The slides delivered by Sally Hill from Wildwon in two Guardian Masterclasses in 2016 about how to define and use purpose in a business, and an overview of the landscape of sustainable, ethical, responsible business and social enterprise.
2. purpose.do sallyrhill
10:00 am
Introductions
10:15 - 11:15 am
The purpose-driven
business landscape
Break
11:35 - 1:00 pm
What can purpose do?
Lunch
2:00 - 3:00 pm
Your Business:
Purpose applied
and purpose frameworks
Break
3:20 - 4:20pm
Meet the masters:
Guest speaker
4:20 - 5:00pm
Takeaways:
Tools and Resources
The day
4. Group intros:
+ name
+ role & organisation
+ why you were interested coming along
+ what you’re hoping to get out of the day
5. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose in a nutshell
What is a purpose-driven business?
Organisations have often been divided into two major types: non-profits and for-profits.
Purpose-driven business is something in between.
Purpose is an aspirational reason for being that is grounded in humanity and which inspires
a call to action.
All companies have a purpose - however we define purpose-driven business as companies
that are oriented around something other than money and serve a higher, positive purpose.
Today we’re talking primarily about organisational purpose rather than personal.
6. purpose.do sallyrhill
Long-term/outwardly focused
Aspirational and belief-driven
Humanistic
Broader than the company’s
activities, products or services
Resonates with the company’s
DNA and values
Captivates customers,
employees, partners and
the market
Timeless (or lasts at least 100 years)
‘Why a company exists in the first place’
(David Packard)
Purpose is Purpose is not
A vision
A mission, values, credo, tagline etc.
Philanthropy
Solely focused on the
organisation internally
Branding, corporate sustainability, or
public relations
Short term
Business goals or strategy
About being trendy
‘Tacked on’ via marketing or
community activities
11. purpose.do sallyrhill
Edelman GoodPurpose study
Havas Media “Meaningful Brands” Global Report
Deloitte Core Beliefs & Culture survey
Echo Global CSR Study
Consumer expectations have shifted
• 87% of global consumers believe that business needs to place at least equal
weight on society’s interests as on business’ interests
• 80% of global consumers think it’s important for companies to make them aware of
their effort to address social issues
• Only 6% believe the singular purpose of business is to make money for
shareholders
• 76% think it’s ok for brands to support a mission and make money at the same time
• 91% of global consumers would switch brands if a different brand of similar
price and quality had a strong mission
12. purpose.do sallyrhill
Edelman GoodPurpose study
Havas Media “Meaningful Brands” Global Report
Deloitte Core Beliefs & Culture survey
Echo Global CSR Study
Consumer expectations have shifted
• 54% of consumers don’t trust mainstream brands
• 47% of global consumers buy brands that support a good cause at
least monthly
• 53% would not invest in a company that does not actively support a
good cause
• 90% would boycott if they learned of a company’s irresponsible
business practises, and more than 55% have done so in the past
12 months
13. purpose.do sallyrhill
Employee expectations have shifted
47% percent of tertiary students are Purpose-Oriented and
they are raising the bar for higher education and the
workplace. Employers and colleges that are able to adjust
to meet these needs will likely thrive over the next few
decades
(Imperative 2016 Purpose in Higher Education Report)
The movement is already happening. People are
increasingly looking for jobs that give them personal
fulfillment; and companies are seeing that purpose-
oriented employees are more productive and successful.
(Global Purpose Index 2016)
14. purpose.do sallyrhill
The data is showing that purpose-driven companies outperform others
“A purpose mobilizes people in a way that pursuing profits
alone never will.”
- FastCompany
“Over a decade-long period, purposeful, value-driven
companies outperform their counterparts in stock price
by a factor of 12.”
- John Kotter and James Heskett, Corporate Culture and
Performance
“Those companies able to harness the power of purpose to
drive performance and profitability enjoy a distinct
competitive advantage”
- Valerie Keller, Global Lead, EY Beacon Institute
The meaningful brands index outperforms the stock
market by 120%
- Edelman GoodPurpose Study
15. purpose.do sallyrhill
The data is showing that purpose-driven companies outperform others
In ‘Firms of Endearment’ - the authors profiled 28 FOE and found that they
not only outperformed the S&P 500 by huge margins, they also
outperformed the companies highlighted in the bestselling book
Good to Great, which identified 11 companies that delivered superior
returns to investors over extended periods. The performance metrics below
are nothing short of astounding.
