It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that an organization's purpose is "given" in advance - in mission statements, founding documents, bylaws or the like - and that there's no need to spend time discussing the organization's purpose. However, the reality is more complex than this. Theoretically, three perspectives on organizational purpose can be distinguished - a prescribed, preferred and actual perspective on organizational purpose. Research suggests that the greater the overlap between the three perspectives, the more likely it is that purpose becomes a common rallying point in an organization. Conversely, if the overlap is very small, the risk of misunderstandings, conflicts and collaboration difficulties increases.