The July–August 2018 issue of the Harvard Business Review includes an article that features Deborah Ball and her iterative efforts while dean of the University of Michigan School of Education to understand and clarify the purpose and values of the school. In “Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization,” Robert E. Quinn and Anjan V. Thakor interview a range of leaders, from CEOs to deans to non-profit executive directors, to outline the steps and strategies leaders use to rally their organizations behind an authentic higher purpose. Quinn and Thakor recount how Ball interviewed every faculty member at the School of Education when she first became dean to “learn and unlearn the organization,” using this information to build a strategic plan that drew on the school’s strengths and commitments in the service of social good.
Read the article here.