S&O participates in the "Grand Forum of the Raison d'Être" at the Senate

"Taking up the challenge of an effective, efficient and sustainable Purpose (“Raison d'Être”)" was the theme of the 2nd “Grand Forum de la Raison d'Être” organized by The Why Project on April 21 at the Palais du Luxembourg, Senate and chaired by Antoine Frérot, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Veolia and co-author of the book: "A Broader Vision of Business: Toward a New Narrative", Flammarion.

This was an opportunity for Rodolphe Durand, founder of the Society & Organizations Institute, and academic director of the Purpose Center (S&O) at HEC Paris to share some insights of the Center’s academic research:

"We analyze the effects of purpose based on the study of employee engagement questionnaires in hundreds of companies. In particular, we observe that corporate purpose, if understood and perceived as legitimate, brings many positive outcomes within the company, for example +10% coordination within teams, +15% trust between its members, with ultimate effects on innovation, operations and overall performance."

"We also look at the potential nuances and limitations. For instance, not only are more than 60% of employees unaware of the purpose, but it also introduces a moral, even moralistic, value that can induce unexpected effects: academic research shows that the different stakeholders of the company, having more or less utilitarian positions, can react in a variable way to its purpose."

It was a pleasure to meet the former Honorary President of HEC Alumni and the HEC Foundation, Jean-Luc Allavena, along with, among others, Gilles Grapinet (Worldline), Caroline Parot (Technicolor), Jean-Philippe Puig (Groupe Avril) and Julie Lattes (BCG BrightHouse).

During this Grand Forum, Augustin de Romanet, CEO of ADP Group, was awarded the prize for the Outstanding “citizen” CEO.