, creativity and innovation: A meta-analytic review. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(1), 1–35. doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1661837
- Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717. doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
- Millward Brown Vermeer (2015). Insights2020: Driving customer-centric growth. Global results summary. Millward Brown Vermeer, p. 6. instituteforrealgrowth.com
- Pendell, R. (2018). 6 scary numbers for your organization’s C-suite. Gallup. gallup.com
- Rosenzweig, P. (2007). The halo effect: … and the eight other business delusions that deceive managers. Free Press. Book description (publisher)
- Scheidler, S., Edinger-Schons, L. M., Spanjol, J., & Wieseke, J. (2019). Scrooge posing as Mother Teresa: How hypocritical social responsibility strategies hurt employees and firms. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(2), 339–358. doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3788-3
- Staplehurst, G. (2020). The evolution of purpose. Kantar BrandZ. kantar.com
- Valdés, L., Young-Hyman, T., Gilbertson, E., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Hahl, O. (2026). The authenticity of purpose claims: Firm capacity and job seeker responses to recruitment efforts. Management Science, 72(7), 5853–5875. doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.03931
- van Balen, T., Tarakci, M., & Sood, A. (2019). Do disruptive visions pay off? The impact of disruptive entrepreneurial visions on venture funding. Journal of Management Studies, 56(2), 303–342. doi.org/10.1111/joms.12390
- Walter, N., Föhl, U., Sander, F., & Nies, A. (2024). Act as you preach! Authentic brand purpose versus “woke washing’s” impact on brand credibility: The moderating role of cause involvement and consumer skepticism. Journal of Business Research, 184, Article 114868. doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114868
- Zeno Group (2020). 2020 Zeno Strength of Purpose Study. zenogroup.com
Last updated October 2026
Back to the Research