Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Purpose before profits? Employees say ‘yes, please’
Organization | Corporate purpose | North America
January 21, 2021 – In a recent McKinsey survey of more than 1,200 managers and frontline employees at US companies, only 42 percent felt their organizations’ purpose statements made a real difference. Seventy-two percent felt that purpose should come before profits.
To read the article, see “Purpose: Shifting from why to how,” April 22, 2020.
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Visual form
Four-panel donut comparison chart.
Layout / body structure
The chart is a single horizontal row of four circular indicators, each pairing a blue arc with a gray remainder. Read the circles from left to right, taking the percentage in the center together with the caption under each circle.
What is being compared
The chart compares four employee views about organizational purpose: whether purpose is important, whether purpose should receive more weight than profit, whether organizations have a purpose statement, and whether that purpose statement drives impact. It is a progression from broad belief to actual organizational effect.
Measurement system
The measurement is percent of respondents. Each donut uses the blue segment as the affirmative share and the gray segment as the remainder, while the exact percentages are printed in the center of the circles.
Visible structure inside the graphic
Four equal-size circular gauges are aligned in one row, each with a bold number inside: 82, 72, 62, and 42. The captions beneath them step through the story from general importance to purpose statements and then to whether those statements actually drive impact.
Main takeaway from the visual
Employees overwhelmingly value purpose, but the perceived organizational follow-through is much weaker by the time the chart reaches actual impact. The shrinking blue arcs from left to right make the drop-off from belief to execution immediately visible.
Key standout values or extremes
The highest value is 82 percent for saying purpose is important to have a purpose, followed by 72 percent saying purpose should receive more weight than profit. The lowest value is 42 percent for saying their organizations’ purpose statements drive impact, creating a 40-point gap from the first circle.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.