Putting Purpose to work for your organisation

It should come as no surprise that harnessing Purpose is a fundamental priority for organisations right now. The last few years have seen employees across industries questioning their why. Whether feeling unseen or unappreciated on the frontlines, or isolated behind a screen at home, people are increasingly seeking to find more meaning in their day-to-day – as consumers, and employees.

This collective shift opens up a golden opportunity for organisations to connect people with their work through a clear and compelling Purpose. And so they should – defining, communicating and living Purpose is how we unlock innovation, pave the path to organisational success and drive clear outcomes for customers, partners, communities and people.

At its core, purpose describes the intention, aim, or function of something; the thing that something is supposed to achieve. Put simply, Purpose helps us unlock the why of it all. Why do we come to work? Why do we make certain decisions? Why do we strive to do better? Why do we exist? A clearly defined and embedded Purpose statement is business critical for organisations because it unlocks the answers to all these questions and many more. It provides the context for how and why decisions get made, in turn delivering clarity and confidence to your people, suppliers, partners, shareholders and customers.

Nick Tucker, We Are Unity’s Head of Advisory, is working on a number of significant Purpose projects in Australia right now. He believes Purpose needs to evolve from words on a page to something meaningful that can inspire action and connect people emotionally. That “it must be own-able and authentic and have built-in jeopardy”. 

“Purpose needs to evolve from words on a page to something meaningful that can inspire action and connect people emotionally”

Take Patagonia as an example: ‘to save our home planet’ serves as quite a lofty statement, positioning them firmly as a corporate activist. But Patagonia can, and does, act on their Purpose – through tangible products, allocating grants to environmental groups and taxing themselves to give back to the planet. What could be seen as lip service is charged with authenticity when backed up by measurable action.

A strong Purpose must also unlock the power of your people. Too many corporate statements have little engagement or adoption by the people that work there, often because they simply do not resonate with the lived experience of the employees or the organisation’s customers.

We recently polled our LinkedIn community to take their pulse on the matter. We were heartened to hear that 64% of respondents said yes, their organisation's Purpose motivated their own work. A promising start, but that still leaves 35% of us floundering in work without meaning or direction.

This year's Purpose Power Index, a US based survey, found a burgeoning Purpose action gap felt by the 'doers' of the workforce, and, significantly, a correlated negative impact on their engagement.

The report revealed that 72% of senior management agreed “my company’s purpose motivates me to get up and go to work every day” yet only 45% of front-line workers agreed.

It’s a stark reminder that an effective Purpose needs to be inclusive and embedded at every level – modelled and led by leaders, and felt by every team member.

“A strong and meaningful purpose should inform an organisation’s decision-making”

Nick says this is critical to making Purpose work. That “a strong and meaningful purpose should inform an organisation’s decision-making”.

“Everything from what types of clients they choose to partner with, where and how they market their business, their corporate social responsibility and how they treat their employees and customers”. 

Being truly Purpose-driven is not just for charities, social enterprises and cause related workplaces. It’s for everyone. Make your Purpose a true expression of why your organisation exists and you’ll find yourself with a compelling north star to guide your strategy, inspire your people, customers and investors, and deliver on your vision and mission.