A Framework for Transforming Corporate Purpose Into Organisational Culture

Purpose: One of the most powerful and talked about approaches in the management and leadership of modern business today is Organisational Purpose. When placed at the heart of strategy, it is said to increase employee engagement exponentially, resulting in the unlocking of human potential, lighting up passion and enthusiasm within people, and beating the line in financial performance through overservicing and delighting customers, by as much as 42% compared to the stock market. However, as much as Organisational Purpose is heralded as the core motivation behind the sustainable success of any organisation, 90% of these purpose-led strategies fail in implementation. The article investigates this phenomenon. Theoretical Framework: This study falls within the framework where leadership and strategy implementation meet. One of the most profound gaps identified during the literature reviewed for this article is that the purpose (‘deep self’) of an organisation cannot be defined or even implemented without defining the individual purposes (‘deep self’) of its leadership, in that an organisation can only ever be as conscious as its leader. Design/ methodology/ Approach: This study, therefore, sets out to create a framework that can guide leaders towards implementing corporate purpose into organisational culture through raising leadership and organisational consciousness and, in doing so, overcoming this persisting barrier to implementation. By choosing Action Design Research as the methodology for this research, the researchers co-create a potential solution with 14 Chief Executive Officers, each a market leader within their diverse industries. Findings: A solution that suggests that the successful transformation of corporate purpose into organisational culture lies at the intersection of the individual purpose of each executive leader, the purpose of the organisation, and the individual purpose of each of its employees. Against the plethora of existing frameworks, which are by and large said to be unsuccessful in the face of implementation failure, the framework presented as a product of this study offers an alternative solution. Research, Practical & Social Implications: A practical solution that puts the potential of people at its heart is offered as a framework for implementation. Originality/Value: The framework is called: ‘The Growing Greatness Implementation Framework’. This presents a new and unique contribution to the current literature about Strategic Business Management.