Essence
Distilling organisational identity using purpose, expression and relationships
Organisations that create genuine, human connections, while striving towards a clear purpose and expressing themselves with clarity and belief are organisations that stand the best chance of thriving in the 21st century.
In order to do this consistently and sustainably, organisations must be crystal clear about what we call their essence: the authentic core that emerges in the overlap of clear purpose, creative expression and genuine relationships.
We can help you clarify who you are as an organisation and work out exactly how that informs and underpins your structure, your communications, your business model, your culture, your product design and more.
The problem
Traditional brand projects tend to focus on visual identity and messaging. Brand is often treated as superficial and separate from business operations: it’s a new lick of paint or a new set of clothes.
Organisations that approach brand in this way miss out on all of the advantages that come from a deeper, more holistic exploration of organisational identity.
People want authentic connections that stand for something meaningful. The traditional approach of determining brand strategy behind closed doors, then implementing it through marketing, fails to create this authenticity.
Conventional brand thinking often treats brand as something constructed and applied – a strategic asset primarily focused on external perception management. Even when brand work claims to capture organisational essence, it typically happens as a separate exercise from strategy, operational decisions and internal culture-building.
The solution
By recognising that organisational identity forms through the same fundamental human processes of purpose-setting, creative expression and relationship-building, we open new possibilities for organisations to discover who they truly are and communicate in ways that resonate deeply with the humans they serve.
This isn’t just about better marketing – it’s about better organisational development. It’s about helping organisations become more human in the fullest sense: self-aware, authentic, expressive and connected.
We offer:
- A deeper exploration of organisational identity through our purpose-expression-relationships model
- A community-centred approach that involves stakeholders in co-creating and uncovering identity
- Integration of content and expression as fundamental to identity, not just vehicles for it
- Emphasis on authentic alignment between purpose, expression, and relationships
Purpose, expression and relationships
Our distillation of an organisation’s essence uses three vital ingredients, each with equal weight: purpose, expression and relationships.
Purpose: the driving force
Purpose addresses why an organisation exists beyond profit or growth. Like an individual’s core values and aspirations, organisational purpose provides direction and meaning. However, purpose alone is insufficient – many organisations have beautifully crafted mission statements that never translate into lived reality.
Expression: the creative discovery
Expression is how we articulate and manifest our inner world. Through content, design, voice and action, organisations don’t just communicate their pre-existing identity – they discover it. Just as developmental research shows that adolescents develop identity clarity through creative expression, organisations clarify who they are through the act of expressing themselves. The struggle to find the right words or create the right experiences isn’t separate from identity formation – it is identity formation.
Relationships: the web of connections
Organisations, like individuals, don’t develop in isolation. Identity emerges through connection with others. The communitarian view recognises that who we are is shaped by our connections, our relationships and our communities. Similarly, an organisation’s identity is formed through its relationships with customers, communities, employees and partners. These relationships are the universe within which an organisation exists, the fundamental connections that define it.
1.
Beyond perception management
Our model isn’t just about how an organisation is perceived, but about its actual identity formation.
We believe that an organisation discovers and defines itself through the same processes, beliefs and connections that humans do – through purposeful expression and relationships.
2.
Integration with business strategy
When purpose, expression and relationships are seen as the key ingredients of organisational essence, they become inseparable from business strategy.
Decisions about products, services, operations and growth are naturally evaluated through these three lenses. And they become better, more aligned decisions as a result.
3.
Cultural transformation
Our approach positions organisational culture as an extension of identity formation rather than a separate initiative.
How people work together becomes an expression of collective purpose and values. Teams benefit and job satisfaction improves.
4.
Breaking down silos
Traditional organisations separate brand (marketing), purpose (leadership/strategy) and relationships (customer experience/HR).
Our model is much more aligning. It breaks down the walls of these artificial divisions that can easily prevent authentic identity formation.
Need help distilling your essence?
Our essence work goes through a three stage process.
Discover
This phase is about deep exploration and listening across all three dimensions of organisational essence. We’ll dig, audit, map and analyse.
Define
This phase focuses on co-creating and articulating the organisational essence that emerges at the intersection of purpose, expression, and relationships. We’ll craft, clarify, model and test.
Deploy
This phase focuses on bringing the essence to life through intentional implementation and continuous refinement. We’ll plan, create, train and measure.
If you’re a purpose-driven organisation, an organisation in transition, a leader dissatisfied with traditional brand work or a content-centric organisation, we think our approach to essence may well be exactly what you need, to set you up for success in everything you want to do.
We’d love to hear about exactly what those things are.