Corporate Culture as a Strategic Driver of Employee Performance: A Systematic Review of Empirical Evidence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/kharaj.v7i4.8763Keywords:
Corporate culture, Employee performance, Organizational culture, Systematic literature review, PRISMA.Abstract
This study aims to systematically review empirical evidence on the role of corporate culture as a strategic driver of employee performance. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, this study analyzed 40 peer-reviewed open-access articles published between 2020 and 2025 and indexed in reputable databases. The findings reveal that corporate culture significantly influences employee performance through shared values, leadership behavior, communication climate, and learning orientation. A strong and adaptive corporate culture enhances employee motivation, work engagement, productivity, and organizational citizenship behavior. This review also identifies gaps in existing research, particularly the limited use of longitudinal designs and the lack of focus on digital and hybrid work cultures. The study contributes to the literature by providing an integrated understanding of how corporate culture drives employee performance and offers strategic insights for organizational development and human resource management.
References
Abane, J. A., Adamtey, R., & Ayim, V. O. (2022). Does organizational culture influence employee productivity at the local level? A test of Denison’s culture model in Ghana’s local government sector. Future Business Journal, 8(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-022-00145-5
Abate, T. W., & Sheferaw, H. E. (2023). Micro, small and medium enterprises and their linkage with key actors in Ethiopia: developing entrepreneurial ecosystem mapping. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-023-00339-3
Abuzaid, A. N., Ghadi, M. Y., Madadha, S. M., & Alateeq, M. M. (2024). The Effect of Ethical Leadership on Innovative Work Behaviors: A Mediating–Moderating Model of Psychological Empowerment, Job Crafting, Proactive Personality, and Person–Organization Fit. Administrative Sciences, 14(9), 191. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090191
Ackon, F., Kheni, N. A., Mensah, J. V., & Barajei, C. (2024). Effects of Organizational Culture Types on Construction Project Performance: A Competing Values Framework Approach in Ghanaian Perspective. African Journal of Empirical Research, 5(4), 1850–1858. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.5.4.154
Allen, K. S., Grelle, D., Lazarus, E. M., Popp, E., & Gutierrez, S. L. (2024). Hybrid is here to stay: Critical behaviors for success in the new world of work. Personality and Individual Differences, 217, 112459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112459
Alqhaiwi, Z. O., Koburtay, T., & Syed, J. (2024). The Interplay Between Islamic Work Ethic, Unethical Pro Behaviors, and Moral Identity Internalization: The Moderating Role of Religiosity. Journal of Business Ethics, 193(2), 393–408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-023-05527-5
Ángeles López-Cabarcos, M., Vázquez-Rodríguez, P., & Quiñoá-Piñeiro, L. M. (2022). An approach to employees’ job performance through work environmental variables and leadership behaviours. Journal of Business Research, 140, 361–369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.006
Arabeche, Z., Soudani, A., Brahmi, M., Aldieri, L., Vinci, C. P., & Abdelli, M. E. A. (2022). Entrepreneurial Orientation, Organizational Culture and Business Performance in SMEs: Evidence from Emerging Economy. Sustainability, 14(9), 5160. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095160
Arrosyid, M. S., & Wahyuningtyas, R. (2025). The Influence of Training and Digital Culture on The Capabilities of Developer Talent: A Case Study of PT. XYZ. American Journal of Economic and Management Business (AJEMB), 4(8), 1197–1210. https://doi.org/10.58631/ajemb.v4i8.269
Atnafu Alemu, B. (2025). Cultivating a Culture of Sustainability: The Role of Organizational Values and Leadership in Driving Sustainable Practices. Business Ethics and Leadership, 9(1), 79–94. https://doi.org/10.61093/bel.9(1).79-94.2025
Budi, A., & Abidin, A. (2021). DIMENSIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE (INVOLVEMENT, CONSISTENCY, ADJUSTMENT, AND MISSION) WITH NURSE WORK PRODUCTIVITY. Nurse and Health: Jurnal Keperawatan, 10(2), 257–267. https://doi.org/10.36720/nhjk.v10i2.242
Chao, H., Fanbo, M., & Patwary, A. K. (2024). Examining Organizational Commitment to Environmental Performances Among Hotel Employees: The Role of Ethical Leadership, Psychological Ownership and Psychological Empowerment. Sage Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241255226
