A focus on purpose goes beyond asking questions about whether a business is operating profitably or whether an action is legal—it engages a soulsearching focus on questions at a core level, such as: What is a business’s sense of purpose (shared identity and goals)? How and why did a particular business begin (imprinting effects of founding philosophies)?

Who founded the enterprise and what did they want to achieve (entrepreneurial values, mission, and vision)? How does a sense of purpose relate to all the stakeholders in the organization and to the context in which it operates (stewardship and governance)? How does a business understand itself relative to society, and what is it doing to create a shared sense of purpose (institutional norms and logics)?