The (non)sense of purpose: theory-based approaches to designing purposeful behavior in organizations

Abstract

This contribution to the journal “Group. Interaction. Organization.” deals with the question of the (non-)sense of purpose. Current approaches aiming at shaping the collective meaningfulness and aligning employee actions with the company’s purpose miss three crucial points: Orientation (Meaning of purpose), clarity (How to shape purpose?), and evidence (Why address purpose in organizations?). In short: The What, How and Why of purpose. This contribution fills these three gaps by providing a comprehensive review of literature. Purpose is defined (what) in a theory-driven way. The three levels at which purpose should be addressed (individual, team, and organization) are outlined. Relevant insights on these levels and advice for meaningful work design are provided (how). As current ongoing discussions barely contribute on the sense of purpose as such, the intention of this article is to shed light on why companies and managers should engage with this subject in a meaningful way (why).