No one really wishes to simply achieve tasks with no meaning behind them. We want something out of our work beyond the simple pursuit of a paycheck. We want to feel inspired, find purpose, and see the impact our work has on others.
Recent research by Mercer supports this, indicating that 76 percent of employees crave a sense of purpose. Hopefully, your organization has a “why” or purpose that your employees can connect with.
What is a team purpose?
Like the organizational purpose, the team's purpose involves articulating why the team exists (what it does and how it makes a difference). Having a team purpose is a great way to complement the organizational purpose. It helps translate the overarching ‘why’ into a simpler, closer, and more relatable version. And even if your organization doesn’t have a compelling purpose to tap into, you can create one for your team. This helps the team to get very clear on what you are trying to accomplish. As a result, you will be more likely to achieve your goals.
How to do it
To develop your team’s purpose, facilitate a session with employees to process the following questions:
Why do we do what we do?
Who do we work for?
What is the impact we want to have as a team?
What do we do to support the greater purpose of the organization?
An example
For instance, Kellogg’s purpose is nourishing families so they can flourish and thrive. A sample purpose for the marketing team might read something like this:
Our marketing team helps people discover our products by educating and sharing useful information on a multitude of platforms so their families can flourish and thrive.
How to use it
Once you have created the team’s purpose, reinforce it regularly and lead your team to work together to achieve it. When everyone is working towards a common goal, it helps reduce drama, build camaraderie, and elevate performance.
So, what are you waiting for? Get to work on articulating your team’s purpose!
Need some help with facilitating this and other team activities?
Check out our team transformation solutions that can help increase productivity, camaraderie, psychological safety and more!
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