What Do Financial Executives Say about Corporate Culture and Strategy?

19 Pages Posted: 5 Aug 2022

See all articles by John R. Graham

John R. Graham

Duke University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Jillian Grennan

University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, Institue for Business and Social Impact

Campbell R. Harvey

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Shivaram Rajgopal

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Accounting, Business Law & Taxation

Date Written: August 4, 2022

Abstract

We present interview evidence from financial executives that highlights how thinking about culture in a quantitative way and making continuous investments in culture can amplify success, improve firm value, and help employees thrive in the new world of work. By reporting financial executives’ views of when, how, and why strategy and culture matter for performance, we provide novel insights for scholars looking to improve their theories of strategy and culture and for practitioners looking to build better businesses. Among the many insights, financial executives insist that culture can be quantified and even optimized, and that firm characteristics are of central importance to determining the interaction between culture and strategy. We conclude by sharing ideas for building an effective corporate culture.

Keywords: corporate culture, organizational culture, strategy, leadership, intangible value, sustainable value

JEL Classification: G30, G32, L10, L21, M10, M14

Suggested Citation

Graham, John Robert and Grennan, Jillian and Harvey, Campbell R. and Rajgopal, Shivaram, What Do Financial Executives Say about Corporate Culture and Strategy? (August 4, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4181891 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4181891

John Robert Graham

Duke University ( email )

Box 90120
Durham, NC 27708-0120
United States
919-660-7857 (Phone)
919-660-8030 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Jillian Grennan (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, Institue for Business and Social Impact ( email )

Berkeley, CA 94720
United States

Campbell R. Harvey

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business ( email )

Box 90120
Durham, NC 27708-0120
United States
919-660-7768 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.duke.edu/~charvey

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Shivaram Rajgopal

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Accounting, Business Law & Taxation ( email )

3022 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
United States

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