#Whatfor
The exact figures on the benefits of a guiding purpose on the organization differ per study. But a clear conclusion seems to be that there are significant benefits to be gained. No wonder that companies like Coca Cola, ING and Nike no longer sell soft drinks, banking services or sports shoes. They sell happiness, advantage and self-transcendence. Purpose and meaning are just as central to modern companies as the old-fashioned vision, mission and strategy. Both the organization, their employees and their customers are looking for meaning, a higher purpose to which they can connect. All in all a clear recipe for success, you would say.
Credibility
Practice proves to be more stubborn. With my own agency, we have been doing research for about four years into the credibility of purpose statements and organizational values. We believe that trust in the sincerity of a higher purpose is a prerequisite for success. That sounds logical, but when values and money are in the balance, purpose and values prove to be negotiable in practice.
This is also evident from our research into the credibility of purpose among more than two thousand employees of higher-purpose organizations. 69 percent of respondents believe that their organization falls short in living up to its own values. Setting a joint higher purpose is simply easier than living up to it. Saying A and doing B means losing trust. In this way, purpose, which is intended to strengthen trust in the organization, has a counterproductive effect. Organizations with low trust in their values and purpose perform worse than organizations with a lot of trust. This is evident from our research time and again.
Tile wisdom
The question that remains is why organizations fail to canada whatsapp number connect the needs of customers and employees to a higher purpose, and thus (also) be commercially successful. After working in the field of values in organizations for about ten years, I come to a simple conclusion. The shared sincerity of the higher purpose is the most important factor. That brings us to an interesting paradox. Organizations that serve a higher purpose earn more money if they do not pursue the higher purpose to earn more money.
Organizations that serve a higher purpose make more money if they don't pursue the higher purpose to make more money.
The effect of having a higher purpose stands or falls with the credibility of that purpose. Is your organization purpose-driven? These are the conditions for credibility according to research and practice.