The New Logic of Purpose Within the Organization

The idea of purpose has been around management for decades. In fact, organizations that have formally stated their organizational purpose are now quite common. However, the presence of purpose is not a phenomenon exclusive to the organization alone. Evidence from the field shows that the idea of purpose is also present and it develops at an individual level within the organization. This introductory work proposes that the fulfillment of personal purpose within organizational purpose is the essence of truly purpose-driven organizations. But discovering this scope requires one to evolve from a neoclassical logic of management to one that is based on, what we call here, the new management logic of purpose. Characteristics of the new logic are developed and grouped in three dimensions: personal purpose, self-management, and unity.