Changing the story
We need to start with our aims and pur-
pose. Conventionally, we tend to devel-
op a narrow view of business aims, often
focused on becoming the biggest and
most profitable, all in support of maxim-
ising shareholder returns. But, the notion
of shareholder primacy is being chal-
lenged and – according to the findings of
the international Sustainable Companies
Project – this misguided focus is the key
barrier to business sustainability.
In our new story, perhaps we should no
longer see the firm as the centre of the
universe, seeking to maximise its own
interests, but rather as living cell in a wider
network of interconnected and inter-
dependent organs, striving to deliver a
truly positive impact for the whole body.
This positioning creates a playing field for
progressive companies, redefining their
aims and purpose.
Look at the growth of the B-Corporation
Movement – there are currently 976
Certified B-Corps across 32 countries –
which provides a vehicle for businesses to
incorporate a range of goals in addition
to the profit motive. Ben and Jerry's, for
example, not only aims to make the best
product it can, but has also formalised
the goal of creating positive social change
– specifically to advance new models of
economic justice, that are both sustainable
and replicable.
We also need to be looking beyond
the ends of our noses. The reality is that
now, more than ever, we need to be adept
at managing both short and long-term
perspectives concurrently, if we are to be
genuinely and sustainably successful. This
is not easy, but Unilever's bold approach
to breaking the tyranny of quarterly
reporting shows what can be done. Paul
Polman's emphasis on customers first,
rather than focusing primarily on the
Sustainable Business Business models 4/8
Businesses should be re-positioned as living cells in a wider
network of interconnected and interdependent organs
