Robert Quinn On Making Purpose Real For Your Organization

Many organizations aspire to be driven by an authentic, higher purpose, to fully engage their employees and reap performance advantages. However, consistently moving an organization forward on the purpose journey can be a considerable challenge.

On January 12th, the Higher Ambition Leadership Alliance welcomed Robert (Bob) Quinn to share a tested framework for action on purpose and how to accelerate progress. 

A prolific author of 18 books, Bob is one of the most cited professors in the field of organizational behavior. He is a co-founder of the field of positive organizational scholarship and the Ross Center For Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan, where he is a professor emeritus. 

Here are some of the critical questions he discussed with the Alliance community members.

How do you find a purpose that will excite and inspire an entire organization?

Many executives on the line wanted to hear how to identify a true shared higher purpose that will engage an entire organization and its ecosystem. Bob indicated that there are no shortcuts, and that reflecting is a vital tool towards achieving the clarity needed in purpose discovery.

“Studies show that most people would choose a mild electric shock to few minutes of personal time to reflect,” he said. 

He went on to say, “Discovering the purpose of an organization requires unusual action and constant reflection,” he stated. “You don’t invent the purpose. You discover it. You uncover it since it’s been there. It's a matter of scraping down and finding it.”

“Discovering the purpose of an organization requires unusual action and constant reflection.”

What impact does a higher purpose have on the business? 

Purpose discovery wakens and gives energy, not just to individuals, but to organizations. It is an invigorating activity every individual and company should take up as a challenge if they haven’t already. A purpose statement is also a powerful tool to attract people to an organization.

Bob observes that most organizations are burning money because they don't know how to create transformative collaboration, which limits performance. He called out the positive cycle where high-performance leads people to feel more engaged, which creates a better work environment that leads to higher performance. 

A clear purpose is also a very powerful tool to attract people to an organization. Bob cited research studies that verify that higher purpose will in fact produce a higher profit.

Yet he warned that “If you pursue it for the purpose of profit, it's not going to happen. That is the paradox. It has to be authentic.”

How does purpose change how organizations make decisions? 

In an organization where the purpose is the arbitrator of every decision, every person is empowered. Purpose becomes the driving force that moves people in the same direction. Individuals are shifted out of conventional thought patterns of self-interest. 

“The notion of having a purpose that is authentic, that governs every decision means I'm going to do uncomfortable things,” Bob explains. “That means I'm going to do things other companies aren't doing.”

“The notion of having a purpose that is authentic, that governs every decision means I'm going to do uncomfortable things. That means I'm going to do things other companies aren't doing.”

How should companies communicate about their purpose?

In Bob’s opinion, purpose is communicated by first being authentic. Then you need to understand that you are breaking the convention of personal interest, which can be difficult.

It is vital to ensure that clarity is achieved as much as possible in words and actions. Are you pursuing the common good at a personal cost to yourself? That underscores that you are genuine in your commitment. 

As Bob says, “Action has volume.”

He shared that research shows support and behavior around the purpose needs to reach the middle level of the organization to see the benefits. 

The common purpose needs to be spoken and acted on, not just pasted on the wall. 

Bob cautioned, “If I'm a hypocrite, it dies. And in most companies, when you discover the purpose and put it on the wall, you are doing harm to the company. Unless you're willing to have integrity in your actions, everybody becomes more cynical than they were before you started.”

The power of purpose

Yet when it works, a shared purpose expands throughout and beyond an organization to reach its entire ecosystem. 

“When you have a higher purpose, you go from compulsion to attraction,” he continued. All of economic theory is about control and incentives. External motivations. It's about force. Higher purpose is about attraction. You become a magnet and you attract all kinds of resources. You attract employees, you attract suppliers, you attract money.” 

Purpose is vital not only for individuals but for organizations that want to thrive and lead in their space. 

Bob closed by urging participants to keep working on purpose. “If you are on the phone today because you're considering, or you're engaged in a purpose journey, I can't do enough to encourage you to stay on that path. It will take you and your company someplace others won’t be able to reach.”