Purpose defines WHY something is done, and HOW does it make meaning to all the stakeholders. With organizations, it is the very reason for its existence and what is that in the world they want to change for the greater good. With employees, it is the meaning of the work they do and their quest throughout their professional life, and sometimes beyond. To put it in more practical way, how many of us would like to be a part of a professional journey where the leadership only means economic gains for the investors, or instead would want to associate with an organization that creates value for investors, people, customers, future, community, and the environment within which it operates. It is researched and proven that when the employee sees the work and their values aligned, they put all possible effort in their discretion to create or deliver the best.
So What is the Connection
Of course, both purposes are seemingly distant but it is finely knitted by the organization’s vision and mission. In this digital era where the workforce is well connected and take informed decisions, they prefer to evaluate their involvement and like to stay with an organization that can warrant to offer work-life more meaning. A recent research on the subject shows that purposeful employees are more likely to sustain or improve their levels of work effectiveness, and have 5x higher signs of positive well-being. Furthermore, the same set of purpose-driven employees are 4X more engaged than others, resulting in higher profits for the organization.
Many top executives often fail to fasten the organizational purpose and the self-contract that an employee holds with his work. And certainly, the outcomes are the underperformance of both, the employee and the organization. Perhaps, the leaders should dedicate conscious energies to ensure the organization is driven by the purpose that makes sense to all its stakeholders, and also vow to infuse the essence of its core purpose in every people processes the organization follows, including but not limited to, onboarding, training, and development, culture building, talent and performance management.
“Profits are in no way inconsistent with purpose – in fact, profits and purpose are inextricably linked.” – Larry Fink, CEO BlackRock.
