4 Strategies to Transform Your Company’s Culture Through Purpose

4 Strategies to Transform Your Company’s Culture Through Purpose

In 2015, 23% of people said they would leave their jobs for a 10% raise. Researchers asked the same question in 2019 and found that the number had nearly doubled, to 43%. The reason for this rapid decline in loyalty? The study pointed to poor workplace culture.

 

We are in a new era in which employees expect more and are more demanding of their work experience—one that is more focused on meaning and personal fulfillment, and that fosters growth and generosity. A new report titled “Building Fullfilling Employee Experience,” a collaborative effort by CECP, Imperative and PwC, explores what these evolving expectations mean for business leaders and how a better understanding of neuroscience can help shape a more human work experience, with relationships, impact and growth at its core.

 

Connecting Culture to Experience

 

Culture plays a critical role in supporting an organization’s strategy and Purpose, as well as in shaping people’s experience. Developing an organization’s culture, defined as «the way we do things around here», can provide ongoing reinforcement and support for employees seeking greater meaning in their work.

 

Although culture is more about doing than saying, organizations that want to evolve their culture to be more Purpose-centered should focus on a few vital elements:

 

1.Focus on specific behaviors that foster relationships, impact and growth (RIC)

 

Formal programs or initiatives for employees, such as mobility opportunities, innovation labs, stretch projects, reverse mentoring and meaningful experiences, help employees build deeper and more diverse relationships while fostering growth. For employees to have an impact that is meaningful to them, there must be room for them to interpret the impact they can make. Some employees do their best work when they see how their work affects another person; others may need to see impact on a broader scale.When introducing new opportunities, it’s important to be clear about the desired outcomes and leave room for people to internalize the kind of impact that is most meaningful to them. For personalization to scale, there must be a clear enough framework within which employees can design work that is meaningful to them.

 

2.Empower leaders to live the company’s Purpose

 

Leaders play a crucial role in signaling and modeling the behaviors that enable a fulfilling work experience. Both senior leaders and authentic, informal leaders can be powerful allies in influencing these behaviors and providing concrete examples of what fulfillment looks like. If leaders don’t validate and recognize the importance of leading with a Purpose mindset, they become a barrier to making work a place where people can find fulfillment.

 

3.Measure fulfillment and use it to guide talent development

 

Peter Drucker, the founder of modern management, said: «What gets measured gets managed.» As we move further into this new economy and focus on tapping into employees’ sense of Purpose, new indicators for measuring employee sentiment are sure to emerge.Although methods for capturing a fulfilling work experience will vary by organization, they should aim to assess how well employees feel their work provides the three fundamental elements of fulfillment: a sense of belonging, creating value beyond oneself, and personal growth. Considering how well your current survey addresses these elements is the crucial first step in gathering data that will enable your organization to take action toward a more meaningful employee experience.

 

As engagement surveys evolve from an annual questionnaire to more frequent pulse surveys, tracking employee fulfillment will be most effective when done often, to capture and manage the natural fluctuation of these feelings. Fortunately, technology makes this easier than ever, enabling short, intuitive surveys that can even be completed on mobile devices.

 

The standard set of engagement questions addresses certain elements of meaning and fulfillment, either directly or indirectly, so you may already be collecting useful information. Recognizing that a complete overhaul of company-wide engagement surveys is unlikely in the short term, consider starting your organization’s journey toward a Purpose culture by including three simple questions, or strengthening existing ones, in your next employee survey:

 

Do you have meaningful relationships at work?

 

Are you growing personally and professionally at work?

 

Is your work having an impact that is meaningful to you?

 

4. Create shared experiences

 

Individuals recognize their responsibility to manage themselves and find fulfilling experiences at work, but bringing employees together to create and facilitate ongoing shared experiences can accelerate this process while building stronger teams. Shared experiences can be formative and fulfilling when they bring employees together in ways that build meaningful connections, create collective impact and offer opportunities to learn something new. Experiences that are new or challenging can encourage employees to show moments of vulnerability that build trust and develop an emotional commitment to those around them.

 

A Process of Continuous Improvement

 

Just as with products, services and customer experiences, organizations must keep innovating to improve their employee experience. Understanding how to create meaning in the workplace and fostering a culture where these opportunities are abundant not only helps attract and retain top talent, but will also bring out the best in your team.