Connecting Organizational and Personal Purpose: A Two-Way Journey

Connecting Organizational and Personal Purpose: A Two-Way Journey

Many organizations have made progress in defining an Organizational Purpose that goes beyond the traditional logic that a company exists solely to generate returns for its shareholders. Some have gone a step further, understanding Purpose as the backbone of their strategy and organizational culture, fostering a particular kind of interaction not only with their customers, employees, and partners, but also with the communities where they operate and the citizens they regularly engage with.

 

These are meaningful changes in the way we conceive an organization, but in the end, they are only the beginning of the challenge. Once defined, Purpose must be activated within the organization, which, in addition to a significant commercial and marketing effort, requires a shift in mindset among the people and teams who are part of it.

 

It’s not enough to say, as Google’s Purpose states, that “we exist to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible,” if teams don’t strive to make it available through every channel they have. It’s not possible to fulfill Nike’s Purpose to “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world” if its people don’t go the extra mile to serve customers with agility in each of its stores.

 

How do you activate Organizational Purpose among people and teams? How do you ensure that the promise defined in the Purpose is delivered day after day in interactions with customers and other key audiences?

 

Some organizations approach this challenge of development and connection ineffectively. They try to “impose” a certain vision (usually using words like “aligning” or “cascading” information), when it’s impossible to force people to be kind or go that extra mile. They try to start with frontline workers, when high-level agreements are often needed to move forward with the certainty that there will be no backtracking a few weeks later. Or, even worse, they try to train all workers with standardized scripts to smile or be friendly, when we know we’re not dealing with machines but with human beings who think and feel.

 

An alternative approach to the challenge is this: start the change with people, particularly with leaders, but with the full commitment of the organization. What change? Connecting people with their Purpose, with the why behind what they do, so they take ownership of their Personal Purpose and activate a Purpose Mindset by finding a meaningful connection between the Organization’s Purpose and their own. It’s about moving away from the transactional logic of working in exchange for a paycheck, and into the logic of working because it contributes to my personal fulfillment, because what I do is aligned with my Purpose. Ultimately, it’s about starting by empowering people to lead their own lives, and then to lead people, teams, and organizations.

 

Gaining a deeper understanding of employees’ Personal Purpose and how to activate it at work can help people want to go that extra mile, share the information needed, and serve that difficult customer, because they become aware that feeling fulfilled at work is essential to feeling fulfilled in life as well. In fact, a study by Aaron Hurst, Purpose Economist at Almabrands, showed that people who know their Purpose are 3 times more likely to feel fulfilled, motivated, and productive at work than those who don’t. (Workforce Purpose Index, Imperative, 2019) After all, we spend far too much time at work for it to be simply a pile of hours in exchange for a paycheck.

 

Activating is not aligning: the challenge is mobilization

 

If we truly want to activate an organization’s Purpose, the challenge isn’t aligning people, but rather mobilizing them to become aware of their Personal Purpose and, from there, connect it with the Organization’s. What changes is not (only) the organization; what changes is the mindset and everyday behavior of the people who are part of it, and with that, their bond, commitment, impact, and above all, sense of fulfillment.

 

Author: Cristián Irarrazaval – Head of Training and Cultural Transformation