16. purpose.do sallyrhill
EY Beacon Institute
The data is showing that purpose-driven companies outperform others
“Those companies able to
harness the power of purpose
to drive performance and
profitability enjoy a distinct
competitive advantage”
- Valerie Keller, Global Lead, EY
Beacon Institute
20. purpose.do sallyrhill
Emphasis on the ‘driven’ or ‘led’ in purpose-driven or purpose-led
By acting on their purpose, companies can create
more value for their shareholders and society over
the long term than by pursuing purely financial
goals or a narrowly defined self-interest.
- EY Beacon Institute
The Purpose Paradox
“The best way to maximize profits, is not to make
profits a primary goal.”
- John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods
22. purpose.do sallyrhill
The Purpose Economy
Resource Framework Who?
Brands
- purpose is what’s next
after information
economy
- purpose as the
primary driver of
economic output
- purpose as the
common denominator
in other mega-trends
Aaron Hurst
23. purpose.do sallyrhill
Higher Purpose: Recognising that every business has a purpose
that includes, but is more than, making money. By focusing on its
Higher Purpose, a business inspires, engages and energizes its
stakeholders.
Stakeholder Orientation: Recognising that the interdependent
nature of life and the human foundations of business, a business
needs to create value with and for its various stakeholders
(customers, employees, vendors, investors, communities, etc.).
Like the life forms in an ecosystem, healthy stakeholders lead to a
healthy business system.
Conscious Leadership: Human social organizations are created
and guided by leaders – people who see a path and inspire others
to travel along the path. Conscious Leaders understand and
embrace the Higher Purpose of business and focus on creating
value for and harmonizing the interests of the business
stakeholders. They recognize the integral role of culture and
purposefully cultivate Conscious Culture.
Conscious Culture: This is the ethos – the values, principles,
practices – underlying the social fabric of a business, which
permeates the atmosphere of a business and connects the
stakeholders to each other and to the purpose, people and
processes that comprise the company.
• Business is good because it creates
value, it is ethical because it is based
on voluntary exchange, it is noble
because it can elevate our existence
and it is heroic because it lifts people
out of poverty and creates prosperity.
• Free enterprise capitalism is the most
powerful system for social cooperation
and human progress ever conceived.
It is one of the most compelling ideas
we humans have ever had. But we
can aspire to even more.
• Conscious Capitalism is a way of
thinking about capitalism and business
that better reflects where we are in the
human journey, the state of our world
today, and the innate potential of
business to make a positive impact on
the world.
Conscious Capitalism
Brands
25. purpose.do sallyrhill
Shared Value
Framework
- Shared value is a
management strategy
focused on companies
creating measurable
business value by
identifying and
addressing social
problems that intersect
with their business.
27. purpose.do sallyrhill
Circular Economy
About FrameworkWho? Brands
A circular economy is
one that is restorative
and regenerative by
design, and which aims
to keep products,
components and
materials at their highest
utility and value at all
times, distinguishing
between technical and
biological cycles.
28. purpose.do sallyrhill
Cradle to Cradle
Resource Framework Who?
Brands
- created by industrial
designer William
McDonough
- also called
‘regenerative design’
- views materials as
nutrients circulating in
safe, natural
metabolisms
William McDonough
29. purpose.do sallyrhill
Natural Capitalism
Resources
• Most businesses still
operate according to a
world view that hasn’t
changed since the
industrial revolution.
• Then, natural
resources were
abundant and labor
was the limiting factor
of production. Now,
there’s a surplus of
people while natural
capital (natural
resources and
ecological systems
that support life) are in
decline and relatively
expensive.
• Business must adjust
to these realities and
account for diverse
forms of capital/value.
30. purpose.do sallyrhill
Natural Capitalism
Framework Who?
Related ideas
Six Capitals
Integrated reporting
True cost accounting
Investing in natural capital
Biomimicry
Radical resource efficiency
Service & flow economy
Cradle to Cradle
34. purpose.do sallyrhill
B Corp (Benefit Corporations)
Resources Who?
• B Corp is to business
what Fair Trade
certification is to coffee
• It’s about ‘redefining
success in business’
• being best for the world,
not just best in the
world
• Stringent assessment
tool and standards
• Alicia Darvall (ED)
37. purpose.do sallyrhill
Social Benefit Company
About Legally Who?
Prashan Paramanathan, CEO
We wanted our new structure to allow us to
raise equity while embedding our purpose into
our DNA. Practically what 'embedding our
purpose' means to us is:
- that everyone (i.e. shareholders and
directors) is clear on what the purpose of the
organisation is; and
- that they are required and permitted to act to
further the purpose; and
- that shareholders (in particular founders)
have a way of ensuring that the purpose is
followed even with ownership changes
Current Australian equivalent of a
(US) Public Benefit Company
Three tenets included in legal
structure of organisation:
- statement of purpose
- statement of director’s duties
- mission lock (changing the
purpose or Directors Duties
requires a 100% shareholder
vote
“a new legal
structure for
Australian social
enterprises”
38. purpose.do sallyrhill
Social enterprise developmentSocial enterprises are businesses that trade to intentionally tackle social
problems, improve communities, provide employment and training, or help
the environment.
