From business as usual to business as useful
6 oktober 2011
There seems to be a strange paradox in the way many corporations deal with sustainability. I have not met anyone in business who does not agree with this picture: world population will grow from 7bn to approx 9bn in the next decades; incomes in emerging markets will go up, as will consumption. That various natural resources are likely to become more scarce / expensive. That social and environmental challenges are vast. In sum: these predictions are more or less accepted as plain facts.
On the other hand, when discussing the implications of these facts for their particular company, many seem to think that change can be postponed. The world may face challenges, but their business will get away with the situation as is for several more years to come. They basically leave it up to successors to deal with the situation later. They seem to believe business as usual is fine: there is no incentive to change.
This is not only odd, it is a serious threat to these businesses for two reasons.
Firstly, it is the kind of short term ‘profit & loss’ thinking that doesn’t meet current demands. Businesses have to understand better what the impact is of change, think about social instability, resource scarcity, environmental regulation. Businesses should not turn their backs to reality, nor regard the changes as pure threats. Global changes offer huge opportunities too.
Secondly, businesses are increasingly tested on what and how much they contribute to stakeholders, including society at large. Success is no longer only measured in financial, but also in non-financial terms, and increasingly so. Understanding the impact of your business is more important than ever; it defines your license to operate. It is not about ‘business as usual’ anymore, but ‘business as useful’ is today’s game.
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