Leadership and purpose salience in organizations: A within‐case exploration of strategic change

This paper explores the intersection of organizational purpose and leadership within a case of strategic organizational change. Grounded in the growing scholarly awareness of the role of purpose in organizations, the study contributes by addressing the need for a deeper understanding of shared purpose by exploring how leader behaviors relate to purpose salience in organizations. It builds on knowledge and recent insights obtained from the literature on leadership, organizational behavior, strategy and purpose, and the social identity theory. Qualitative data obtained through interviews with 12 managers on all levels and focus groups with 37 frontline caregivers are analyzed in this within‐case study of five care organizations undergoing a large‐scale reform. The study further contributes through the development of a 4C framework for purpose salience (including content, clarity, consistency and connectedness) and reveals an important role for purpose‐engaging leadership behaviors on multiple levels providing directions for further research and development of purpose‐driven strategies.