The  Future  of  Socially  Valued  Organisa7ons  

18  Feb  2014  

Overview  This  presenta3on  shares  some  characteris3cs  of  ‘socially  valued  

organisa3ons’  and  insights  into  current  and  emerging  shi@s  that  may  in  the  future  influence  how  society  judges  value  and  its  impact    

Ini3al  Views  

Characteris3cs  of  Socially  Valued  

Future  Implica3ons  

Ini7al  Views  

Future  Challenges  Looking  forward  to  2020,  many  now  agree  that  society  will  be  facing    a  number  of  issues  that  can  be  summarised  as  3  big  challenges  –  and  that  addressing  these  will  most  probably  require  collec3ve  ac3on.  

Globally  we  see  the  world  facing  three  big  challenges  that  will  require  choices,  involve  trade-­‐offs  and  need  new  levels  of  leadership  and  collabora3on  if  they  are  to  be  addressed:  

1.  A  Changing  Business  Environment  2.  Increased  Societal  Stresses  3.  Increased  Environmental  Stresses  

•  How  society  responds  (or  chooses  to  ignore)  these  challenges  will  likely  differ  significantly  around  the  world.  

•  Forthcoming  events  will  explore  the  implica3ons  of  these  global  challenges  for  different  regions  and  for  the  socially  valued  organisa3on  in  2020.    

Star7ng  Points  Discussions  to  date  see  an  emerging  view  of    

socially  valued  that  we  now  want  to  challenge  and  build  on  

An  organisa3on  that  is  socially  valued  in  the  future  will  have  the  following  characteris3cs:  •  Aligned  with  societal  needs  and  expecta3ons  •  Clear  how  and  where  it  adds  most  value  to  society  •  Contributes  to  net  value  crea3on  across  a  broad  set  of  measures      An  organisa3on  creates  value  for  society  both  from  the  direct  benefit  provided  by  the  products  and  services  it  sells  and  through  the  impact  of  its  ac3vi3es  on  society,  economy,    the  environment  and  on  human  development  whether  through  improved  health,  wealth,  security,  liberty  or  happiness.    A  socially  valued  organisa3on  in  2020  will  be  contribu3ng  to  the  delivery  of  some  or  all  of  society’s  macro  goals  –  either  directly  or  by  ensuring  that  resources  are  allocated  to  where  they  can  make  the  most  difference.    

Feedback  and  Discussion  Over  the  past  few  weeks  we  have  been  asking  for  feedback  from    

around  the  world  on  which  of  these  shi@s  will  have  greatest  impact,  which  will  happen  first  and  what  is  missing  from  this  view  

Characteris7cs  of  Socially  Valued  

Know  Their  Purpose  Organisa3ons  clearly  understand  why  they  exist,  what  they  do    beyond  the  pure  financial  and  appreciate  their  wider  role  and    

purpose  in  society.  It  guides  all  that  they  do.  

Enlightened  Leaders  Organisa3ons  have  leaders  who  recognise  the  impact  of  their    decisions  and  behaviours  on  the  future  success  of  the  socie3es    

in  which  they  are  a  part  of  and  that  they  serve.  

Consistent  Integrity  Organisa3ons  behave  consistently,  with  integrity  and  with  honesty  in  all  that  they  do  –  with  clear  alignment  between  their  strategic  objec3ves,  

behaviours  and  their  culture  AND  their  systems  and  incen3ves.  

Bridging  the  Gap  Organisa3ons  recognise  that  they  have  a  responsibility  to  fill    the  gaps  le@  by  government  as  the  lines  of  accountability  blur    

between  commercial  ac3vity,  civil  society  and  the  state.  

Aligned  Ini7a7ves  Organisa3ons  align  their  plans  with  collec3ve  world  /  regional  ini3a3ves.  

They  contribute  to  macro  goals  either  directly  or  by  ensuring  that  resources  are  allocated  to  where  they  can  make  the  most  difference.    

Shared  Value  Organisa3ons  create  shared  value  for  society  by  addressing  its  needs  and  challenges  without  ac3vely  disadvantaging  anyone.  They  aim  for  shared,  growth  –  the  re-­‐distribu3on  of  capital  for  the  benefit  of  society  at  large.    

Closing  the  Wealth  Gap  Organisa3ons  seek  to  close  the  wealth  gap,  aiming  for  equality  of  

opportunity,  fostering  entrepreneurial  characteris3cs  and  re-­‐imagining  the  public/private  partnership  so  that  growth  that  benefits  everyone.    

Consistent  Decision  Making  Organisa3ons  adopt  balanced  decision-­‐making  processes  that  drive  consistent  behaviours  –  using  an  appropriate  set  of  measurement  

criteria,  metrics  and  long  term  horizons.  

Viable  Business  Models    Organisa3ons  move  beyond  philanthropy  or  CSR  ini3a3ves  to  operate  viable,  long-­‐term  business  models  that  solve  or  address  social  problems  

whilst  also  achieving  their  own  financial  and  other  objec3ves.  

Partners  and  Partnering  Organisa3ons  know  when  to  lead,  when  to  collaborate  and  when  to  

support:  They  can  perform  each  role  successfully  so  as  to  help  society  to  progress  and  recognise  growing  importance  of  this  competency.      

Connected  Success  Organisa3ons    connect  their  own  success  with  social  progress.  They  only  perform  ac3vi3es  that  are  consistent  with  delivering  societal  success.  

They  redeploy  and  /  or  reconfigure  their  assets  to  be  valuable  to  society.  

