Dear Friends of Strategy Science,The discussion of purpose in corporations has become widespread today, with leaders devoting considerable time and attention to its development, expression, and deep diffusion. While corporate purpose is a concept distinct from strategy, its expansive reach and breadth of definitions overlap considerably with strategy. Given the substantial attention to purpose in corporate circles as well as burgeoning academic interest, Strategy Science is pleased to have published a remarkable special issue on the topic, edited by Matthew Kraatz, William Ocasio, and David Chandler. The issue features contributions from a distinguished set of scholars and an insightful introductory essay from the editors, entitled "Making Sense of Corporate Purpose" (Ocasio et al. 2023). Their title describes the issue's contribution-a collection of papers that help readers make sense of corporate purpose. Their contributions address the topic from a wide range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives and do so with varying forms of enthusiasm and occasional pessimism. All of the papers are currently now available in Articles in Advance. You will enjoy the read and in doing so garner a deeper understanding of this concept so central to the field of strategy.The papers in the Corporate Purpose Special Issue include the following:
Making Sense of Corporate Purposeby William Ocasio, Matthew Kraatz, and David Chandler
Inside-out and Outside-in Perspectives on Corporate Purposeby Juan ("John") Almandoz
From the Boardroom: Making Purpose Research Relevant for Practiceby Rodolphe Durand
The Value of Organizational Purposeby Witold J. Henisz
Moral Imagination, the Collective Desirable, and Strategic Purposeby Violina P. Rindova and Luis L. Martins
Accounts and Accountability: On Organizational Purpose, Organizational Identity, and Meaningful Workby Michael G. Pratt and Luke N. Hedden
Corporate Purpose in Comparative Perspective: The Role of Governanceby Ruth V. Aguilera
Corporate Purpose: A Social Judgement Perspectiveby Roy Suddaby, Luca Manelli, and Ziyun Fan
Corporate Personhood and Fiduciary Duties as Critical Constructs in Developing Stakeholder Management Theory and Corporate Purposeby Joseph T. Mahoney
Systemic Symbolic Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Corporate Purpose: A Cautionary Taleby James D. Westphal
The Multiple Facets of Corporate Purpose: An Analytical Typologyby Marya Besharov and Björn Mitzinneck
The New Stakeholder Theory on Organizational Purposeby Anita M. McGahan
The Contingent Relationship Between Purpose and Profitsby Claudine Gartenberg
Can Purpose Foster Stakeholder Trust in Corporations?by Ranjay Gulati and Franz Wohlgezogen
The Promises and Perils of Corporate Purposeby Sarah Kaplan
Seeing Beyond the Here and Now: How Corporate Purpose Combats Corporate Myopiaby Ju Young Lee, Pratima Bansal, and Alice Mascena Barbosa
Walking the Purpose-Talk Inside a Large Company: Sustainable Product Development as an Instance of Divergent Changeby Marissa Kimsey, Thijs Geradts, and Julie Battilana
Please enjoy these papers and share them with your colleagues. Also, please connect with us on LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter.Sincerely,Todd ZengerEditor-in-Chief
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