Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
Ebook410 pages7 hours

Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Forbes, Best Business Books of 2022

The Next Big Idea Club, Best Leadership Books of 2022

Thinkers50 Top 10 Best New Management Books for 2022

A distinguished Harvard Business School professor offers a compelling reassessment and defense of purpose as a management ethos, documenting the vast performance gains and social benefits that become possible when firms manage to get purpose right.

Few business topics have aroused more skepticism in recent years than the notion of corporate purpose, and for good reason. Too many companies deploy purpose, or a reason for being, as a promotional vehicle to make themselves feel virtuous and to look good to the outside world. Some have only foggy ideas about what purpose is and conflate it with strategy and other concepts like “mission,” “vision,” and “values.” Even well-intentioned leaders don’t understand purpose’s full potential and engage half-heartedly and superficially with it. Outsiders spot this and become cynical about companies and the broader capitalist endeavor.

Having conducted extensive field research, Ranjay Gulati reveals the fatal mistakes leaders unwittingly make when attempting to implement a reason for being. Moreover, he shows how companies can embed purpose much more deeply than they currently do, delivering impressive performance benefits that reward customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, and communities alike. To get purpose right, leaders must fundamentally change not only how they execute it but also how they conceive of and relate to it. They must practice what Gulati calls deep purpose, furthering each organization’s reason for being more intensely, thoughtfully, and comprehensively than ever before.

In this authoritative, accessible, and inspiring guide, Gulati takes readers inside some of the world’s most purposeful companies to understand the secrets to their successes. He explores how leaders can pursue purpose more deeply by

  • navigating the inevitable tradeoffs more deliberately and effectively to balance between short- and long-term value;
  • building purpose more systematically into every key organizational function to mobilize stakeholders and enhance performance;
  • updating organizations to foster more autonomy and collaboration, which in turn allow individual employees to work more purposefully;
  • using powerful storytelling to communicate a reason for being, arousing emotions and building a community of inspired and committed stakeholders; and
  • building cultures that don’t merely support purpose, but also allow employees to link the corporate purpose to their own personal reasons for being.

As Gulati argues, a deeper engagement with purpose holds the key not merely to the well-being of individual companies but also to humanity’s future. With capitalism under siege and relatively low levels of trust in business, purpose can serve as a radically new operating system for the enterprise, enhancing performance while also delivering meaningful benefits to society. It’s the kind of inspired thinking that businesses—and the rest of us—urgently need.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateFeb 8, 2022
ISBN9780063088931
Author

Ranjay Gulati

Ranjay Gulati is the Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor and the former Unit Head of the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School. Until recently, he chaired the Advanced Management Program, the flagship senior leader executive program, at the school. Professor Gulati studies how “resilient” organizations—those that prosper both in good times and bad—drive growth and profitability. His work bridges strategy (establishing clear strategic pillars for growth), organizational design (reimagining purposeful and collaborative organizational systems), and leadership (fostering inspired, courageous and caring execution). He is the author of a number of books, and has been a frequent guest on CNBC and other media outlets. He has also served on the advisory boards of several entrepreneurial ventures. Professor Gulati holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, a Master’s Degree in Management from M.I.T.’s Sloan School of Management, and two Bachelor’s Degrees, in Computer Science and Economics, from Washington State University and St. Stephen's College, New Delhi, respectively. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.

Related to Deep Purpose

Related ebooks

Business Development For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Deep Purpose

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Deep Purpose - Ranjay Gulati