In Australia there’s no legal structure / entity type for social enterprise but
they’re typically defined as:
1. driven by a public or community cause - social, environmental or
economic
2. derive most of their income from trade, not donations or grants
3. use the majority of their profits (at least 50%) to work towards their social
mission
Typically, they start with the cause and then build a business model around it
- meaning one of the key challenges is social enterprise development and
sustainability.
Social procurement is becoming recognised as a key way for large
organisations to have a positive impact through their purchasing power
• The ‘Finding Australia’s Social
Enterprises Report (FASES)
2016, from Swinburne
University’s Centre for Social
Impact (CSI) in partnership with
Social Traders, surveyed 370
social enterprise practitioners.
• Australia’s social enterprise
sector is thriving, according to
the recently released Currently,
• There are at least 20,000
Australian social enterprises in
operation, and many of these
are between two and five years
old.
Social Enterprise
Who?
Social procurement
ResourceAbout
43. purpose.do sallyrhill
Community or welfare
organisation (charity)
NFP with mission-
aligned trading
activity
Social enterprise Social / ethical
business
Mainstream
commercial business
PRIMARY PURPOSE PRIVATE PROFITCOMMUNITY BENEFIT
via Social TradersSpectrum
44. purpose.do sallyrhill
Community or welfare
organisation (charity)
NFP with mission-
aligned trading
activity
Social enterprise
Social / ethical
business
Mainstream
commercial business
Mainstream business
w. shared value
or integrated reporting
Purpose-driven
mainstream business
PRIMARY PURPOSE PRIVATE PROFITCOMMUNITY BENEFIT
Spectrum: reconsidered
45. purpose.do sallyrhill
PRIVATE -> MUTUAL PROFIT
COMMUNITY BENEFIT
B Corp
Conscious Capitalism
Circular Economy
Natural Capital
Shared value
Purpose-driven
entrepreneurship
Purpose economy
Spectrum: reconsidered
Community or welfare
organisation (charity)
NFP with mission-
aligned trading
activity
Social enterprise
Mainstream
commercial business
Mainstream business
w. shared value
or integrated reporting
Social / ethical
business
Purpose-driven
mainstream business
46. purpose.do sallyrhill
Emphasis on the ‘driven’ or ‘led’ in purpose-driven or purpose-led
By acting on their purpose, companies can create
more value for their shareholders and society over
the long term than by pursuing purely financial
goals or a narrowly defined self-interest.
- EY Beacon Institute
The Purpose Paradox
“The best way to maximize profits, is not to make
profits a primary goal.”
- John Mackey, co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods
47. Pairs to discuss:
+ where does your organisation sit on the spectrum?
+ why?
+ does profit or purpose ‘drive’ for your organisation?
50. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose
Leadership
Behaviour
Values-based
Culture
Trusting & engaged
employees
Meaningful
experience for
customers
Purpose as strategy
• Purpose is activated
internally by leaders
whose daily behaviour and
decisions reflect the
company’s purpose and
values.
• This creates a values-
based culture, along with
positive interactions and
experiences
• Builds employee trust and
engagement
• This drives positive
interactions and
experiences with
customers, leading to
engaged, motivated and
satisfied customers who
trust and recommend you.
52. purpose.do sallyrhill
Brand
Who Gives a Crap, Patagonia
(Driving the character of a brand and loyalty - brand equity via story)
Innovation
Nike, Interface
(driving force and focus for innovation, R&D, flows to brand)
Team, Community & Culture
ETSY, Blackbaud
(community and team can rally around purpose, decision-making clear)
Customer Experience
FrankGreen, Sendle
(superior customer experience by solving a problem well)
Parts of a business that purpose can
infuse and drive forward
Giving companies a competitive
advantage
Profitability and performance
Brands who’ve actually done this and
how it has manifested
What purpose can do
53. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose statement:
Build the best
product; cause no
unnecessary
harm; use
business to
inspire; and
implement
solutions to the
environmental
crisis
Leadership
Culture
Meaningful
experience
for customers
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
PURPOSE PARADOX - ‘don’t buy this jacket’
INNOVATION
54. purpose.do sallyrhill
Brand promise
Toilet paper that
builds toilets
‘Consumer
philanthropy’ - or
- we can change
the world using
beer and toilet
paper.
