Unprecedented challenges of disruptive technologies, climate change, and social crises, as well stakeholder disorientation call organizations to re-evaluate their strategies, role in society, and the way they innovate for the future. In these conditions, examples of high-growth companies place purpose central to their ability to renew themselves and to build value-driven collaborations with stakeholders, and to drive industry-wide change. While corporate purpose is considered increasingly central to strategic decision-making, its potential as a catalyst for systemic change remains underexplored. This conceptual paper explores the theoretical underpinnings of purpose and connects them to the transformation process of creating purpose-driven organizations and collaborations. By synthesizing interdisciplinary insights, we propose a future research agenda to guide purpose-driven systemic change inquiries.
