Conceptualizing and Measuring Corporate Ideology

The present study focuses on corporate ideology, an important element of culture, which refers to the explicit and publicly expressed beliefs and values of an organization's key decision-makers. Although the literature suggests that ideology affects strategy, practices, and performance, few studies have measured the construct. The present study identifies the dimensions of corporate ideology and develops a typology of ideology. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in which questionnaires were mailed to 645 of the largest manufacturing companies in the U.S. The response rate was 25 percent. The results of the study identify three dimensions of ideology: progressive decision-making, social responsibility, and organicity. They suggest that ideologies have some tendency to fall along a continuum from traditional to progressive. The importance of this finding to strategy and performance are explained within a contingency framework.