01
What?
What are we here to achieve?
The what question clarifies the direction. It helps the organisation identify the results, effects and priorities the work should lead to.
The method
The purpose: the direction that connects the work
The purpose describes what the organisation aims to achieve, why it matters and how success will be achieved. When the purpose is clear, it becomes easier to prioritise, collaborate and take responsibility in everyday work.
Core idea
The purpose makes the work clear, focused and shared.
Organisations need a direction that can guide everyday work. The purpose helps people and teams understand what matters most, how their own work contributes and which priorities need to be set.
When the purpose is unclear, taking responsibility becomes more difficult. People may work hard without knowing whether they are focusing on the right things. Teams may do their best while pulling in different directions. The Purpose provides a shared starting point for dialogue, decisions and action.
Three questions
What, why and how make the purpose useful.
A purpose needs to be more than a statement. It needs to help people understand direction, meaning and ways of working. The three questions make the purpose concrete enough to use in everyday work.
02
Why?
Why does it matter?
The why question creates meaning and context. It connects everyday work with the organisation's purpose and with the customers, service users, citizens or others it exists to serve.
03
How?
How will we succeed?
The how question makes the purpose practical. It concerns ways of working, responsibility, collaboration, priorities and the conditions needed to succeed.
In everyday work
The purpose helps the organisation make better decisions close to the work.
In everyday work, the purpose is put to the test through priorities, decisions, trade-offs and collaboration. When it is clear, people and teams can more easily determine what matters most, what can wait and where responsibility needs to be taken.
01
Prioritisation
What should guide the work becomes clearer.
The purpose helps managers and teams prioritise according to the organisation's direction, rather than simply reacting to whatever is most urgent.
02
Responsibility
Responsibility can be taken with greater precision.
When the purpose is clear, it becomes easier to see who needs to do what, which authority is required and where responsibilities need to be clarified.
03
Dialogue
The conversation gains a shared starting point.
The purpose gives direction to the dialogue. The team can discuss the work in terms of what the organisation needs, which obstacles exist and which conditions need to be strengthened.
Connection to Verksamhetsskap
The purpose shows what the organisation should be organised around.
Verksamhetsskap is about organising work around the purpose, people's conditions for performance and dialogue in everyday work. The purpose shows what the organisation needs to unite around and what must be understood for people and teams to act.
When the purpose is connected with the individual and the team, it becomes possible to see whether a challenge concerns direction, the individual's conditions for performance or how the team works together.
Back to the method
The method behind Verksamhetsskap®
See how the individual, the team and the purpose are connected through dialogue in everyday work.
Explore the methodRelated product
Agerus Flow
Agerus Flow is a recurring digital tool that gathers feedback from the team and gives the manager concrete input for dialogue and development in everyday work.
Explore Agerus Flow