A quiver full of arrows: An examination of tactics employed by CEO activists in Ghana

Abstract

CEO activism is rising in popularity around the world due to growing social injustices, the inability of governments to address key concerns of their constituents (e.g., global warming, health, and safety), and abuses of power. Many people are simply fed up with the current state of affairs and want to see people in power held accountable. As a result, CEOs are taking public stances on timely issues. They are doing so not only because they want to win favor with their employees and customers but also because they feel an obligation—and pressure—to speak up and pursue greater good on behalf of others since they have platforms and visibility that are not shared by those whose lack similar status or vehicles to for their voices to be heard. This is a qualitative study that involved in-depth interviews with 24 CEO activists. Data analysis followed the hermeneutic phenomenological approach. The findings advance the CEO activism literature by focusing on the tactical repertoire of activist CEOs within the non-Western context of Ghana. Activist CEOs in Ghana use a broader portfolio of tactics than previously thought, offer a typology of CEO activism tactics, and help to internationalize CEO activism research. This study also expands upon nascent research streams such as responsible management, Africapitalism, Afrocentric philosophies of sustainability, and public relations for social responsibility.