Purpose as an Operating System with Guest Will Harvey || Purpose Leading into the future

About this episode

This episode discusses how leaders can embed purpose into organizational systems and culture.

EPISODE ONE: PURPOSE AS an Operating System How does purpose move from statement to organisational discipline? Purpose often appears in strategy documents — but far fewer organisations successfully embed it into governance, incentives and daily behaviour. This episode explores how leaders translate purpose into operational systems. How are decisions filtered? How are trade-offs made visible? How is accountability reinforced? The discussion surfaces how ethical reasoning capability is cultivated across leadership teams — not just at the top. Culture, performance metrics and governance structures must align if purpose is to guide behaviour under pressure. Purpose becomes an operating system — shaping judgement before crisis arrives. Key Themes & Talking Points: Embedding purpose in governance and strategy Leadership modelling and cultural alignment Incentives, accountability and behavioural signals Building distributed ethical reasoning capability Will Harvey, Professor of Leadership - Melbourne Business School and Dr Peter Collins - Executive Director, Peter Collins and Associates

People in this episode

Guest: Will Harvey

Topics covered

• purpose as an operating system
• embedding purpose in governance
• leadership modelling
• cultural alignment
• ethical reasoning
• accountability

Keywords

• purpose
• organizational discipline
• governance
• leadership
• accountability
• ethical reasoning
• cultural alignment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Melbourne Business School, Peter Collins and Associates

More episodes of Menzies Leadership Forum

• Risk & Moral Judgement with Michael Saadie || Purpose Leading into the future · June 1, 2026 · 29 min
• Fairness At The Frontline with Guest Callum Smith || Purpose Leading into the future · May 18, 2026 · 37 min
• Leading With Care Under Constraint with Guest Kelly Bayer Rosmarin || Purpose Leading into the future · May 7, 2026 · 35 min
• The Purpose of Purpose-led Leadership, Thomas Walker || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century · March 30, 2026 · 35 min
• Shared Power, Shared Impact, Beth Eggleston || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century · March 16, 2026 · 34 min
• Purpose in Partnership, Thom Woodroofe || Purpose in Action, Redefining Leadership for the 21st Century · March 3, 2026 · 38 min