The culture of an organisation is typical the domain of an anthropologist. Initially the culture of an organisation was a given. Something that happened to take shape, exactly like neighbouring tribes have similar, yes markedly distinct cultures.
In recent years the success of organisations is more and more ascribed to company culture, as seen in the popularity of the quote “Culture eats strategy for business”
With this realization managers are now keen to positively impact an organisational culture. Culture no longer a given, but something actually shapeable.
One of the ways to actively create a desired culture is to not just define output goals, but to define a purpose for the company. This movement was fuelled by the Ted Talk on Start with Why by Simon Sinek.
Part of the movement of purpose is a tendency for organisations to define their core values. They are not just there to make a profit, but want to achieve higher goals.
One interesting study that shine a light on the use of purpose in companies is the Global Purpose Index by imperative
