How to Create a Purpose-Driven Growth Experience That Motivates Your Employees to Do Better (And Support Transformation)

The concept of purpose-driven actions and organisations has gained great momentum. Purpose-driven companies stand for and take action on things bigger than their products and services, and a PwC report found 79% of business leaders believe that purpose is integral to a company’s success. Applying the idea of purpose-driven actions to the growth of your people is refreshing and allows you to consider how helping hone your people’s purposes can drive motivation and improve performance.

The importance of a purpose-driven organisation

A purpose-driven business approaches the world of work differently. From hiring to day-to-day practices, Its focus goes beyond work and looks at impacting the world more significantly. People recruited into this kind of firm will be selected for both their skill sets and also their passion for making a difference. Purpose-driven organisations are pioneering and motivate and drive the talents of people pushing to become leading experts in their fields.

Purpose-driven organisations use their strong core values to inform all business decisions and will promote their vision company-wide at all times. They make the most of every talent in their organisation and drive change for the better in their community or chosen causes. A purpose-driven organisation provides its people with the tools to both accelerate their careers and contribute to a better future.

5 ways to create a purpose-driven growth experience for your people

Positioning your organisation as purpose-driven is just one element of the process - your strategies need to reflect your values too and below are five ways of creating and delivering purpose-driven growth experiences for your people:

1. Position purpose as part of your core business strategy

If you want your people to be fully committed to the purpose you’ve laid out for your organisation, it has to be part of everything you do. Employees can’t put their passion, determination and work into a cause if they don’t understand the purpose behind this. Developing a strong core purpose and communicating it throughout all business communications is key to getting your people on board and ensuring their commitment.

2. Link daily work activities to your common purpose

Your people’s work should be meaningful and whether indirectly or directly linked to your purpose, it should be clear to all exactly why their activities are a vital part of the larger, common purpose. This again is only made clear through strong communications and providing clear pathways that show your people how their work links directly back to the company’s overarching purpose.

3. Nurture employee purpose

The Harvard Business Review asserts that a company’s goals can only be purposeful if they reflect the strengths of their employees and are tied to larger organisational ambitions. Nurturing your people’s place within the company and recognising their value, ensuring they are aware of this too, is tightly linked to their motivation and commitment to progression and growth. Employees’ dedication and work ethic can be driven by their commitment to your purpose, if it’s well communicated.

4. Support and empower purpose-driven behaviours

Purpose-driven businesses can’t simply form by accident. Fostering purpose relies upon a proactive approach and you can measure this through evaluating organisational behaviour. Aligning and empowering behaviour and practices to promote your purpose will help show your people when it’s going well and what works.

5. Hire with your values and purpose in mind

While you can convince your existing employees of your mission and get them on board, hiring people who are already invested in and committed to your purpose is also important for achieving your organisational goals. New hires must be committed to and have a full belief in the purpose of your organisation, making it essential that recruiting processes include many opportunities to explore and discuss your company culture and values.

AI’s role in supporting employees and business transformation

Artificial intelligence has changed the way the world of work operates for the better. With the right application, it can help empower your workers, support their growth and enable business and employee transformation. There are several key ways AI is making a difference:

Reimagining roles

AI is able to remove some of the more mundane and repetitive activities and processes from the workplace. This gives your people the time and space to innovate and use their talents in the most effective way. AI can also help ensure the right people are in the optimal role for their skill sets and talents. This is effective in recruitment applications too, as AI can help allocate talent effectively and ensure your people are working in the best possible way.

Rethinking performance and management

Performance evaluations are always at risk of incorporating elements of bias and personal opinion. The data-driven nature of AI can reduce human subjectivity in these matters and make performance decisions using metric-based analysis rather than manager’s discretion. Of course, the input of the management and their thoughts on an individual still have value, but if they’re at odds with the computed facts, they can’t impact performance reviews. When your people can see objective evidence of their performance, their trust in management will increase and they’ll have more confidence in their role and the organisation.

Adapting to the best performance models

Flexible working policies have become standard in the post-pandemic world. AI can make it easier to manage various working patterns and align your people with others who may work on different schedules, ensuring work output is not effective. Collaboration tools are also a powerful AI-driven tool in this area, as they can help to boost the overall employee experience. When designed well, your collaboration software can help people feel connected to your organisation even when they’re miles apart.

Gamification for enhancing learning and onboarding

Gamification tools often make use of AI and they can help embed your company values and purpose into the employee experience, even before individuals are hired. Gamification in onboarding and training helps to bring out the innovative and creative side of your people. The “game” environment encourages people to take more risks, which can in turn alert you to hidden strengths and talents.

Uniting your people around your purpose for universal growth

Purpose-driven organisations achieve success in all areas of the business with a common focus on their shared goal. Uniting your people around your purpose helps to motivate and inspire them to develop. Combine this ethos with the latest tools and technologies and you have the ideal setup for continued growth.