FRONT OF HOUSE
F
the company’s 14,000 employees,
across 20-plus countries, as part of
work to “reshape and fine-tune” the
company’s culture, values and
behaviour, amid transformation.
“We partnered with Hotspots
Movement and Walking the Talk,”
explains Aisa Dreyfus. “It was about
insight and engagement. During the
hackathon, we ran 11 focus groups
around the globe, interviewed the
board, and spent a lot of time with
our executive committee. We came
up with something we all feel is ours.”
Activating purpose
For Groves, purpose is an outcome
d e r i ve d f ro m o rg a n i s at i o n s
understanding their ‘character’ and
what they stand for. “Pursuing
purpose without understanding the
cultural attributes that activate it is,
at best, a waste of time, at worst,
damaging to the cultural fabric of the
business,” she warns.
It’s “the activation of purpose that
makes the difference”, she adds.
“Activating purpose galvanises
specific positive beliefs and
behaviours.”
How do we activate purpose?
“Experience tells me that what
triggers purpose is trust — or
trustworthiness,” explains Groves.
“Organisations ask, ‘how can I
build trust?’.
And I say, ‘if trust is an outcome
of being trustworthy (in terms of
both competence and ethical
behaviour), so purpose is an
outcome of being purposeful about
how we interact with each other, with
valued behaviours such as honesty,
integrity, and courage. It’s what you
do with purpose that matters; that’s
what gives you the clarity, as opposed
to coming up with the strapline of a
purpose and trying to bolt something
around it.”
Ultimately, “if you’re seeking to
build higher levels of trust in your
organisation with key stakeholders,
and to inspire your people to deliver
improved levels of sustainable
performance and responsible
business outcomes, then activating
purpose, not just through what you
say, but what you do and how you
make people feel, will be a business-
critical imperative,” she concludes.
Our commitment
to the society
in which we’re
operating is
critical
Purpose washing
In other words, not activating your
purpose is a business risk, according
to Groves. “It’s not a nice to have, it’s
a must have, and HR has to reinforce
this and align it to the strategy so that
people believe in it,” she says.
Rather than being a differentiator,
corporate purpose is becoming
intrinsic to sustainable success, with
people swift to sniff out fakery.
While purpose can evolve — as
Wilson points out, “a purpose is not
a tablet of stone, it’s a living thing” —
inauthenticity is dangerous game.
“I think people can tell the difference
between a PR stunt and a meaningful
intention,” confirms Emmanouela
Mandalaki, assistant professor of
organisations at NEOMA Business
School. “We shouldn’t underestimate
people’s social intelligence.”
Can organisations really pursue
profit and purpose? “Absolutely,” says
Aisa Dreyfus. “In future, I don’t think
they'll be exclusive; both pieces
re i n fo rc e e a c h ot h e r. O u r
commitment to the society in which
we operate is critical.”
“The key thing is genuinely
delivering purpose, as opposed to
talking about it,” adds Godfrey.
“When we talk to employees here,
what makes the difference is the
case studies of what we’ve done. It
becomes believable in a way t isn’t
when it’s just about signing up to
pledges and sending press releases.
“It can take a huge amount of time
to build a brand and its reputation,
and you can lose that very quickly if
you do something that’s socially
unacceptable. The opposite is also
true: there are pluses from behaving
responsibly and doing the right thing;
from being meaningful and relevant.”
February – May 2020 // 29