Reciprocity    Organisa3ons  demonstrate  new  forms  of  reciprocity  sugges3ng    ways  of  bypassing  or  improving  upon  the  dominant  consumer  

model  that  means  more  than  shareholder  value.  

Global  Local    Organisa3ons  have  ac3vi3es  at  a  super-­‐local  level,  recognising  the  

mutual  dependency  of  company  compe33veness  and  the  health  of  the  communi3es.  They  build  relevant  capacity  through  local  control.    

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Future  Focused  Organisa3ons  reflect  a  desire  to  care  for  the  next  genera3on,  ac3vely  

ques3oning  the  value  of  capital,  implying  a  return  to  no3ons  of    tradi3on,  of  passing  on,  of  a  legacy  that’s  about  more  than  money.  

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Networked  Trust  Organisa3ons  become  increasingly  non-­‐hierarchical  and  non-­‐bureaucra3c,  embracing  the  wider  trust  across  a  network  and    the  ability  to  place  the  individual  at  the  core  of  a  community.  

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Individual  Impact  Organisa3ons  help  to  increase  the  capacity  of  society  to  harness  and  cul3vate  the  power  and  influence  of  the  individual,  encouraging  an  

equality  of  opportunity  for  all  but  promo3ng  personal  impact.  

Legacy  of  Helping  Organisa3ons  are  no  longer  selected  for  contracts  based  solely  on  

financial  and  capability  criteria:  Clear  long-­‐term  partnerships  and  a  track  record  of  providing  tangible  societal  benefit  are  given  equal  importance.  

Stakeholder-­‐driven  Iden7ty  Stakeholder  perspec3ves  increasingly  define  the  brand  iden3ty  and    the  iden3ty  of  an  organisa3on  is,  in  turn,  reflected  in  individual    

customer  and  employee  views  of  how  society  sees  the  organisa3on  

Having  a  Point  of  View  Organisa3ons  increasingly  take  a  public  stance  on  maaers  that    

impact  the  public  good.  They  are  bold  and  consistent  in  what  they    think  and  say  and  are  open  and  proud  to  share  their  perspec3ve.  

Authen7c  Organisa7ons    Companies  are  open  on  their  beliefs  and  perspec3ves  and  transparent  

on  the  financial  and  wider  impact  of  their  ac3vi3es.  As  society    appreciates  true  transparency,  it  sees  organisa3ons  as  being  authen3c.  

Relentless  Focus  Leading  organisa3ons  choose  a  single  area  of  long  term  focus  for  

ac3vi3es  that  enhance  society  and  s3ck  to  this  to  achieve    significantly  greater  social  and  business  value  from  their  investments.  

Driving  Systemic  Change  In  order  to  shi@  the  status  quo,  organisa3ons  increasingly  refrain  from  token  individual  ac3ons  and  seek  to  enable  bolder,  bigger,  collabora3ve  

ac3ons  that  can  drive  change  across  a  whole  sector  or  system.  

Delivering  on  Dreams  Organisa3ons  focus  more  on  helping  individuals  and  communi3es  

achieve  their  aspira3ons  by  employing  more  flexible  business  models  that  allow  local  adapta3on  of  principles  to  suit  the  ambi3on.  

Ecosystem  Enhancement  Organisa3ons  take  a  broader  view  of  their  impact  and  responsibility    

and  take  conscious,  consistent,  smart  decisions  that  enhance    quality  of  life  and  help  to  provide  a  cleaner,  healthier  environment.  

Total  Transparency  The  winning  organisa3ons  of  2020  embrace  an  approach  of  complete  transparency.  As  data  is  made  open  and  shared  via  mul3ple  social  plaborms,  the  best  companies  are  those  that  are  ultra-­‐transparent.  

Deep  Moral  Reach  Socially  valued  organisa3ons  u3lise  their  authority  to  help    

stakeholders  to  do  the  right  thing  and  recognise  the  need  and    obliga3on  to  show  them  how  others  are  beaer  off  by  doing  so  

Embracing  Diversity  Organisa3ons  exhibit  more  visible  understanding  that  being    open  and  welcoming  to  a  breadth  of  thought,  perspec3ve  and    behaviour  can  enable  more  progress  to  be  made  more  quickly  

Demonstrate  Humanity  Origina3ons  live  by  desired  human  traits  and  treat  others  as  they  wish    to  be  treated  themselves,  provide  3me  and  space  to  pursue  innova3on,  

display  a  visible  conscience  and  apologise  when  things  go  wrong  

Scale  for  Good  Large  organisa3ons  increasingly  use  their  scale  to  pursue  posi3ve  social  and  environmental  good.  They  influence  wider  business  prac3ces,  shi@  

systemic  behaviours  and  seek  to  change  long  standing  paradigms    

Mul7ple  Capitals  Organis3ons  recognise  that  they  create  more  than  just  economic  value.  They  increasingly  measure  and  openly  report  on  their  ac3vi3es  and  associated  impacts  using  an  accepted  mul3ple  capitals  approach  

Realising  Poten7al  Valued  companies  and  ins3tu3ons  go  out  of  their  way  to  ensure,  equip    and  enable  individuals  and  communi3es,  both  within  and  outside  the  

organisa3on,  to  thrive  and  so  fulfill  their  dreams  and  aspira3ons  

Future  Implica7ons  

The  2020  View  Once  we  have  gained  more  feedback  on  the  future  of  socially  valued  

organisa3ons  via  workshops  and  other  dialogue  from  around  the  world  ,  we  will  share  another  updated  version  of  this  document  for  all  to  use.    

Future Agenda 84 Brook Street London W1K 5EH +44 203 0088 141 futureagenda.org tim.jones@futureagenda.org

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