How important is purpose and performance in leadership development programs? Adam Canwell responds
How important is purpose and performance in leadership development programs? Adam Canwell responds
Organisations that have a compelling purpose achieve this performance because they are better able to leverage the intrinsic motivation of their employees. When employees are personally motivated in this way, they give greater discretionary effort and have more energy for the work.
EY research shows that employees working for organisations with clearly articulated and meaningful purpose are 1.4 times more engaged and 1.7 times more satisfied. And it’s not only our employees who care about organisation purpose. Research shows 73% of global consumers would switch to brands with a clearly articulated purpose that resonates and inspires a call to action in them.
For each of us, the purpose of our work is very personal and our leaders’ job is to create a climate where we can articulate our own purpose and connect with a higher order purpose that is bigger than us alone. In this volatile, uncertain, ambiguous and complex [VUCA] environment organisations have to adapt to survive and thrive. A clear purpose provides leaders and staff with a compelling North Star to guide them in making decisions and taking action.
The research around the role of purpose and its links to organisational performance stretches back decades. One seminal study was undertaken by Professor Litwin and Robert Stringer at the Harvard Business School in 1965.
They demonstrated the impact of a positive organisation climate on improved performance. Their research showed that the key dimension of organisation climate to get right is clarity and one half of the clarity puzzle is the mission and direction of the organisation. The mission of an organisation and the direction set by leaders is most potent when it is aligned to, and an expression of, the organisation’s high-order purpose.
Adam Canwell
Global leader leadership consulting practice
ERNST & YOUNG
- What is the value of purpose for driving performance in organisations?
Organisations that have a compelling purpose achieve this performance because they are better able to leverage the intrinsic motivation of their employees. When employees are personally motivated in this way, they give greater discretionary effort and have more energy for the work.
EY research shows that employees working for organisations with clearly articulated and meaningful purpose are 1.4 times more engaged and 1.7 times more satisfied. And it’s not only our employees who care about organisation purpose. Research shows 73% of global consumers would switch to brands with a clearly articulated purpose that resonates and inspires a call to action in them.
- How can leaders bring organisation purpose to life?
For each of us, the purpose of our work is very personal and our leaders’ job is to create a climate where we can articulate our own purpose and connect with a higher order purpose that is bigger than us alone. In this volatile, uncertain, ambiguous and complex [VUCA] environment organisations have to adapt to survive and thrive. A clear purpose provides leaders and staff with a compelling North Star to guide them in making decisions and taking action.
- Is purpose just another HR fad?
The research around the role of purpose and its links to organisational performance stretches back decades. One seminal study was undertaken by Professor Litwin and Robert Stringer at the Harvard Business School in 1965.
They demonstrated the impact of a positive organisation climate on improved performance. Their research showed that the key dimension of organisation climate to get right is clarity and one half of the clarity puzzle is the mission and direction of the organisation. The mission of an organisation and the direction set by leaders is most potent when it is aligned to, and an expression of, the organisation’s high-order purpose.
Adam Canwell
Global leader leadership consulting practice
ERNST & YOUNG