Corporate art collections as possible drivers of corporate welfare strategies? – The case of Würth Italia and the Art Forum Würth Capena

Abstract

The phenomenon of corporate art collections has consolidated over the year, to the point of being considered a possible strategic asset by companies operating in different sectors. This form of artistic investment is perceived as strategic assets for companies to aiming at tightening and strengthening relations with their external community. However, since it is referred to as a form of dissemination of corporate values within corporate spaces, it is also related to the relationship with their internal community. Considering the ongoing pressure of companies to be accountable for both internal and external stakeholder together with the centrality of the impact on individuals and societies, companies are required to commit to communicating how they are responsible towards their stakeholders with concrete actions. In particular, recognizing responsibility towards their employees could be manifested by the implementation of strategies aimed at increasing their well-being in the workplace. Could corporate art collections play a key role in this? This dissertation aims to answer this question, outlining a framework of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), useful to understand the strategic value of corporate welfare strategies, as well as the role that artistic and cultural investments have in business management strategies and their impact on the workplace, with a specific focus on corporate art collections. The study continues adopt a single case study on the Art Forum Würth Capena, the only associated gallery of the Würth Collection in Italy, through a research based on unstructured interviews and the administration of a survey. In this company, the cultural commitment, expressed above all by the corporate collection, and the centrality of the human being go hand in hand, but how do they relate?