Brand
Customer
experience
Culture
BRAND
CULTURE
INNOVATION
55. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose statement:
To be the first
company that, by
its deeds, shows the
entire industrial
world what
sustainability is in
all its dimensions:
people, process,
product, place and
profits - by 2020 -
and in doing so we
will become
restorative through
the power of
influence.
CLOSED LOOP
NET-WORKS
BIOMIMICRY
56. purpose.do sallyrhill
CEO Mike Parker:
“Can we double
our business while
halving our
environmental
impact?”
“If you have a
body you are an
athlete”
“Bring inspiration
to every athlete in
the world”
Clear case of
purpose driving
performance and
profitability
FLYKNIT
PURPOSE PARADOX - ‘market cap’
FLYEASE
57. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose statement:
Build the best
product; cause no
unnecessary
harm; use
business to
inspire; and
implement
solutions to the
environmental
crisis
Smart cups
+ Cafe Pay
Superior experience
for customers
SMART CUPS
SOLVING A PROBLEM
INNOVATION
58. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose statement:
Our mission is to
reimagine
commerce in ways
that build a more
fulfilling and
lasting world.
We are a mindful,
transparent, and
humane business.
We plan and build
for the long term.
We value
craftsmanship in all
we make.
AN ‘ETSY’ ECONOMY
INNOVATIONCOMMUNITY
59. purpose.do sallyrhill
Sendle delivers
parcels door-to-
door across
Australia at flat
rates cheaper than
post.Meaningful
experience
for customers
Designed to solve
the problem of latent
capacity in delivery
vehicles - and better
post.
Creates radical
efficiency and saves
Co2 emissions
61. Discussion - what are your favourite examples?
What is purpose ‘doing’ for this company?
- brand
- innovation
- team, culture, community
- performance and profitability
62. Back to purpose statements.
But first, a few things to think about
63. purpose.do sallyrhill
collaboration & partnerships
circular economy & closed loop
deep community
cathedral thinking
different by design
meaningful work
business model innovation
solving a problem
21st century economics
Key trends and ideas
65. purpose.do sallyrhill
Long-term/outwardly focused
Aspirational and belief-driven
Humanistic
Broader than the company’s
activities, products or services
Resonates with the company’s
DNA and values
Captivates customers,
employees, partners and
the market
Timeless (or lasts at least 100 years)
‘Why a company exists in the first place’
(David Packard)
Purpose is Purpose is not
A vision
A mission, values, credo, tagline etc.
Philanthropy
Solely focused on the
organisation internally
Branding, corporate sustainability, or
public relations
Short term
Business goals or strategy
About being trendy
‘Tacked on’ via marketing or
community activities
66. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose vs mission
In a 1960 speech to Hewlett-Packard’s training group,
company co-founder David Packard said,
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 fulfill 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.
67. purpose.do sallyrhill
• What is your purpose?
• What problem does it solve?
• What special superpower does it employ? (personal or organisational)
• Have we checked that it’s timeless and that it’s not a vision, values or mission
statement?
• How will it let purpose drive?
• What benefits would flow from it (brand, culture, team, innovation etc) ?
Purpose definition
72. purpose.do sallyrhill
Purpose
Leadership
Behaviour
Values-based
Culture
Trusting & engaged
employees
Meaningful
experience for
customers
• Purpose is activated
internally by leaders
whose daily behaviour and
decisions reflect the
company’s purpose and
values.
• This creates a values-
based culture, along with
positive interactions and
experiences
• Builds employee trust and
engagement
• This drives positive
interactions and
experiences with
customers, leading to
engaged, motivated and
satisfied customers who
trust and recommend you.
Purpose applied:
Flows outwards from core
Innovation
Motivation
Story
Brand
Messages
Service
80. purpose.do sallyrhill
B Corp impact assessment
Patagonia - ‘The Responsible Company’ checklists
GRI - sustainability reporting standards and index
UN Global Compact - voluntary, CEO commitments
Social Traders - re. improving social procurement
Further resources: tools for assessment & tracking
81. purpose.do sallyrhill
+ Audette Exel (ADARA Group)
+ Helen Souness (ETSY)
+ James Moody (Sendle)
+ Simon Griffiths (Who Gives a Crap)
+ Ben Burge (Powershop)
+ Clinton Squires (Interface)
+ Kim and Jason Graham-Nye (gDiapers)
Further resources: Purpose (conference) on Vimeo
82. purpose.do sallyrhill
Spark Strategy - moving from NFP to sustainable
enterprise models
Hatched - infusing purpose through your whole company
and strategy
EY - purpose-led transformation
Centre for Sustainability Leadership
School for Social Entrepreneurs
Further resources: companies and agencies specialising in purpose