CIPR welcomes Chartered Management Institute white paper on ‘Purpose’

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations has welcomed The Chartered Management Institute’s report; ‘The What, The Why and The How of Purpose’ and its definition of organisational purpose.

The paper defines organisational purpose as;

“An organisation’s meaningful and enduring reason to exist that aligns with long-term financial performance, provides a clear context for daily decision making, and unifies and motivates relevant stakeholders.”

The paper highlights the benefits of embedding purpose within an organisation and outlines the risk of benchmarking organisational performance exclusively through a financial lens.

The paper criticises attempts by business to “cynically uphold a respectable image” through the “weak and outdated” approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The report heralds ‘purpose’ as a powerful business tool which can:

1. Increase legitimacy
2. Attract and retain talent
3. Drive strong stakeholder and customer relationships
4. Increase employee psychological welfare
5. Increase business performance

CIPR’s President-elect, Emma Leech, commented;