Purpose Incorporated: Purpose as an operating business model
Purpose Incorporated | A Three-Part Series on 'Purpose' in Asia-Pacific
WARC x Uncommon Kind x Economics of Mutuality & Oxford University Säid Business School
In 2021, Uncommon Kind partnered with WARC as an expert contributor and co-curator of Purpose Incorporated, a world-first three-part thought leadership series exploring the complexities and nuances of purpose, social impact, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, and responsible business across the Asia-Pacific region.
Developed in collaboration with Economics of Mutuality, with thinking contributed from Oxford Saïd Business School, the series brought together global brands, academics, practitioners and change-makers to examine how organisations can move beyond purpose as a communications platform and towards purpose as an operating model.
Featuring expertise, evidence and real-world examples from organisations including P&G, Uber, WWF, Dove, BBDO, Accenture Interactive, TBWA, VMLY&R and Mediacom, the series was designed to provide leaders with practical strategies, actionable insights and implementation pathways to create outcomes for business, people and planet.
The series explored topics including leadership, diversity and inclusion, social impact, sustainable business models, regenerative agriculture, organisational transformation and the future role of business in society. Together, the articles challenged organisations to rethink the role of business and demonstrated how commercial success and societal contribution can reinforce one another when approached intentionally.
The series remains a substantial body of work at the intersection of leadership, business strategy, purpose, social impact and systems change, and reflects Jenn's ongoing commitment to helping leaders create meaningful outcomes that benefit organisations, communities and the wider world.
Uncommon Kind's Contribution
Jenn's contribution extended beyond authorship. She helped shape the overall direction of the series, identify themes and contributors, conduct interviews, curate case studies and synthesise insights from organisations across the Asia-Pacific region. She also worked alongside Economics of Mutuality to help translate emerging thinking into practical applications for business leaders and marketers.
As part of the series, Jenn authored and co-authored multiple original WARC thought pieces, including:
• Purpose Incorporated: A Comparative Review of the Asia Pacific Region
• Rehumanising Leadership: To Rebuild a World We Broke (Part 1)
• Rehumanising Leadership: To Rebuild a World We Broke (Part 2)
• Putting the Lived Experience Back in Brand Representation
• Banana Republic: Farming and Diversity in the Ecoganic World