Purpose in Organizations
In times of New Work, VUCA and Digital Transformation, we at mynd:way hear a lot of talk about PURPOSE. But what does PURPOSE actually mean?
Let’s look at PURPOSE in an organisational context from 3 perspectives:
- Personal purpose
- Team purpose
- Firm purpose
1.PERSONAL PURPOSE
Personal purpose is the answer to one key question: Why do you do, what you do?
If you want to explore that question more closely, ask yourself: What is is that makes your heart beat faster? What makes you get up in the morning? How do you express your passions in your doing?
Personal purpose is the expression of what we truly are as individuals. It provides us with energy in our daily tasks, even in the ones, we like a little less. By acting purpose-driven, we also cultivate a deeper sense of knowing that what we do is a contribution to something bigger.
2.TEAM PURPOSE
Team purpose can be assessed by the following the questions: Why do we do, what we do? How do our various personal purposes inform our shared team purpose?
Team purpose is like a bond of connection. It infuses shared goals and visions. It is the foundation to dealing with challenges and success. When a team is clear of their shared purpose, which is linked to every team members’ purpose, they automatically foster a higher level of appreciation for each other. They know that everyone is here due to their personal motivation. Everyone is giving their best because their purpose matters as much as everyone else’s. What they reach together as a team is a direct reflection of their inner drive and the will to contribute to something that matters.
3.FIRM PURPOSE
Firm purpose is the ultimate bond within the company. While it relates back to aforementioned key questions, it is also an honest and bold statement of the firm as to how they want to contribute to the world. By matching firm purpose with team and individual purpose, a network evolves that clearly states: We as a firm know that our work, our business and our workforce matter. By appreciating ourselves, our stake- and shareholders as well as everyone involved with us, we make our purpose a value-based foundation to everything we do.
In sum, purpose is like a part of the DNA. It ties firm members together, while accepting the importance of individual and team purpose.
What is your experience with purpose? Please feel free to comment and share your amazing experiences. Every insight matters!
About the author:
Dr. Martina Dopfer is CEO and Co-Founder of mynd:way, who offer mindful learning journeys for employees, leaders, teams, and organizations. She has a PhD in economics from the University of St. Gallen and is a startup- and mindfulness coach. Over the past 10 years, she has accumulated her digital expertise through working in online marketing startups, in the digital units of large corporate firms, and as a consultant for digital business model innovations.
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TAKE OUR HAPPINESS AT WORK – TEST
If you are curious to learn how you currently feel at work, we would love to invite you to do our short “Happiness at work-Test” in this LINK. Feel free to share it with your team. (If you have done it already, great job!)
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OUR MYND:WAYS
Our mynd:ful YOU and mynd:ful TEAM journeys are designed to foster mindfulness, agility and collaboration in the modern workplace. During those journeys, we apply tools for self-reflection on strengths, weaknesses and your ideal role. We practice mindful communication and jointly reflect what purpose and values actually mean to us. The goals of these journeys are to foster important skill sets for the digital age in an easily applicable way.
Find out more about our mynd:way method in our book “Achtsamkeit und Innovation in integrierten Organisationen“.
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