Corporate Purpose Consistency: A Quantitative Analysis of External Communication and Employees’ Internal Perception

Abstract

This dissertation examines the consistency between the external communication of corporate purpose and employees’ internal perception of purpose. Although many organisations communicate purpose as part of their corporate identity, it is not always clear whether this external discourse reflects how purpose is actually perceived inside the organisation. For this reason, the study analyses the relationship between external purpose communication and internal employee perception, and also explores whether stakeholder-oriented purpose communication is associated with stronger internal perception. A quantitative, cross-sectional and correlational design was applied to a sample of 64 companies. Internal perception was measured through aggregated employee survey data based on three dimensions: managerial coherence, personal alignment and colleagues’ coherence. External communication was assessed through a rating developed for this study and applied to two official corporate channels: the corporate website and LinkedIn. The rating considered the presence, visibility and business connection of purpose, as well as stakeholder orientation. The results show no statistically significant relationship between internal perception of purpose and external communication, either on the corporate website or on LinkedIn. This suggests that making purpose visible externally does not necessarily imply that it is more strongly perceived internally. Stakeholder orientation also shows only a limited association with internal perception, with one significant negative relationship between stakeholder orientation on the website and perceived managerial coherence. Overall, the study contributes to the literature by showing that corporate purpose should be analysed both as an external communication practice and as an internal organisational experience. The project contributes to SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, by highlighting the importance of employee perception and meaningful organisational practices in purpose-driven companies.