New Perspectives on Social Purpose

Abstract In recent years the topic of organizational purpose has gained increasing attention from researchers, the media, and policy makers. However, there has been some conflation between the concepts of organizational purpose, social purpose, and other constructs. In this introductory chapter we clarify what we mean by social purpose and why it is theoretically and practically important. To do this, we draw upon and synthesize the academic and practitioner literature on organizational and corporate purpose, social purpose, social impact, corporate social responsibility, and the field of environmental, social, and governance (ESG), using examples from organizations to inform and illustrate our insights. Building on the literature, we define and visualize social purpose and propose how it is distinct from other related concepts. In doing so, we make a conceptual contribution by providing a holistic definition of the term ‘social purpose’ within an organizational context and highlight its links to social impact. We then outline the structure of the Handbook, which focuses on four key themes: conceptualizing social purpose, governance and strategy, implementation and embedding, and social purpose in practice.