content: Codes of conduct and core values aren't for engineers, sales, product, accounting, labor, etc. They don't give one shit about it, just want to do their jobs. It's to "help" guide the decisions of HR (ie hiring decisions, mandatory training, staff support) and management. To what extent it actually changes management decisions depends on the particular manager, but there definitely are times where managers will make decisions in line with some "core values" for brownie points with the higher ups. Also, every company I've worked for (well, only 2, so maybe it's not a great data set) has had quarterly reviews where employees fill out forms about their goals and how well they've executed on these goals. The goals are supposed to be tied into the corporate values. These sheets are used for determining bonuses, raises, etc. "Core values" don't drive business decisions nearly as much as MBAs would want them to, but they do have an affect on who gets hired, who gets promoted, and how managers will approach situations. SJWs can't just take over a company the same way they would take over an online forum (ie firing everyone they disagree with then replacing them with a more "diverse" workforce), but they can start making changes and hiring decisions that affect the long term demographics of a company.