Purpose as the north star of organisations

In today’s organisational context, Purpose assumes a crucial relevance for companies: in fact, it has become imperative to develop towards customers, business and the community a narrative of self and organisational action that can express a clear motivation for the company’s existence.

Purpose is the strategic tool that allows companies to take this path, placing the scope of organisational action beyond the pursuit of profit and expressing an idea of concrete impact, with social, ethical and sustainability value, that reverberates both within the company and externally, towards the wider community.

Our initial goal, with the research that took shape as ‘Purpose as the North Star of organisations’, was to understand how Purpose arises ‘inside’, from a philosophical and abstract calling, and then translates ‘outside’, into concrete and practical actions. Our intention was to explore this concept at a practical level, assessing the path from the definition of Purpose to its actual implementation and analysing the impact this approach has on the organisation itself and the context in which it operates.

Direct dialogue with our clients has been essential to gain a defined and experience-based understanding, outlining some essential features of the Purpose dynamic that highlight its complexity and that we believe are useful for any organisation interested in exploring this concept. The link with the organisation’s Mission and Vision, the dynamism of Purpose in action, its fullfillment into the Total Experience and the strong link between Purpose, technology and innovation are themes that we have consistently encountered in our investigation and that we believe are crucial to be aware of for anyone wishing to approach this field.

Embarking on the path of defining or updating the Purpose requires a strong corporate intention: this type of planning is the result of an accurate study that combines different methodological elements and different souls of the organisation. The Purpose must be meaningful and aspirational, authentically reflecting the core essence and objectives of the company. If defined appropriately and if enabled to have a concrete impact, the Purpose becomes a fundamental guide, capable of influencing the organisation’s strategy, culture and actions, uniting all stakeholders around a common goal.

We hope with this research to provide a useful tool to undertake this journey consciously and effectively