Chen, S., Fan, Y., Zhang, G., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Collectivism-oriented human resource management on team creativity: effects of interpersonal harmony and human resource management strength. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(18), 3805–3832. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1640765
Cherian, J., Gaikar, V., Paul, R., & Pech, R. (2021). Corporate Culture and Its Impact on Employees’ Attitude, Performance, Productivity, and Behavior: An Investigative Analysis from Selected Organizations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010045
Christopher, O. A., & Edwinah, A. (2022a). Organizational Culture and Corporate Performance: A Review. Global Academic Journal of Economics and Business, 4(5), 152–162. https://doi.org/10.36348/gajeb.2022.v04i05.001
Christopher, O. A., & Edwinah, A. (2022b). Organizational Culture and Corporate Performance: A Review. Global Academic Journal of Economics and Business, 4(5), 152–162. https://doi.org/10.36348/gajeb.2022.v04i05.001
Budi, A. (2024). EFFECT OF ORGANIZATION CULTURE ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN ETHIOPIA. International Journal of Social Science, Management and Economics Research, 02(02), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.61421/IJSSMER.2024.2203
F. Albogami, M., W. Sharawi, O., & M. Khan, R. (2024, February 12). Organizational Culture Adaptability by Leaders and its Influence on Firm Performance. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management. https://doi.org/10.46254/AN14.20240610
Ghaleb, B. D. S. (2024). The importance of organizational culture for business success. Jurnal Riset Multidisiplin Dan Inovasi Teknologi, 2(03), 727–735. https://doi.org/10.59653/jimat.v2i03.1098
Hermanto, Y. B., & Srimulyani, V. A. (2022). The Effects of Organizational Justice on Employee Performance Using Dimension of Organizational Citizenship Behavior as Mediation. Sustainability, 14(20), 13322. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013322
Horak, S., Al-Twal, A., Alsarhan, F., & Darwish, T. K. (2025). The Virtues and Vices Of Employee Engagement and Its Drivers in an Informal Network Context: A Cultural Approach. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-025-06098-3
Hoxha, G., Simeli, I., Theocharis, D., Vasileiou, A., & Tsekouropoulos, G. (2024). Sustainable Healthcare Quality and Job Satisfaction through Organizational Culture: Approaches and Outcomes. Sustainability, 16(9), 3603. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16093603
İncekara, M. (2022). Determinants of process reengineering and waste management as resource efficiency practices and their impact on production cost performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in the manufacturing sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 356, 131712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131712
Jerab, D. A., & Mabrouk, T. (2023). The Role of Leadership in Changing Organizational Culture. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4574324
Khan, M. A., Husain, S., Minhaj, S. M., Ali, M. A., & Helmi, M. A. (2024). To explore the impact of corporate culture and leadership behaviour on work performance, mental health and job satisfaction of employees: An empirical study. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development, 8(11), 6417. https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i11.6417
Koeswayo, P. S., Haryanto, H., & Handoyo, S. (2024). The impact of corporate governance, internal control and corporate reputation on employee engagement: a moderating role of leadership style. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2296698
Li, M., & Rasiah, R. (2025). High-performance work systems, psychological empowerment, and power distance orientation in shaping employee innovation, a moderated mediation model. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 27189. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08522-0
Li, N., & Ding, M. (2022). The Influence of Paradoxical Leadership on Adaptive Performance of New-Generation Employees in the Post-Pandemic Era: The Role of Harmonious Work Passion and Core Self-Evaluation. Sustainability, 14(21), 14647. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114647
Liu, L., Tai, H.-W., Cheng, K.-T., Wei, C.-C., Lee, C.-Y., & Chen, Y.-H. (2022). The Multi-Dimensional Interaction Effect of Culture, Leadership Style, and Organizational Commitment on Employee Involvement within Engineering Enterprises: Empirical Study in Taiwan. Sustainability, 14(16), 9963. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169963
Mabaso, C. M., & Manuel, N. (2024). Performance management practices in remote and hybrid work environments: An exploratory study. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 50. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v50i0.2202
