The Global Leadership Network (GLN) was founded by IBM in partnership with nine other global companies and the leading U.S.- and U.K.-based corporate responsibility research centers, the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College and AccountAbility. IBM chairs the steering committee of companies that also includes - 3M, Cargill, Cemex, Diageo, FedEx, General Electric, General Motors, Manpower and Omron - all of whom are leaders in their industry or are known for their commitment to corporate citizenship within their countries. For the last two years these companies have shared their experiences and worked to identify elements of their corporate responsibility programs that not only improve but also drive business performance. The joint research team from the Center for Corporate Citizenship and AccountAbility has created a framework and benchmarking tool designed to the meet the needs of the founding companies and other global companies that favor determining their corporate responsibility strategies based on the interests and needs of the company, not external compliance standards.

All founding members of the network are proven leaders in their industry and are striving to achieve excellence in Corporate Citizenship. Corporate citizenship can be defined as:

The way that companies manage their broader accountabilities to ensure that they minimize the risks they impose on stakeholders and that they maximize the opportunities they generate for stakeholders.

Membership to GLN is open to any company which is a proven leader in its industry and is striving to achieve excellence in corporate citizenship.