The symposium will feature a talk by professor Francesc Torralba, who will discuss the purpose of companies and their corporate values, as well as self-donation and personal purpose.

Francesc Torralba is a professor, philosopher and theologian. He is currently director of the Ethos Chair of Applied Ethics at Ramon Llull University, and Chair of Christian Thought at the Bishopric of Urgell.

Why is purpose so important for a company? 

The purpose of a company is its raison d’être, its final cause, the argument for its existence. It is essential to express this publicly and set a goal that is useful and necessary for society. Purpose is what gives meaning to a company, the reason why it exists. The members of the company must all be aware of this purpose and, above all, must wish to make it a reality, and want to contribute their ingenuity, talent and efforts so that it gradually becomes a reality. 

To do this, companies must come up with a purpose that generates enthusiasm on the one hand, and, on the other hand, is not maximalist or utopian, as this means it will be very difficult to achieve and the consequences will be collective frustration. Persuasiveness is key in the leadership of any organisation, and as a result, only if a purpose is credible and acceptable by the community of people in a company, will it be possible to achieve. 

Are there companies with no purpose? 

Some companies have no defined purpose, or do not have a noble purpose. When a company purpose is hidden, or simply not revealed, it is certainly suspicious. When the purpose of a company is noble and fruitful for society because it improves the quality of life of citizens and contributes to their development, or benefits the improvement of society, culture or the environment, it would be strange to hide it. A noble purpose encourages enthusiasm, the desire to contribute to making it a reality, and acts as a source of meaning and driving force for the organisation.

How do a company's corporate values relate to its purpose?

Corporate values are an organisation’s intangible values. In poetic terms, you could say that they constitute a company’s soul, or inner nature. To make any purpose a reality, a company needs to cultivate certain values. Corporate values define the ethos of an organisation, its way of being, its Aristotelian form, while purpose is its final cause, the ultimate goal. Values act as the pillars of a business, making each company unique. However, this is only the case if it translates to practices related to these values, and a work method that is faithful to the axiological pyramid of the organisation. 

What is self-donation?

“We are a gift and we are made to give.” This phrase by Joseph Ratzinger in “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth) gives us a lot to think about. What really fills human life is giving, offering to others the talents that one has received for free. Talent that isn’t gifted is lost forever. One experiences more happiness in giving than in receiving. When one has the opportunity to give what one knows, sharing an area of expertise, and sees that this gift improves the quality of life of others, this results in a state we call happiness. An organisation must be able to channel this practice of giving. 

How does each individual’s personal purpose have an influence on the purpose of society, or group purpose?

The key to success lies in the relationship between individual purpose and corporate purpose. When a person is passionate about the purpose of an organisation, because they identify with it on an existential level, they do not need an extrinsic motivation, a system of compensation. It moves by itself, it becomes its own driving force. This driving force is known as enthusiasm. 

Then all the activity flows harmoniously within the organisation and there are no axiological conflicts between contributors and corporation. To achieve this flow, it is essential to put admission processes in place for future employees that ensure that the individual and corporate life purpose correspond with each other.