Read how Purpose enables the design of futures in business on: Designing the Future: How Balanced Design Leadership Can Drive Desirable Futures, by Eric Quint, Tommaso Corà and Lucilla Fazio, International Journal of Design and Allied Sciences, ISSN: 2583-6242
Defining Organizational Purpose: the compass to navigate towards desirable futures
Corporate Purpose is not just a marketing slogan: it is the DNA of your company and the engine of your strategy. It identifies the organization's deep reason for being, the force that aligns people and motivates them to move together towards a common goal. Without a clear Purpose, every future scenario looks the same.
By using the Our Purpose Toolbox, you will turn abstract values into concrete direction. This exercise will help you synchronize individual aspirations with the collective mission, defining those "Desirable Futures" that your company and its people are called to realize.
A preparatory exercise for identifying corporate purpose can be the mapping of an organization's behaviours and values.
The future belongs to those who know why they are building it. Turn your reason for being into a visionary strategy
Read how Purpose enables the design of futures in business on: Designing the Future: How Balanced Design Leadership Can Drive Desirable Futures, by Eric Quint, Tommaso Corà and Lucilla Fazio, International Journal of Design and Allied Sciences, ISSN: 2583-6242
How to use the Our Purpose Toolbox
Step 1: Explore the 4 dimensions of Corporate Purpose
Purpose is born at the intersection of four fundamental forces. Use the canvas to map and overlap these elements:
- What you love (Passion): What ignites the people in your organization? (Tip: use the "My Purpose Canvas" results to aggregate individual passions).
- What you are unique at (Vocation): What is your technical or cultural excellence? What do you do better than competitors?
- What the world needs (Mission): What are the real needs of your ecosystem and society that you can meet?
- How you create value (Profession): What is the model that makes the organization economically sustainable? Goal: Find the exact center where these four areas overlap.
Step 2: Synthesize the Purpose Statement
Now crystallize the analysis into a clear, memorable, and actionable statement. The Purpose Statement must not be vague: it must explain what you do, for whom, and for what ultimate impact. This sentence will become the filter for every future decision: use it to communicate the vision to stakeholders and to verify if new strategies are consistent with your deep identity.
Frequently asked questions about Our Purpose Toolbox
What is corporate purpose?
Corporate purpose is not a marketing slogan: it is the organization's DNA and the engine of its strategy. It identifies the company's deep reason for being, the force that aligns people and motivates them to move together towards a common goal. Without a clear purpose, every future scenario looks the same.
What is the Our Purpose Toolbox?
It is TIPIC's tool for defining organizational purpose: a canvas that maps the four fundamental dimensions — passion, vocation, mission, and profession — and guides the team to synthesize them into a Purpose Statement. The method is described in the paper "Designing the Future", published in the International Journal of Design and Allied Sciences.
How do you define an organization's purpose?
Explore the four dimensions: what you love (aggregating individual purposes from the My Purpose Canvas), what you are uniquely good at, what the world needs, how you create value. Once you find the centre where the areas overlap, crystallize it into a clear Purpose Statement: what you do, for whom, and with what final impact.
What is the difference between My Purpose and Our Purpose?
The My Purpose Canvas works on the person: it surfaces individual motivation. The Our Purpose Toolbox works on the organization: it synchronizes individual aspirations with the collective mission. Use them in sequence — personal compasses first, then the shared course. Mapping behaviours and values is a useful preparatory exercise.
Where can I download the Our Purpose Toolbox?
You can download TIPIC's Our Purpose Toolbox for free from this page, in English and Italian, with the four-dimension canvas and the guide to reach a memorable, actionable Purpose Statement.
