A common challenge we often face in improvement reviews is people knowing and defining the 'why' for a service or process; instead, teams often fixate on 'what' they do. A good purpose statement is aspirational and long lasting, whereas what you do now to deliver that purpose can, and arguably should, change. An aspirational purpose statement that people can align to is crucial in driving continuous improvement as there is always something else to be done to get a bit better at fulfilling your purpose.
Here are some quotes and examples to inspire you to always make sure you are starting any improvement work with a great purpose statement that's going to inspire exciting new ideas now, and lead to continuous improvement in the future.
Quote about purpose
"I want to discuss why a company exists in the first place. In other words, why are we here? I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists simply to make money. While this is an important result of a company’s existence, we have to go deeper and find the real reasons for our being...
Purpose (which should last at least 100 years) should not be confused with specific goals or business strategies (which should change many times in 100 years). Whereas you might achieve a goal or complete a strategy, you cannot fulfil a purpose; it’s like a guiding star on the horizon—forever pursued but never reached. Yet although purpose itself does not change, it does inspire change. The very fact that purpose can never be fully realized means that an organization can never stop stimulating change and progress."
David Packard, Co-founder of Hewlett-Packard (source)
IKEA's purpose
Why: To improve the everyday lives of people
How: They deliver this through well-designed, affordable home furnishings. However, the purpose also focuses them beyond home furnishing. We want to have a positive impact on the world – from the communities where we source our raw materials to the way our products help our customers live a more sustainable life at home. (source)
What they do: Establish price point first, have stores where people collect their own goods from warehouse (reduce cost), and Shelter partnership - doll's house campaign with showrooms to highlight social inequality.
Woodgreen
Why: At its heart, our work is about stopping a pet from ever becoming homeless. Everything we do is about keeping pets and their people together.
Woodgreen initially asked us for support with improving processes, but this identified a need to look at the operational services' vision, purpose and ideal state, and what this might mean for a future operating model. The aim was to become more effective and impactful, adopting a more proactive and preventative approach to supporting pets in need. Read the full case study -->
Share these examples, along with our cheat sheet below in your next review. Need help creating your purpose statement? Ask Ad Esse. Email hello@ad-esse.com.
