Cultivating purpose-driven organizations: The hidden potential of employee activism

Evolving communication trends have transformed how companies engage with their stakeholders, shifting to a dialogical relationship where transparency and authenticity are paramount. This shift has seen companies and CEOs embracing activism and aligning corporate activities with social issues. Employees are also increasingly acting as internal activists, advocating for changes within their organizations and beyond, which has significant implications for corporate strategy and communication. Literature highlights the critical role of employees in brand-building through behaviors that align with corporate values, enhancing brand perception and customer engagement. Employee supportive voice, as an internal marketing strategy, improves communication and fosters a sense of responsibility and alignment with the company’s purpose. We conducted in Italy 10 in-depth interviews with corporate communications directors and senior internal communications executives to identify current themes in employee activism as part of a cross-national qualitative study including also the US. Findings reveal that in Italy advocacy activism, which supports corporate initiatives through bottom-up efforts and ERGs, is the most common form. Findings also emphasize that employee advocacy activism thrives in purpose-driven companies, creating synergies between employees and organizations. Building on marketing and communication literature on employee activism, corporate activism, CEO activism, employee voice and communication behavior, and the results of the empirical study among Italian companies, we arrive to propose a conceptual model to further investigate the factors that may influence employee activism intentions and in particular in its advocacy forms, and the potentially crucial role of CEO and corporate activism in such a relationship.