CGIC Micro Credential: Purpose Driven Organizations

Expression of Interest: Purpose Driven Organizations

We’re currently gathering interest in offering a new Micro Credential course: Purpose Driven Organizations. This session explores how governance models are evolving beyond shareholder primacy toward sustainability, ethical responsibility, and long-term value creation across a broad stakeholder base.

Led by Paul Dubal, the course will introduce participants to the ISO 37000 Governance of Organizations Standard and highlight how purpose-driven organizations (PDOs) are structured to thrive in the modern world. Through real-world examples and practical insights, we’ll explore how organizations can integrate purpose into governance, leadership, and culture to build sustainable success.

Interested in attending? Please complete the form below to express your interest. There is no commitment or fee required at this stage. If the course moves forward, you’ll be notified and offered early access to register.

• Member Price: $269.10 CAD

• Non-Member Price: $299.00 CAD

• Timing: October 22, 2025, 9:30 am ET to 1:00 pm ET

Course Description: Purpose Driven Organizations

The social and environmental issues facing humanity are a sobering reminder that the governance model of the 20th century, based on shareholder primacy and profit maximization, with little regard for the ecosystem from which organizations draw their resources, is no longer sustainable. Fortunately, modern thought leadership on governance focuses on the need for organizations to operate sustainably by recognizing their obligations to a wider group of stakeholders, including employees, supply chain and the environment. The world is watching, and organizations risk long-term reputational damage if they abrogate their responsibilities expected of a good corporate citizen. This is where purpose driven organizations (PDOs) represent the governance structure of the future.

In this session, Paul Dubal will set the context for the current thinking on the role of modern organizations and how PDOs will be the entities that survive and thrive in the long term. We consider why purpose is so important and assess the benefits of generating value beyond financial returns. We will look at how PDOs are structured from a governance perspective. This covers how purpose acts as an anchor for all of the organization’s activities, driving strategy and value creation across its network of diverse stakeholders. We consider how purpose is integrated throughout the organization and drives values and behaviours, which in turn create a strong culture and clearly identifiable brand in which everyone knows what the organization stands for. 

Underpinning all this is the ISO 37000 – Governance of Organizations Standard, the first ISO standard on corporate governance, a guidance document which applies to any type of entity in any industry across 164 ISO member countries. It is the first truly international benchmark for good governance. The core principle of the standard is purpose, from which the other 10 standards flow. We consider the importance of the standard in the context of PDOs and how it can Provide a framework for organizations to adopt as they transition to becoming a PDO. We also analyze several organizations that have positioned themselves as purpose driven and examine the positive impact they have made on the environment and society in general way beyond their products and operations. PDOs are the sustainable organizations of the future, and delegates will walk away with a number of insights and ideas to support their organization become a PDO.