How employees can use mission statements and other papers to advocate for sustainable change

Mission statements, corporate visions, and similar documents are widely used in companies to signal commitments to responsibility, sustainability, or social justice—often without leading to real change. However, these documents can still be valuable tools for employees who want to drive transformation within their organization.

Corporate mission statements and similar (physical or digital) documents often serve as a way for companies to engage with social and environmental issues without actually changing behaviors. These texts are frequently filled with idealistic phrases (e.g., “We treat each other with trust and respect”, “We are aware of our responsibility”) and aesthetic imagery (e.g., untouched landscapes, diverse teams) that help shape the company’s desired public image but don’t always reflect day-to-day reality.

As the saying goes, paper is patient—meaning that companies rarely face consequences if they fail to act on their stated commitments. Given this, many employees are skeptical of these documents. However, even if there may not be a more “patient” paper than a corporate mission statement, engaged employees can still use them as leverage for change.

Employees know what’s really going on

A recent study by Lisa Buchter (2021) shows how employee activists—employees who advocate for social and environmental issues within their companies—can effectively use corporate documents to push for real change. Unlike external activists, insider activists know their company’s weak spots and understand where it is most vulnerable to pressure.

For example, they might know that the company depends on attracting young talent and cannot afford to damage its reputation on sustainability. This insider knowledge is also useful for “Issue Selling“—the strategic promotion of social initiatives to leadership. Employees typically have a clear sense of how their company wants to present itself—and how things actually are.

Using “Paper” to Highlight Discrepancies

Buchter (2021) found that insider activists can successfully use mission statements, sustainability pledges, and even corporate commitments to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to push for meaningful change.

For instance, employees can highlight contradictions such as:

• “We claim to be sustainable, yet we take short-haul flights for business trips.”
• “We say we value diversity, but our leadership team is entirely male.”

If a company is unaware of these gaps between policy and practice, simply pointing them out can trigger a discussion—and sometimes even real change.

Using “Paper” to Initiate Small Experiments

In cases where corporate mission statements are primarily symbolic gestures, employees can challenge their organization to take concrete steps. For example, they might push for:

• Implementing waste separation in office spaces
• Organizing a team outing with a social purpose

If leadership resists such initiatives, insider activists can expose the superficial nature of corporate commitments and pressure management to act.

That said, it is often strategic to propose realistic first steps—for example, introducing a weekly vegetarian day in the cafeteria rather than demanding an immediate switch to a fully plant-based menu. If the company fails to implement even minor changes, it provides an opportunity to question the integrity of its commitments. However, if the initiative succeeds, insider activists can build on that momentum and push for progressively larger reforms—gradually turning abstract mission statements into lived reality.

Conclusion

While employees concerned with social and environmental issues may often be skeptical of corporate mission statements and similar documents, these can be powerful tools for driving change. Engaging in their development—even when it seems like “just another piece of paper”—can be worthwhile.

Buchter’s (2021) study goes even further, showing that insider activists can strengthen their impact over time by developing additional materials (e.g., posters, brochures, infographics) that clarify vague commitments and hold the company accountable.

Source: Buchter, L. (2021). Escaping the ellipsis of diversity: Insider activists’ use of implementation resources to influence organization policy. Administrative Science Quarterly, 66(2), 521–565.