Dragonfish run several informative events throughout the year, designed to inspire a wide range of business professionals with leading insight into culture and performance. Events are thought provoking and conversational in nature, providing opportunities to learn from a diverse audience passionate about culture.
We held a Vision, Purpose and Values (VPV) event at IBM this month, with an impressive backdrop overlooking the River Thames. An audience made-up of Marketers, Communications specialists, HR, CxO’s and Entrepreneurs, from organisations as varied as government ministries and large retailers to technology start-ups. It’s clear to see how much importance organisations place on culture as a driver of performance in fast-moving business environments.
Facilitated by our MD Niall and Consultant Shalen, our event focused on sharing insight and practical examples. It was fascinating to hear about our industry leading research with Bournemouth University, which highlights the strong correlation between brand alignment and performance. More specifically the importance of Vision and Purpose.
The findings of the research triggered a series of informed discussions amongst the diverse audience, with some takeaways being;
- Business leaders are key in bringing the organisational strategy to the table in a compelling vision.
- Keep it simple. Design and embed a vision that is relatable to everyone in the organisation.
- Collaborate across the organisation and seek active contribution from your people.
- Use your vision as your North Star. It provides you clear direction in every business decision and situation.
- Across the employee experience, embrace individuality and focus on culture ‘contribution’.
- A set of values in isolation is not likely to achieve the desired performance outcomes unless they are linked to a clear set of focused behaviours’.
The event highlighted the impact of aligning vision, purpose and values to the company strategy and a set of well-defined behaviours. Moreover, conversations and engagement with the entire workforce throughout the process is critical for success, and an output that is simple, compelling and creative will drive performance.
The focus dragonfish has on advancing approaches to culture change and performance through collaboration with a global community of business leaders means we are always adapting and challenging ourselves. One thing is certain, to seize tomorrow’s opportunities requires a fresh approach to shaping cultures for high performance.