It began as a search for simplicity. A group of people from various parts of the “business as a force for good” movement convened to see if they could find a framework for what would need to happen to correct for the negative externalities business has created in the world. Some were motivated by a need to defend capitalism, others by a commitment to social and environmental sustainability.
With great respect for the Sustainable Development Goals, the group sought something that was more implementable for business. Scorecard approaches like the B-Corp Assessment, and Just Capital were insufficient to capture the true power of business to solve problems. The tenets of Conscious Capitalism and Shared Value did not articulate the harms the business must rectify. And corporate philanthropy and volunteering showed little promise to address systemic issues. So the debate began as the group tried to find an articulation that would honor all of these approaches, but transcend them too.
The initial group surprised itself by finding an articulation that satisfied its initial members. The group then asked a much larger body of stakeholders to help refine the framework. For several years, more voices were added until the framework became known as The Stakeholder Score.
Nathan Havey and Dr. Rhoda Deon have since tested the framework internationally as they distributed the film Beyond Zero around the world, incorporating feedback, tweaking language, and adding resources to help operationalize the five opportunities. The articulation that exists for Beyond Zero Educators has been modified to suit this effort, and we expect to continue to test and adapt the framework as members find still-better ways to frame and teach these issues.
The Five Harms / Opportunities
The fact is that all companies have grown and prospered inside of systems that have created phenomenal progress and prosperity as well as profound harms that have manifested in the major challenges we face.
From that realization – from really owning the truth of our own complicity in the situation, we open up different opportunities for leadership and for business.
There are five major harms that can be transformed into major advantages that have the potential to make a real and dramatically positive impact on the world, and each of them has a commensurate opportunity to make a real and dramatically positive impact on company performance. Correcting the harms and realizing these advantages will not be quick, and it will not be easy. However, if we fail to seize them, the time is fast approaching in which forces far greater than capitalism will threaten the survival of companies everywhere.
The future depends on the behavior of businesses and business leaders. That behavior is largely determined by what they learn from their business teachers. We must teach them the future of business, not the past.
Opportunity 1: Get in alignment with nature
Environmental sustainability is generally seen as a major center for risk in a business, and it seems costly to do anything about it. But here, you’ll learn an approach that turns these perceptions on their head and opens up lucrative new possibilities to make sustainability a profit-growing driver for innovation.
Opportunity 2: Help your people grow
It is rare indeed to find a business that does not at least pay lip-service to the notion that “our people are our most important asset”, but in practice most businesses struggle to balance investing in people and keeping down costs. Here, you’ll learn a people strategy that will unlock the true potential of your students.
Opportunity 3: Help (all) of your people prosper
The flat Earth was once the center of the universe, and minimizing costs was once one of the most important things in business. But the round Earth is not the center of anything and making sure everyone who creates value gets a fair share of the value they create is now one of the most important things in business.
Opportunity 4: Dismantle systems of discrimination
Companies spend huge sums sorting through candidates to find the best people. But the processes they set up to do this unknowingly weed out some of the best talent out there. Fix this, and you’ll find better talent than you thought was possible.
Opportunity 5: Relationships, not transactions
As company lawyers work to ensure that they are fully protected in case a transaction goes badly, they unwittingly ski straight for that tree. Companies can save vast sums by strengthening relationships instead of contracts. Students must learn the critical skill of making deals that help people to meet their needs.