Publicação
Does purpose matter? Exploring its impact on individuals and organizations
| Resumo: | This thesis investigates whether and how purpose drives performance, progressing from its definition as an individual motivator to its role as a driver of organizational success. Despite increasing emphasis on purpose in academic literature and management practice, gaps remain regarding the alignment of individual and organizational purpose, the role of leadership, and its measurable impact on business outcomes. Addressing these gaps, this research introduces models that connect individual purpose to organizational performance, illustrating how purpose is applied and experienced within business contexts. Study 1 establishes the conceptual foundations of purpose, distinguishing it from terms such as goals and meaning, and develops frameworks for aligning individual intentions with collective organizational objectives. Study 2 expands on the individual to organizational connection by focusing on the role of leaders, particularly CEOs, as the most influential individuals in crafting and embedding an organization’s purpose. Through interviews with senior leaders, this qualitative study identifies a four-phase process based on how leader’s perceive their role in creating purpose-driven organizations. Study 3 is a quantitative study using survey data to examine how employees, as a key stakeholder group, perceive organizational purpose and its influence on their individual performance, and overall organizational outcomes. The study highlights the critical roles of responsible leadership and job satisfaction in mediating these effects. Overall, the findings of this research demonstrate that purpose, when authentically embedded by leadership and perceived as meaningful by employees, fosters job satisfaction and perceived individual and organizational performance. |
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| Autores principais: | Jones, Leigh Ann |
| Assunto: | Purpose Organizations Stakeholders Strategy Leadership |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | tese de doutoramento |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa |
| Resumo: | This thesis investigates whether and how purpose drives performance, progressing from its definition as an individual motivator to its role as a driver of organizational success. Despite increasing emphasis on purpose in academic literature and management practice, gaps remain regarding the alignment of individual and organizational purpose, the role of leadership, and its measurable impact on business outcomes. Addressing these gaps, this research introduces models that connect individual purpose to organizational performance, illustrating how purpose is applied and experienced within business contexts. Study 1 establishes the conceptual foundations of purpose, distinguishing it from terms such as goals and meaning, and develops frameworks for aligning individual intentions with collective organizational objectives. Study 2 expands on the individual to organizational connection by focusing on the role of leaders, particularly CEOs, as the most influential individuals in crafting and embedding an organization’s purpose. Through interviews with senior leaders, this qualitative study identifies a four-phase process based on how leader’s perceive their role in creating purpose-driven organizations. Study 3 is a quantitative study using survey data to examine how employees, as a key stakeholder group, perceive organizational purpose and its influence on their individual performance, and overall organizational outcomes. The study highlights the critical roles of responsible leadership and job satisfaction in mediating these effects. Overall, the findings of this research demonstrate that purpose, when authentically embedded by leadership and perceived as meaningful by employees, fosters job satisfaction and perceived individual and organizational performance. |
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