Or, How We Went from “Justice for All” to “Please Buy Our Sustainable Yoga Mats”
Let’s talk about corporate values — those shiny words plastered across websites and office walls that promise you a utopia where corporations are kind, fair, and definitely not evil. Values like “integrity,” “innovation,” and “diversity” are so overused they might as well be printed on a mug next to “World’s Best Dad.” But do they really mean anything? Or are they just carefully curated marketing jargon meant to distract you while they ship your data to places where privacy laws go to die?
To understand modern corporate values, we need to take a journey back through history — a time when values actually had stakes, meaning, and consequences. Spoiler alert: things have changed. And not always for the better.
Step 1: Values of the Past — When They Mattered
Long before “synergy” became a value and not just a word your HR department overuses, organizations had values because they had to. They were a way to enforce cooperation, trust, and loyalty in a world without legal frameworks, performance bonuses, or LinkedIn endorsements.
Guilds and Craftsmen (Medieval Europe)
Guilds, the OG trade unions of the Middle Ages, had explicit values like quality, fairness, and honesty. These weren’t just slogans; if a cobbler made bad shoes, they risked being ostracized or, worse, losing their guild membership. Compare that to modern-day companies, where “integrity” often translates to “we only cheat a little bit, and usually offshore.”
Religious Institutions
Religious organizations built their values on moral codes — think “don’t lie,” “don’t steal,” “help the poor.” Sure, these values sometimes came with a side of holy wars and inquisitions, but at least the values were taken seriously. They believed they were accountable to God, not just shareholders.
The Industrial Revolution
Fast-forward to the 19th century, and you see companies like Cadbury adopting paternalistic values — building housing for workers and promoting education. Yes, it was partly self-serving (happy workers don’t strike), but at least they were making tangible efforts.
Step 2: Modern Companies — From Substance to Spin
Now let’s look at modern corporations. Today’s values often sound like they were generated by a feel-good algorithm:
- “Innovation.”
- “Diversity.”
- “Customer Obsession.”
But peel back the shiny façade, and you often find a startling lack of follow-through. Some examples:
1. Performative Values: The Greenwashing Chronicles
Many companies tout sustainability as a core value. But when it comes to hard decisions — like cutting emissions or reducing waste — they find “creative” ways to avoid them. Take fast-fashion brands that claim to be “eco-friendly” while releasing a new collection every week. That’s like claiming to be on a diet while eating cake for breakfast.
2. “Integrity” — But Only When It’s Convenient
Big tech companies love to plaster words like “integrity” on their walls, but when faced with ethical dilemmas — like content moderation or protecting user privacy — they often choose profit over principles. Remember when Facebook (now Meta) claimed to prioritize “building community” while knowingly allowing disinformation to spread? Community, indeed.
3. Innovation at Any Cost
Uber famously prided itself on “disruption.” Translation? Break all the rules and deal with the lawsuits later. It’s the corporate equivalent of kicking down a door and saying, “We’ll figure out the consequences later.”
Step 3: Companies That Actually Walk the Walk
Not all companies are guilty of value hypocrisy. Some genuinely embrace their values, even when it hurts their bottom line. And let me tell you, those companies deserve a standing ovation — and maybe some better PR.
Patagonia
The poster child for corporate integrity, Patagonia has made decisions that align with its environmental values, even when they’re painful. Example? In 2018, they donated $10 million in tax cuts to fight climate change. That’s the corporate equivalent of giving your Christmas bonus to Greenpeace.
Ben & Jerry’s
Known for their progressive values, Ben & Jerry’s actively supports social justice initiatives — even when it alienates certain customers. For instance, their open criticism of political policies is bold, principled, and far riskier than just making ice cream flavors like “Equality Fudge Swirl.”
Salesforce
Salesforce promotes values like equality and transparency and puts its money where its mouth is, with initiatives like pay equity for employees and public reports on diversity efforts.
Step 4: What Modern Companies Lack
So, what’s missing from today’s corporate value systems? The answer lies in three things the past had in spades:
1. Accountability: In the past, failing to live up to your values had immediate consequences — loss of reputation, customers, or even livelihood. Today, accountability is often diluted by PR campaigns and spin.
2. Sacrifice: True values require sacrifice. If you’re not willing to lose money, market share, or customers for your principles, then those principles aren’t values — they’re branding.
3. Meaning Beyond Profit: Companies like Cadbury and early guilds understood that values had to serve a higher purpose — workers, communities, society. Today, values often feel like afterthoughts bolted onto profit-driven machines.
Step 5: A Call to Action
Let’s be clear: values can be powerful. They can inspire employees, build trust with customers, and make the world better. But only if companies are willing to embrace them fully — even when it’s inconvenient, expensive, or unpopular.
So here’s the challenge for modern corporations: Stop treating values like window dressing and start treating them like the backbone of your business. Because if your values don’t cost you something, they’re not values — they’re marketing copy.
References
• Arendt, H. (1958). The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Ben & Jerry’s. (2021). Social Impact. Available at: https://www.benjerry.com/values.
• Facebook/Meta. (2018). Hard Questions: Q&A With Mark Zuckerberg on Protecting People’s Information. Available at: https://about.fb.com/news/2018/04/hard-questions-protecting-peoples-information.
• Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Nietzsche, F. (1887). On the Genealogy of Morality. New York: Random House.
• Patagonia. (2018). Environmental Activism. Available at: https://www.patagonia.com/activism.
• Plato. (380 BCE). The Republic. London: Penguin Classics.
• Sartre, J.P. (1943). Being and Nothingness. London: Methuen.
• Weber, M. (1905). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Routledge.
• Zuckerberg, M. (2021). Values and Hard Decisions. Available at: https://share.snipd.com/snip