    cbook_preview_excerpt.html}ێ$Ǒ`@%ҌDkb<3<3 eb17S%k瘹GV5G}Ԭʌ]ɳ4/}vn qh>gʿ>wz6694χytm7q&q:qӼӱw787ntM7d0Sp4y<䟴cCy15j_atkn !·c3f,qNoRԕɒ0,hq>ɓm_?˿~y߽|}ÛGW)[yhXn|7'ᅧ?DZ}_~v,@~tIVS=Լֻl }7]w'bp߹Լl˶Wqo=$eG~ݰ{߷z懋+~{?mNc;?O?=m{M#+O"Wn~|歜g?>{?ՏD ?>m^;a]8[{)~{ln[t?y=ƸVO>fr[1ӱSÎ2f'J"H~-pwη4Q|~:  yw>y7+?ce}}yoֿ{a xgy{肜>}E<]p8N{_.ñW}eqxi $-;j_6Nd6=vjgV6)*tX(\~ rQҸt'=/U~:roEn/C>f>ųYr#܎9 8xci?^TX}fC<YQ688 nN;*ߑ ą,ӏ'?$>79"x?,PB,5G'ʢbrCi#;tҴaFihy)=??DѼ85I*5 k|"foD]u/;Q;Kn 9GWέi7-N S܉sE8c e \M| Ilo1i[,.xSbDtIĠOܻnvێ솋T O`L-whSO٩@WFAݧ^"L SJ6ywA'>ٺ?\w. D4eN> GEXeHm0p-QtAطݫ땗}wuC=>zyMfLvwN;(/1 A(>uUEG`z䦨ݝ5rņ6c얻8Ľx>+xLҷ"%G <{toYKzy3N!VS#Mr"wɾW=R^m Rq{Tʹ.'ބE<]Ȩ,UuEˍ;oGeG8No?ġׄ˅VD) ys5ǟDnFA,o7"jŔtq+GD%EnQ$CIY>jX2q7kܐE:?RپiFϫ7Rp="\E90!\EE\ 9"AOw,G׊PP.9(0|Mf`pu_VOѵ7~=W~"EJxq64#S-Ρkuv7 %*ݨ[`D3Qs4_N 仲{'RRG+ҋE8cX jrpaH Ao A8 `s  VYȸ''`#ݓީ;kbxOT9xy|}ʩTzu)C5e2;3Z g43 vE^6*]QUNRFaI%ܫr@HmW^/ J =q`KG1%&3ӛш^!<]uz 7MSυgKEoc̮ac8)"b͢1aq1*0ţ:u}B$f¨6&!CI]EDBLg' b)7YD`' ' ϐf<%JSx=i#}AIoƷt~ R>IQf8JA$K_#E;O(Q<~RE_Ʃ>KLżH20$Q;|`.,MB*Twr,W z &` uT窥SK3 坎H.Hؿ^J{FM3yVl-Pokݗ޲w=S2^e`nb6$|76e(# AO;z_tndr Y=99Sy/j)~.`!1 )йvjEJ8M26E_^55/@FFWXe'F2}-V4LY! Q[I3U"ѱn"I8.՞U)*ЋT܈ctH[5HY}"N.yj)HM)ޫҌ7'2BLI?!<{ueZ@_"*:r4?FG>[IgA8XRWTR rknҔNbGҮ nZhذ⭗qB\!:҅G"\ؔsaSyRXYGT oryy-YSc}XŚ,gS*+'(ŘO.ݰDIcw /\ .[/"eָm`n"SQlG;h2yȰ)g'h*,R-dַ7v2"3%р o-&#ֳȕ(3uXt9Z\ѝcESÉ}A:zQ_ NтMHW,A^sY!y^^oJݘ ěS/8)*Byh-ږ&$UqŰ"J֯ ݯ,B >VP_Cu2_ .UA@`_ZnݪTAX&/]n)C[$O-rKtQg#ImFon ګ0fXmtcasaG7,Sƭ!ˊ6--R8Ij$qkW X=Y%PMp2c]EiBrnIc{J̡S-:_%"?RkT1X\ f#MӖ$R-51 f h Q$A)eM+\\ n7TU!Z; ˈwzX E.hg %1 \M[YRAF? Zᇋ dh- 9>S729CK?9e2A4-{8duPd;:bdd]v_fWz1,wR|d&? DQyG(f݁e-q*jz`7AjU_j$-\q9]CR{kS#|-ְr AV ?j^K|$K֘ F#(0TV$%7gH}F8mdI2X!E [VXҶ? /è@p+ܩ "d+m^L>K6f9=Q@ "А:Xʋ )l -uS"qQ_L0:X.԰kSYDpƫ(ũi:aM{a-"v1Bt>[6XS\oQȐD>hq$W]: iQ`Cǎ%%Fn@x5M%}.ҰRsV*cN*Hj" BbNb0 ggQBDӗ&cÛ]KΖG"yF 1΍I0= ʘ%! A>(~T̈ъm;'PRC^C"GAuFTV>$y;ƈ44eS"[b'k !B#g<%+hBOF$Kn+KGh- uJN ƐnY웄(6o;"gWCнKGfGaKrҺIhEۉ}5نhKֻemN^9|=Hֵkؚ`v } 9u= iUs#Lx/LswRA3~` 5z5cv?AWnش0Pf# ]b351j FB}sgliC jޕr!#YB5y&>B !'cc$:BC`Vl:=rRxb#P VBC4j8@aɯ!