ABSTRACT
Organizations operate in an ever more unsettled world – customer preferences change rapidly, competitors emerge suddenly, technology shifts unpredictably. The belief in the purpose of an organization gives people a reason to belong to that organization over others and to act in ways that are consistent with countless other colleagues even though their job functions might be quite different. Great organizations start with a deep sense of purpose that is sometimes explicit, sometimes intuitive to the founders. With increasing success the organization develops a distinctive culture, and certain behaviors and beliefs become routine. An organization that has become insular and forgotten that its purpose must engage with reality, starts to experience decline. The front line gets defensive, mistrust spreads, people start to leave, and the organization gets stuck in a downward spiral. In some cases, particularly a smaller organization, the CEO is also the Chief Transformation Officer – taking charge of change, setting the tempo, operationalizing decisions.
