Organisational Change Management Volume 2

Nine Reasons a Shared Purpose is Important

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1 Improves the performance of the organisation because people then know where they are going and a common purpose gives meaning to what is expected of people

2 Generates the power of a common cause, ie unifies people, especially during difficult times

3 Motivates people because it evokes a clear and positive mental image of "what it should be like around here" and creates pride, energy and a sense of accomplishment

4 Gives coherence to a wide range of working roles

5 Builds a foundation for planning and decision-making

6 Challenges zones of comfort and lays the basis for change or transformation

7 Implicitly identifies unacceptable behaviour

8 Implicitly identifies the degree of alignment of group and individual values

9 Those organisations with a visionary approach perform considerably better than those with no such approach, ie

"...A study undertaken by Collins and Porras compared the stock price of visionary companies, especially those companies with a socially-conscious vision, with their major competitors. What they found was staggering: visionary companies were up to 15 times more profitable than the market average, even though the bottom line was not their major concern. Such companies, which include 3M, Boeing and General Electric, all outperformed their major competitors in stock price, often by a factor of ten or more..."

Karlson Hargroves et al, 2005

Remember:

"...the only meaningful criteria for judging visions are the actions and changes that ensue......Visions are not lofty sentiments for supplying phrases; they are practical tools......are expressions of the purposefulness, acted upon in the present moment..."

Peter Senge et al, 2005

(sources: Cynthia Scott et al, 1993; Jason Jenning, 1995; Karlson Hargroves et al, 2005; Peter Senge et al, 2005)