Investing In Communities: Forging New Ground in Corporate Community Codevelopment through Relational and Psychological Pathways

Abstract

Within management scholarship and practice, corporate community investments are heralded as an important form of corporate social responsibility. Yet, community development scholars have engaged in discourse and debate regarding corporate community investment, surmising that in some instances it does more harm than good. Where management research has not focused—and can substantially contribute to both theory and practice—is on how to implement corporate community investment for mutual gain. Integrating the fields of management and community development, I provide an evidence-based theory for understanding corporate community codevelopment, addressing relational and psychological pathways for behavioral change. This model emerged from a longitudinal qualitative ethnographic study of corporate-community investment programs, involving 1,176 hours of observations, 63 interviews, as well as narratives and reflections from participants representing 11 large corporations, at-risk remote Indigenous Australian communities, and a nonprofit organization. The 35 programs in focus involved initiatives such as family income management, educational trusts, literacy programs, and nutritional and substance abuse campaigns. The results in competency-building and community development have exceeded the expectations of all parties. Implications for theory, research, policy, and practice in management and community development are included.