Is the new research true? Would almost half of your employees take a lower paying job for a better corporate culture?

In short, almost half of employees would be would be willing to take a lower-paying job for a better corporate culture, according to the new groundbreaking Return on Culture Report released by Grant Thornton providing concrete evidence that company culture drives business performance.

To evaluate the role culture plays in driving business performance, Grant Thornton combined its 90-plus years of consulting and advisory experience with the quantitative analysis expertise of Oxford Economics. Here are a few highlights of the report's many findings:

• 49 percent of employees polled would be willing to take a lower-paying job for a better corporate culture.
• Public companies with "extremely healthy" cultures were 2.5 times more likely to report substantial stock price increases over the last year.
• Companies with "extremely healthy" cultures are 1.5 times more likely to report average revenue growth of more than 15% for the past three years.

I am thrilled that this report validates a message I've been driving home with clients for years: strategic culture investments lead to financial gain. I've gone so far as to say that corporate culture is the only true competitive advantage. Assessing and addressing culture is a critical (and mandatory) part of our strategic planning facilitation. Without a culture that supports your strategies, you are truly swimming upstream in shallow water with no paddle.

Here are a few leadership questions to think about regarding your company culture:

1. Would your employees take a lower-paying job for a better corporate culture?
2. How do you know?
3. What have you done to validate your answer?
4. Do you have a strategy for developing and consistently reinforcing the culture needed to support your strategies?
5. How are you measuring your return on culture investments?

Remember, every company has a culture. Culture develops intentionally or by default. It's only a question of whether your culture is helping or hindering your strategic initiatives. I encourage you to get more strategic about developing a culture that supports rather than sabotages your investments of time and money. If you've been intentional about your culture, great! Take it to the next level. If not, start the process by answering the questions above.

Sherrin Ross Ingram, CEO at International Center for Strategic Planning, is a Master Strategic Planning Facilitator, an independent corporate board director, and keynote speaker on strategy development and execution at business meetings and conferences around the world.