Relentlessly asking why : purpose-driven change as a strategic practice

Organizations used to see stability as the desired state, but today both research and practice pointtowards continuous change as the new normal. In this context, an engaging and shared purpose toguide the organizational activities has emerged as a key component. Previous research has discussedorganizational purpose as important for change, innovation, and execution. However, the practice ofhow purpose can guide strategic change e!orts is less explored. In this paper, we follow a Head ofTransformational Change and her team of 39 selected internal change coaches in their strategicchange e!ort. Based on 26 interviews, 2 workshops, ongoing dialogue and preliminary analysis of 58projects, we conclude that purpose can be put in practice for change through a combination ofconsistency, clarity, conversation and capability.