Simon says: Why a collective purpose is more useful than a vision statement

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to identifying collective purpose is that we confuse it with an organisation's vision. Whereas an organisation's vision is an idealistic view of what everyone is working towards over the long term, a group's collective purpose is a realistic view of what we are trying to achieve now.

The two things are not unrelated but the distinction is important.

Take, for example, the classic story of John F. Kennedy visiting NASA for the first time in 1962. During his tour of the facility, he met a janitor who was carrying a broom down the hallway. The President then casually asked the janitor what he did for NASA, and the janitor replied, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”

Without a doubt, the janitor had fully bought into JFK's vision of putting a man on the moon and bringing him home safely before the end of the decade. But, as much as this vision was incredibly motivating, it is also so big and ambitious that it provides little - if any, direction as to what a janitor or even the whole janitorial department is meant to do (and perhaps that's why the janitor was carrying a broom down the hallway instead of sweeping).

Collective purpose is the translation of a long-term vision into short-term direction for a specific group of people within an organisation. Building on the analogy I shared last time: if shared understanding is the map, then organisational vision is the destination, and collective purpose would be the compass.

Although the concept of collective purpose is less common in organisations than that of 'vision’, developing collective purpose has a number of advantages.

First, collective purpose provides guidance. Although there should always be a direct connection between a group's purpose and the larger organisational vision, the more granular and short term nature of a 'purpose' means it can more easily be used to guide individual actions.

Second, collective purpose encourages buy-in. By giving groups the agency to determine what they are collectively committed to, makes that commitment more meaningful. The process of developing a collective purpose should give the opportunity for individuals to articulate their understanding of the vision as well as their role in helping achieve it.

Third, collective purpose is far more adaptable. An organisation's vision is an enduring objective that shouldn't be changed on a whim. This means that unlike a purpose, a vision can't respond to obstacles and changes as they emerge. A group's collective purpose might be revisited as part of a regular strategic planning cycle but ultimately it can be as adaptive as required.

Much of my work around collective purpose is with councillors, boards, and other decision-making groups. We often falsely assume that individual members know why they are in the group and that the group has clarity on the what, why and when of its work. But even if at some point in the past this clarity existed, members come and go from the group and this knowledge is lost. As such, spending time reconnecting with questions like What does our vision mean in reality?, Who is it we are here to collectively serve?, and What roles are we expected to play?, is vital to a group's focus and effectiveness.