Muralidhar, L. B., Shilpa, R., Rahul, V., Sathyanarayana, N., & Fathima, Y. (2025). Sustainable Organisational Cultures Basing Green Management Innovation and Leadership Transformation (pp. 1–26). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-8824-2.ch001
Nassani, A. A., Badshah, W., Grigorescu, A., Cozorici, A. N., Yousaf, Z., & Zhan, X. (2024). Participatory leadership and supportive organisational culture Panacea for job satisfaction regulatory role of work-life balance. Heliyon, 10(16), e36043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36043
Okereke, M., Isi, L. R., Ogunwale, B., Gobile, S., Oboyi, N., & Raymond Isi, L. (2025). Comparative Analysis of Culture and Business Systems: The Impact on Multinational Organizations Operating in the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. International Journal of Management and Organizational Research, 4(3), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.54660/IJMOR.2025.4.3.89-101
Pougajendy, S., Mathiazhagan, A., & Karunamurthy, A. (2024). The Role of Organizational Culture in Driving Employee Engagement: Insights and Implications. Quing: International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research and Development, 3(3), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.54368/qijmsrd.3.3.0009
Rachmad, Y. E. (2025). Social Bond Theory. United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Rudi. (2023). Effects of Leadership and Work Discipline on Employee Performance: The Mediation Role of Work Motivation. Quality-Access to Success, 25(198). https://doi.org/10.47750/QAS/25.198.39
Saeed, I., Khan, J., Zada, M., Zada, S., Vega-Muñoz, A., & Contreras-Barraza, N. (2022). Linking Ethical Leadership to Followers’ Knowledge Sharing: Mediating Role of Psychological Ownership and Moderating Role of Professional Commitment. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.841590
Saluy, A. B., Armansyah, S., Djamil, M., Mulyana, B., Pramudena, S. M., Rinda, R. T., & Endri, E. (2022). Motivation Moderating the Influence of Organizational Culture and Leadership on Employment Performance. WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, 18, 662–670. https://doi.org/10.37394/232015.2022.18.63
Shahriari, M., Tajmir Riahi, M., Azizan, O., & Rasti-Barzoki, M. (2023). The effect of green organizational culture on organizational commitment: The mediating role of job satisfaction. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 33(2), 180–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2022.2029789
Srimulyani, V. A., & Hermanto, Y. B. (2022). Organizational culture as a mediator of credible leadership influence on work engagement: empirical studies in private hospitals in East Java, Indonesia. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 274. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01289-z
Sypniewska, B., Baran, M., & Kłos, M. (2023). Work engagement and employee satisfaction in the practice of sustainable human resource management – based on the study of Polish employees. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 19(3), 1069–1100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-023-00834-9
Tadesse Bogale, A., & Debela, K. L. (2024). Organizational culture: a systematic review. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2340129
Wang, S., & Huang, L. (2022). A Study of the Relationship between Corporate Culture and Corporate Sustainable Performance: Evidence from Chinese SMEs. Sustainability, 14(13), 7527. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137527
Zarkasyi, M. R. (2024). Organizational Commitment of the Millennial Generation Workforce in Indonesian Higher Education: Systematic Literature Review. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(2), 1097–1107. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v16i2.5151
Zhang, W., Zeng, X., Liang, H., Xue, Y., & Cao, X. (2023). Understanding How Organizational Culture Affects Innovation Performance: A Management Context Perspective. Sustainability, 15(8), 6644. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086644
Zhang, Y., Zheng, Y., Zhang, L., Xu, S., Liu, X., & Chen, W. (2021). A meta-analytic review of the consequences of servant leadership: The moderating roles of cultural factors. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 38(1), 371–400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-018-9639-z
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Nofrizal Nofrizal, Rino, Yunia Wardi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. In line with the license, authors are allowed to share and adapt the material. In addition, the material must be given appropriate credit, provided with a link to the license, and indicated if changes were made. If authors remix, transform or build upon the material, authors must distribute their contributions under the same license as the original.







