Purpose Governance Guidelines for Boards

This guide provides a framework that can help you to understand the main responsibilities for boards in their oversight of organisational purpose. The framework features four main oversight responsibilities for boards in stewarding successful execution of the company’s purpose: strategy and culture, performance management, monitoring and reporting, and governance protocols. The framework is informed by literature review, interviews of practitioners with expertise in purpose governance, and a scan of purpose governance practices at Maple Leaf Foods, Unilever, Rio Tinto, and BC Lottery Corporation. This resource will be particularly beneficial for boards and managers who want to determine the current state of purpose governance at their organisation and to flag and address shortcomings. It will also benefit governance professionals who want to create a purpose governance roadmap.