Purpose bolsters sustainability

“We move and inspire people. Simple. Sustainable. Pioneering.” This is how AMAG defines its purpose. The corporate purpose worded in this way is at the core of the corporate strategy and incorporates sustainability aspects as a primary goal. The AMAG employees can use it to guide them in their daily work.
 

AMAG’s mission states what the company wants to achieve: “We move and inspire people.” In 2022, we added the words “Simple”, “Sustainable” and “Pioneering” to this mission statement to create a meaningful purpose statement. It shows how we aim to progress and fulfil our mission.
 

A purpose is a reason why
 

The AMAG Purpose conveys the sense of the company and its activity for society. “Purpose provides guidance – that is what people today seek and need,” says Anja Bates, Chief Human Resources Officer at AMAG. In everyday working life, she sees that a company’s purpose is becoming an increasingly important factor in people’s job decisions – job security and reputation are no longer enough. “This applies particularly to young people from Generation Z, who need meaningful goals – so that they are motivated right from the start when they join a company,” adds Bates. Scientific findings show that a clear purpose makes companies more productive and more profitable – provided that this purpose consistently drives everything the company does.
 

Developed together with the employees
 

The management team came up with the first drafts for the AMAG Purpose. Groups of employees from all business units and various age groups were then brought in to refine these drafts. Several rounds of discussions resulted in a widely supported proposal – the current AMAG Purpose. “But we wanted to be sure we were on the right track with this,” remembers Dino Graf, Head of Group Communication, Responsibility & AMAG Brand Management. The “why@AMAG” survey – in which over a thousand employees wrote a sentence each, describing what the company represents for them personally – confirmed that the proposal was spot on. “Every ‘why@AMAG’ sentence I read fitted in perfectly with our purpose,” says Dino Graf in summary.
 

Purpose promotes sustainability goals
 

The AMAG Purpose is closely linked with the company’s sustainability goals, as Dino Graf explains: “The purpose shows the employees the direction that needs to be taken and the reasons for this. It motivates them to help shape change in the mobility industry and to design innovative solutions.” This commitment on the part of the employees is needed in all three dimensions of sustainability: 

• In the environmental sphere, the employees’ input and know-how are important in order to develop and introduce electromobility solutions and then embed these solutions with customers.

• In the social sphere, it is a case of building up the skills of the future and ensuring that the young Generation Z is also on board for the journey.

• In the economic sphere, committed employees are a must if we are to achieve our business objectives and generate the financial resources needed for innovations.

The fact that the issues on which the purpose is based are embedded deep in the company’s DNA stands AMAG in good stead. “We have been putting various facets of economic, ecological and social sustainability into practice ever since the company was founded,” says Anja Bates. What is new now is the fact that the AMAG Purpose brings together the three issues in a single, coherent, meaningful narrative that inspires the employees.