@z\P ƚVV>¶Y6HYs2 EMU~NEȻX4cu8hA(Uo Z,eHݲRƴYNHedjLc|1~bDlBF(ȏ6ÜUq,ϷZkV_H4b=A qOԱ;9q, 6kH$`2QR&x9ogVSr . .,1Y8U R >MTCntjt 5='epnV{Y\1 a\-YJ -(E>B.AЀ|UWs6Q09ΒIyT9Qs"DHX[YpS.a5T׈A,)m[Z`_^S? eeb#E#^- ŠCEqU, ƚ mxzˇ_͌$UwGc4$"'WCL  JcІ%G'HBi>] d%3).G ~6i+电y"k+_Qf"VguKOsJ@pTܭ@ZI HѾ`|q"1|_u/1tv-[^G bryi('h8wh]CL962 +PIODdwyreIk e4XsD8,{vMږe.G^oġ#I[?Rr_ۧm@݉L2(yJR-֜U&'Hup rj\ނj4HѹQϛUc-7N ;VrꐻR%JXQ[.ݵwXdӋjXأcfq?Da_4Uko@vc̭H3gvYĨgJZ'}lgW _B'{ҷR5ȁ}S =+v!,P=_ԕQzXNvκ7&T>>_7"K0JD<NT%Яd[zٍIy~b,hʼ}ˁ9juڼ c.D~ZMeFVm'"5̞}LKtGRVõS ρ6ֳ^a} #OK 6VvkyBk'V0[i]')C;`zA*P NL-)چ.J:[яc@LmZh9ynnh&M2"G!\ldƂG 5Pa ԖZ_6cVg3短"ju,( KkFf[MnrF j-zU4:u@3raŽb랰L3L!8 @vy'U/'rB W >`Sq؏mIhj+ƈEvaKF[y|8ֹsImy2gʞpH ~U8D$F>+]J7KtyLZ'Zekyn<1jR s!~V=UV4 i~/\i ˍjރVN.Xh ڊ"1֎fDvțfS; )vd2M`TJ ; $mUߐ"{|z%󓌰=jȺy4~ZVp kQ*-ߑiT,-Xx gY{8&zvϩVzKZ֟mFsޯKp:^͵CL;Yx6ˇATjd`c$2@)̚|Q?)cԇi#::S(]͖9J^qqgˋU*Q${8tlCRV@kg&u458Õ3G#pa햷LpB-pt [ٯ$%Rf5Yz\|`) ?P2M D `sDl⠅a2]|ie{'BT%ej,C3X~$ukS8W+a. `JD6t5GVBٟ?i挬RK4x~2,FVg^^rkG-M!!F"ŮL2 "_ ӄ49(o\´}/E<&fs+n̑065Z1'(( 9)@x m7&$W<F>j! +*k7wQO{8sRE.Ҏdv98o6ؙZ\Us=Uʻxw^]Z'F?foci\O%b὘P} hBy4߳祕;0iGI룗2H}16*^ ! ([j1'yPC ltҴ?X 69/q˹QQ05\HKI pǷy%lcZW K=P#(reCpPhLQ0A6" J$^G,S"i9oЉmF\W_EPڒe ȐdoW_b.=07pm1 bci跳ϔ= @ٶ̝y m}IT:5٨*^* ,M94r8Rg#[X0Kd/VUj r0R[`gm-XX+336#7K!:F[T r93kGkw: d^-au N,zmh7oMAI[V?pw[!g%bF ҭհ>qU#+lf_bHfB]w_{q3|(,ᗑVc9| {|Tv~3r$!@kz&.CbeTJadWl*K2!-?yʻUL)kH JG^m&!9\E pуB.m5 ʚKX(GTVڟ2G%ǻf*7LFHEas!vܠt5tߪ"Ώsϐx2'jS7{>HNx4VhRI٘jS*&WueCtC&`z͵mV&[=B݋zV?Bkk=:jN At$YV.䡩90p\)y"Cen%i,Cp ag씜p)x6zk,=[ w!|0c:˼rftAg>(O<Ȭ2 ]ͰW¼}]L-+qp{Ie‰.4P2fu6VV&,~ ^k{~ζ&Ey 3-($_,1MIzf)jxb&~qc# y1E:r 7lJ{L28 @Xdڛ8x\McNv|5}I!VDa`s yl qew5V i}K5h*p/W^:&`P;mEa[P'eBHS9m吃ܠSiY6.Wع׿&=TRDX[+y&9sRx#2ʞL *ȥ+>g>ݧ^aQg딜2}.XA@s $gMW"n=xT#W s5ee(CwŒYh6k:Oz3'b x;-?ɜ@_W).2YI9BC`\i JYݩ]c"<_w}t>}HaՄ9 *X7 G]æ<:Cĉ?,IZ]O64CQ 59l儥c *Q?gvx=-eD t.>.S*a?-! @tGICJg.5]a &WS/ QN/\{`;r0LT IY P0NQixѧhsD% /\kHojg:jzk9u*T+rY# Hz9!xB˙g :,vn'jldS*䯵iєh+tOhɧ+Z#"M |O3K\ezVn+hg@e?Ӽc%ޛeg.ܐ4&K1aaokFbM/skB|iJ߱-o? W+m:fo3TQ8J^bYcMGcI5k8 $uJm${{ep-;ߒvnk mKbIG DEIl(|JY2My3 %C:WNY@$7@mV! ד7[-KmY_Gp-zz
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1