Our work

Our work

Our work is about stimulating and energising a different way of thinking and behaving in business.

As well as working directly with a small number of large businesses, we seek to influence the overall conversation about the purpose of business, through dialogue with key influencers such as investors, academics, policymakers, NGOs, consultants to business and others and through our social media, forums, conferences, events and collaboration with other organisations with similar objectives.

Our strategy is to:

Inspire

Provide credibility and push boundaries

Inspire and nurture the will, rationale and courage for change by creating space for continuous dialogue, critical reflection and sense-making of what it means to be a purpose-led business.

Activate

Encourage action at scale

Create and be part of spaces to develop the skills and confidence to disrupt 'status quo' practices and create conditions for change to flourish

Amplify

Support social contagion and momentum

Capture and share stories to build courage, share learning and facilitate / collaborate to catalyse change in early majority and strengthen the movement

Business

Our work with companies is centred on using our Five Principles of a Purpose-led Business, and the thinking behind them, to challenge and support leadership teams and other senior practitioners in understanding and exploring the potential of becoming a better business. The one to one work we do with these businesses informs the rest of our work.

We work mainly with large listed UK headquartered companies and we offer:

Leadership support

Presentations to ExCos, leadership teams and ‘town hall’ meetings to introduce our thinking and the challenge it can offer.

Dialogue and thinking

Workshop sessions for teams at different levels in a business to introduce the thinking in more depth.

Social contract

For a limited number of large corporates we offer ‘social contracts’ which are non legal and non financial.

To find out more contact Dee Corrigan

How does a social contract work?

Investors

We have been seeking to influence investors and have been collaborating with the Purposeful Company Taskforce to engage with both asset managers and asset owners.

A challenge faced by investors is how they can tell whether a company is genuinely pursuing a purpose beyond profit, through which it seeks to generate its returns to investors.

In 2018, we convened a group of leading investors from a range of asset management companies to consider this and together they came up with a short list of key questions which an investor can ask a Chair, CEO or other senior executives to glean insights into the extent to which a company is being genuinely and effectively purpose-led. 

To get involved contact Sarah Gillard

Coaches and Consultants

We have an informal network of coaches and consultants who have an affinity with Blueprint. The network is inclusive and open to any coaches or consultants who believe that the purpose of business should benefit society and respect the dignity of people.

There is no formal structure or membership fee. People are welcome to engage at any level they wish. We convene regular meetings to enable members of the network to share and discuss their experiences and to meet other like minded people.

The purpose of the network

  • To help grow the Blueprint movement via coaches and consultants using Blueprint thinking in their work with their clients and to guide their own businesses.
  • To create a community of learning and sharing.

Maintaining Blueprint's independence

We will not accredit or endorse any coach or consultant. We are happy for coaches and consultants who are part of our network and who have integrated our thinking into their work to say they have done so, but ask that they do not hold themselves out to be accredited by us.

Summary of recent sessions

Below are links to the most recent sessions with some links to further information if you would like to find out more:

If you would like to join us please contact Soulla Kyriacou

Research and Academics

We have worked with and sought to influence the thinking of academics and business schools

In conversation: Rebecca Henderson

In September 2020, Harvard Business School Professor, Rebecca Henderson joined Blueprint CEO Charles Wookey to discuss her new work, Blueprint's role and how companies are putting purpose into practice.

Catch up on-demand here

Academic Conference

In September 2016, we hosted an international academic conference with London Business School and the LBS Leadership Institute. The aim of the conference was to explore the impact on business of having a purpose that serves society.
  • A summary of the event can be found here
  • The original call for papers can be downloaded here

Research with the CMI

This report produced by the CMI and authored by, Victoria Hurth, Prof Jaideep Prabhu and Charlie Ebert, aims to help leaders and managers understand what it means to put purpose into practice and includes insights from 18 in-depth interviews with senior practitioners.

You can see the full report here: The what, the why and the how of purpose

Policymakers

Whilst we believe it is possible to be a successful purpose-led business within current laws and capital markets, policymakers have a role to play in helping to create an environment where purpose-led business can thrive. 

In April 2018, we were invited to share a paper ahead of the meeting of the OECD Global Parliamentary Network, hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Inclusive Growth.

It discussed why purpose-led businesses are key to building more inclusive and sustainable societies and what policy makers can do to help. The full text can be downloaded here.

Collaborations

  • We try not to duplicate work that others are already doing, and where possible try to collaborate with organisations and individuals with whom we share common goals. For example: