“Most people come to their organizations with a desire to do something meaningful, to contribute and serve. Everybody needs, as philosopher and management scholar Charles Handy says, ‘an inner belief that you are in some sense meant to be here, that you can leave the world a little different in a small way.’”
Leadership and the New Science, Margaret Wheatley
Mike McMeekin & Kyle Davy
Research consistently demonstrates the correlation between purpose and employee engagement. Alignment between personal and organizational values can result in more effective organizational performance and drive long-term success. Evidence is also emerging that society expects businesses to look beyond their own self-interest. According to the 2021 Purpose Premium Index from global public relations firm Porter Novelli, “75% of Americans say it is no longer acceptable for companies just to make money; they must positively impact society too.”
There is, then, value for organizations to invest in defining their purpose and even greater value to society when that purpose becomes a “noble purpose” that incorporates environmental and social values. A “noble purpose” unites, energizes, motivates people within and across organizations, and fulfills their desires for meaning and contribution in their work lives. It quickly and clearly communicates how individuals and organizations can contribute to a cause that benefits society in a meaningful way…. Read More
