Tag: Flourishing Organisations

Complexities of Purposeful Organisational Leadership (Purposeful Leadership – Part 11)

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn Business, Leadership, purpose, Purpose Quest, purposeful leadership, Purposefulness, Team Excellence, ValuesLeave a comment

In the previous article, we explored how to develop purposeful organisational leadership. In this post, we focus on the complexities of purposeful organisational leadership and potential remedies.

Organisations do not become purposeful by proclamation; they become purposeful by orchestration. And orchestration is complex. It asks leaders to conduct a score that balances markets and meaning, governance and grace, pace and patience. If purposeful people leadership is the dance with paradox at the human scale, then purposeful organisational leadership is that paradox amplified across systems. The stakes are higher, the variables multiplied, the pressure relentless. Yet the beauty is also greater, because purposeful organisations can hold the space where profit and flourishing meet.

The first complexity is when the purpose is only a brand. Organisations often craft eloquent purpose statements, then proceed to pursue them with methods that quietly contradict the message. Purpose is not merely narrative; it is action. When we violate this principle, people quickly learn that the banner on the wall is not the truth on the floor. To lead purposefully at the organisational level, we must ensure that strategy, structure, systems, and culture are not just aligned conceptually, but coherent behaviourally. This coherence is evident in how we behave, especially when performance pressures intensify.

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Purposeful Organisations (Purposeful Leadership – Part 9)

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn Business, Leadership, purpose, purposeful leadership, Purposefulness, societal, Team Excellence, ValuesLeave a comment

In the previous articles, we explored the first two branches of purposeful leadership: self and people. In this post, we turn to the third and final branch, purposeful organisations. If purposeful leadership begins with the individual and extends to teams, its ultimate expression is in organisations that are guided by purpose rather than vision.

Beyond Vision: Why Purpose Matters

Traditional organisations often define themselves through vision statements, aspirations of what they want to become. While visions can inspire, they are frequently inward-looking, focused on growth, dominance, or profitability.

Purposeful organisations, by contrast, start with a deeper question: Why do we exist? The answer is not about market share or shareholder value; it is about contribution to the flourishing of life. “Flourishing workplaces require the re-creation of organisations to give life to a truly postmodern era of collaboration in order to facilitate organisations to flourish on this planet for future generations” (De Silva, 2024).

Purpose is not an add-on, like corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is not a department or a project. It is the organising principle of the entire enterprise. Every policy, process, and decisions flow from the purpose. Every role is designed to serve it. Every strategy is evaluated against it. Purpose becomes the compass that guides the organisation through daily decisions, complexities and change.

Continue reading “Purposeful Organisations (Purposeful Leadership – Part 9)” →