Magazine Winter 2020 Issue Research Feature

A Noble Purpose Alone Won’t Transform Your Company

Leadership behaviors that nurture interpersonal collaboration are the true drivers of change.

Rob Cross, Amy Edmondson, and Wendy Murphy Reading Time: 19 min 

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Image courtesy of Robert Neubecker/theispot.com

Consider these two companies: The first is a retail chain with hundreds of locations globally — innovative, but basically a sales platform. The second is a hospital that treats the world’s most devastating cancers. Which do you think has a more engaged workforce?

If you chose the latter, in light of its quest to save lives, you wouldn’t be alone. Yet, when we spent time with both organizations, we discovered that the working environment in the hospital was rife with fear, workforce morale was low, and employee turnover was high. At the retail chain, on the other hand, there was a palpable spirit of camaraderie, employees were energetic and enthusiastic, and customers were very pleased with the service. The retailer had the more engaged workforce by a long shot.

It’s a common misconception, both in businesses and in management articles and books, that a sense of purpose is what matters most when it comes to engaging employees.1 Many leaders concerned with attracting and retaining top talent believe that nothing motivates people as much as the larger good they might be doing or the chance to change the world. Accordingly, they extol the higher virtues of their companies’ missions and the meaning of the work they offer.

But our work with more than 300 companies over the past 20 years, particularly our research using organizational network analysis (ONA) and our interviews with executives, reveals that purpose is only one contributing factor; the level and quality of interpersonal collaboration actually has the greatest impact on employee engagement.2 In this article, we’ll explore why collaboration has that effect and which behaviors you can adopt and practice to nurture it.

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About the Authors

Rob Cross (@robcross_ona) is the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership at Babson College and founder of the Connected Commons, a research consortium of 80 leading global firms. Amy Edmondson (@amycedmondson) is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. Wendy Murphy (@wcmurphy) is an associate dean and a professor of management at Babson College.

References (13)

1. C. Rey, M. Bastons, and P. Sotok, eds., “Purpose-Driven Organizations: Management Ideas for a Better World” (Basingstoke, U.K.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019); and L.E. McLeod, “Leading With Noble Purpose: How to Create a Tribe of True Believers” (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2016).

2. G.A. Ballinger, R. Cross, and B.C. Holtom, “The Right Friends in the Right Places: Understanding Network Structure as a Predictor of Voluntary Turnover,” Journal of Applied Psychology 101, no. 4 (April 2016): 535-548; and R. Cross, P. Gray, A. Gerbasi, et al., “Building Engagement From the Ground Up: How Top Organizations Leverage Networks to Drive Employee Engagement,” Organizational Dynamics 41, no. 3 (July 2012): 202-211.

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Comments (2)
Stella Yann
Biggest lightbulb moment after reading this article: "Trust is established before purpose. Trust comes before purpose". 

Think about the employer/employee relationship. One does not join a company without a sense of trust, and one does not hire a person without a sense of trust. Yes, purpose helps us to connect, sign the contract and agree on the partnership, but we must establish that this is a partnership and a collaboration in order for us to work side by side successfully. 

Where does the trust go away once the contract's been signed? We focus on the purpose as the first step, opposed to trust! 

Amazing article! Much to consider and borrow to improve one's company culture & performance.
Anonymous
Timely article for me.  I teach Org Behavior at Kent State and am in the process of adding a "Trust as an Source of Strategic Advantage" component to my class.  This article is going to be of great help.  

I see it in my work as a consultant:  Lack of trust = Friction.  Friction = Variability, Costly Transactions and Handoffs, Diminished Planning, Decision Making, and Problem Solving.