How accounting firm Hall Chadwick reimagined its workplace to match its purpose

In today’s rapidly changing market, finding your purpose can be the key to standing out and remaining relevant. Purpose-driven organisations are known for having a competitive advantage, with a clear understanding of their reason for existing and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world.

As a workplace strategist in Australia with over 20 years of experience, I have seen first-hand the impact that a clearly articulated purpose can have on an organisation’s success. The purpose of an organisation is the reason it exists beyond making money. It is more about ‘why’ it exists, and the positive impact it wishes to make on the world. An organisation’s purpose gives an organisation a greater meaning, an outcome that employees can feel fulfilled by, and a sense that they are contributing to making the world a better place.

Making the purpose tangible for employees is about connecting it to what they do every day, making it real, and giving them a direct line of sight between their individual actions and that of the company. When employees understand their organisation’s purpose and how they contribute to it, they become more motivated, engaged, and productive.

While the purpose of an organisation typically starts with the founder, with growth, time, acquisitions, mergers, and generations of leadership, leaders may need to rediscover their organisation’s purpose and reconnect ‘what we do’ with ‘why we do it.’