I am a big fan of articulating an organisation’s purpose, but only if it is accompanied by action.
A purpose statement might read wonderfully and look lovely on a slide or website. But what are companies doing to engage employees in what the purpose actually means? To help teams and individuals align activities? To introduce it to new (or potential) colleagues?
Ideally, employees will have already contributed to shaping the
purpose by sharing views of why the organisation exists and what difference it
makes. Even if they have – and especially if they haven’t – the company has to help
them understand what an articulated purpose should mean for their work. Guide
them on how to put it into practice. Equip teams to challenge their own behaviours
and strengthen alignment.
That’s why any purpose statement should be a practical tool,
not just a fine set of words. The articulation is just the starting point of a
process to embed what it really means across the company. Without that, any statement
risks becoming a house built on sand.
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