Can business fix the world? The reach, resources, and capabilities of the business sector are very different from that of government or civil society organizations. Without the active engagement of business in building a better world, we cannot hope to address the social, economic, and environmental challenges we all face – in a time frame that works. But profit matters. CO-CREATING MUTUAL VALUE offers a practical strategy and tools that allow business to prosper through building a better world.
WHAT: Co-Creating Mutual Value (CCMV) is about generating businesses profitability through building a better world. CCMV is a practical strategy for partnering with ecosystem stakeholders to create, deliver, and capture shared value directly focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
WHY: There are far too many people still excluded from justice, dignity, safety, and opportunity.
The reach and resources of business are essential to creating a world where people, business, and economies thrive and nature flourishes. Regulators, employees, customers and even investors are calling for companies to go beyond harm reduction or philanthropy – to co-create net positive solutions. And companies need to generate profit from new services or products.
HOW: By discovering a business’s collective aspirations and strengths and applying them to building a better world, a company creates new conversations both within and with its ecosystem stakeholders. New relationships are created internally and externally, generating innovations in the business model (services, products, revenue streams) of direct benefit to investors, the most economically and socially challenged stakeholders, and the corporate culture. Through parallel operating model innovations and a new sense of purpose, a workplace characterized by community, dignity and meaning emerges. People become more engaged, committed, connected and productive.
WHO: In contrast with traditional top down, company centered evolutions, CCMV meaningfully engages direct service/production employees, managers, executives and the voices of stakeholders often absent from discussions of community needs and business opportunities.