DEVELOPING A
BLUEPRINT FOR
PURPOSEFUL
BUSINESS
A Blueprint for Better Business
is a small charity with a big idea:
to challenge the assumption
that the primary purpose of
business is profit. We spoke to
Blueprint CEO Charles Wookey
to find out more.
WHY IS PURPOSE YOUR MAIN
GOAL FOR CHANGE?
Blueprint has its origins in the 2008
financial crisis and the sense, in the
aftermath, of a complete breakdown
in trust between business and the
society it’s meant to serve. Working
with a group of top business leaders,
we concluded that underlying this was
the dominant idea that business is all
about maximising shareholder value.
Related to that was the thinking that
people’s primary motivation at work
is financial self-interest — leading to a
business philosophy where success is
perceived to be solely about aligning
that individual self-interest with what
a profit-maximising business requires.
We think that leads to a double
disconnect: between business and
societ y and al so in terms of
human motivation.
Our focus on purpose challenges
the received wisdom around the
primacy of profit, looking back to the
period before the free market
30 // Future Talent
orthodoxy of Milton Friedman and The
Chicago School. There are plenty of
historic examples of large, highly
commercial, successful companies
— such as ICI — that were linked to, and
rooted in, their environments.
We want businesses to be inspired
and guided by a purpose that serves
society as well as meeting commercial
imperatives. This kind of purpose is a
driver for success rather than a brake.
We want
business
leaders to
become
‘midwives’
for change
DOES A FOCUS ON PURPOSE ALSO LEAD
TO BETTER STAFF MOTIVATION?
It certainly helps, but it’s not enough
on its own. Companies can have a
clear sense of purpose, supported by
the best purpose statements, and still
not be a good place for people to work.
That’s why Blueprint has a dual focus
on purpose and the importance of
human relationships, whether that’s
the relationships with and between
employees, or external relationships
with customers and suppliers.
Often, that’s about a shift in
perspective, taking a longer-term,
relationship-building approach rather
than focusing on short-term gain. We
recently worked with a company
facing the need to introduce new
automated technology to cut costs.
By reframing the problem from simply
“how can I save the most money?” to
“how can I create meaningful jobs?”,
the CEO was able to enlist the support
of his staff and move the company to
trialling four-day-a-week working.