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Center for Purpose and Performance

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Our mission

Our mission is to unlock powerful insights that create a deeper understanding of human potential. We prompt bold conversations with scholars and practitioners, fund innovative, interdisciplinary research, and use science to enhance and promote the tools, practices, and interactions that improve the quality of life and work.
2023 Theme

Leading for purpose and performance

The Center will fuel the integration of research and the realities of modern work to explore pragmatic interventions. This year, the Center will focus on diving deep into the following topics:
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Who we are

The Center brings together a diverse community — of thinkers, practitioners, organizational leaders, and researchers — to produce, promote, and implement groundbreaking research. This work will be supported by BetterUp Labs, social scientists with diverse expertise in foundational and applied research.
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Adam Grant

Chair of The Center for Purpose and Performance

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and bestselling author who explores the science of motivation, generosity, original thinking, and rethinking. He has been a member of BetterUp’s Science Board since 2018.

What we do

Industry forums
Convene and connect a community of executives, senior leaders, academics, practitioners, coaches, and thought-leaders committed to bringing purpose and performance into the workplace and making it central in the new future of work.
Research
Discover and award practical research and implementation science that unlocks the interconnection of performance, well-being, and human flourishing for individuals and organizations.
Applied science
Apply the research findings to innovative coaching interventions and technology to enact transformative and lasting behavior change. 

The Center for Purpose and Performance Prize

The Prize encourages novel approaches and transformative advancements in work by awarding outstanding contributions in organizational psychology. Prize winners will be selected by Adam Grant and the Center judges, and will partner with BetterUp Labs to develop interventions and practices that rethink, reimagine, and revolutionize work. 
“We know surprisingly little about bridging from the Ivory Tower to Main Street, and this prize could break new ground in making evidence practical.”
— Adam Grant