Changing the Culture Starts With Purpose, Not Process
When a business talks about changing the culture, the instinct is usually to look at the process first. A refreshed handbook or a set of engagement initiatives. These things have their place but they’re not the starting point.
Real cultural change begins with purpose.
Processes can help things run smoothly; purpose helps people understand why the work matters. After decades working with managers as leaders across global organisations, I’ve seen how easily culture drifts when purpose isn’t clear. Without it, there’s nothing solid for leaders, teams, or workplace colleagues to anchor to.
What is a purpose-driven culture?
A purpose-driven culture is something you practice.
When organisations lose sight of purpose, culture becomes reactive. The noise increases: more meetings, more rules, more activity. Yet the real issues remain untouched. When leaders reconnect the business to its purpose, the fog lifts. People understand how their role contributes. Decisions feel grounded instead of convenient. Manager mindsight, the ability for managers to think systemically and lead intentionally naturally strengthens.
Purpose becomes the stabiliser during uncertainty: whether it’s expansion, consolidation, M&A activity, divestments, or even a global pandemic. When everything else is shifting, purpose keeps you steady.
Process supports culture, but it cannot define it
Policies and frameworks matter. They bring consistency, fairness, and clarity. But they are not culture, they simply support it.
Culture shows up in the small, everyday moments between workplace colleagues:
how people speak to one another
how leaders explain decisions
how conflict is handled
whether mistakes are seen as failures or learning
who feels safe to contribute
how leadership in teams plays out in real time
These moments reveal what an organisation truly values. And they all flow from purpose, not process.
When purpose is strong, process feels coherent and useful. When purpose is missing, process becomes rigid, performative, or disconnected from reality.
Leadership behaviour is purpose in action
Culture starts with leadership long before it reaches HR.
It’s visible in the tone of executive meetings, the courage to address resistance, and the consistency with which managers as leaders hold themselves accountable. Leadership in teams matters just as much as leadership at the top because teams mirror what leaders model.
If leaders want openness, they must be open.
If they want accountability, they must demonstrate it.
If they want collaboration, they must invite perspectives that challenge their own.
The culture of an organisation often reflects the poorest behaviour leaders are willing to tolerate. Purpose gives leaders the clarity and conviction to hold the line.
Purpose shapes the stories people tell
Every organisation has stories that circulate, moments that become part of the collective identity.
For example:
A new starter who was genuinely supported through a difficult time.
A team that pulled together during a demanding acquisition.
A leader who finally addressed an issue everyone else avoided.
A colleague who raised the gender pay gap.
These stories matter. They signal what the culture truly values. When they align with purpose, culture strengthens. When they contradict purpose, culture fractures.
A purposeful culture is resilient and human
A culture rooted in purpose doesn’t panic through change, it adapts with intention.
Purpose gives people a shared language.
It supports clearer decision-making.
It creates cohesion that extends beyond job titles or departments.
It’s not always the easiest culture to build, but it is the strongest to sustain.
What starting with purpose says about us
How an organisation approaches culture reveals what it believes about people.
Starting with process suggests a need for control.
Starting with purpose shows a belief in alignment, clarity, and collective strength.
A culture built on purpose reflects an organisation that trusts its people, values its workplace colleagues, welcomes challenges, and understands that real transformation happens from within.
Ultimately, starting with purpose says everything about who we are now, and who we choose to become.
Nicky Gray helps organisations navigate change with clarity, purpose, and a human-centred approach.
Having led global teams through transformation, growth, and complexity, Nicky now partners with leaders and managers to build purposeful cultures, strengthen leadership capability, and create workplaces where people can thrive.