How Middle Managers Bring Corporate Purpose to Life

HEC PhD candidate Pauline Asmar explains how corporate purpose truly comes alive inside organizations when managers and employees engage in meaningful dialogue that connects daily work to shared values. A discussion based on a research co-authored by Strategy Professor Rodolphe Durand, also at HEC Paris.

34 minutes
Transcript
Pauline ASMAR 2
Pauline Asmar
Ph.D. Student - Strategy and Business Policy
Rodolphe Durand HEC
Rodolphe Durand
Joly Family Professor of Purposeful Leadership - Strategy and Business Policy
Audio reading
A - A +
Key findings
  • Purpose thrives when middle managers translate corporate values into concrete actions and motivation.
  • Open dialogue about purpose builds engagement, trust, and a stronger sense of belonging among teams.
  • Companies fail when leaders treat purpose as slogans rather than conversations.
  • To avoid purpose-washing, organizations must empower employees to define and live the company’s mission in practice.

Listen on

Pauline ASMAR 2
Meet the Author
Pauline Asmar
Ph.D. Student - Strategy and Business Policy

I am a Ph.D. student in the Strategy and Business Policy at HEC Paris, currently on the academic job market of 2025-2026.

My research focuses on explaining how purpose within firms influences employees' perception of their firm and their behavior within the firm. 

My research interests are inspired by...

Rodolphe Durand HEC
Meet the Author
Rodolphe Durand
Joly Family Professor of Purposeful Leadership - Strategy and Business Policy

Joly Family Professor of Purposeful Leadership at HEC Paris, founder of the Sustainability & Organizations (S&O) Institute and the S&O's Purpose Center, Rodolphe Durand’s primary research interests concern the sources of competitive advantage and the interplay between the cognitive and normative...

Audio reading
A + A -

More Podcasts In this Series

All Podcasts
Podcast Darmouni energy

Climate Costs for AI Boom Could Reach $80bn a Year

Olivier Darmouni
1 minute
Financial Fragility podcast HEC
Economics & Finance Economics & Finance

Have Banks Outsourced Financial Fragility?

Quirin Fleckenstein
27 minutes
Brands & Behaviors Brands & Behaviors

How Platform Architecture and Oscar Nominations Influence Our Choices

Michelangelo Rossi
32 minutes
Geopolitics & Public Affairs Geopolitics & Public Affairs

Private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Challenges UN Bodies and International Law

38 minutes

Newsletter

Big Issues, Bold Thinking. In your inbox, once a month.
Subscribe