One of humanity’s greatest gifts is that in times of profound shock and disruption, new perspectives are forged. Such moments tend to be historical ones – moments when new possibilities for humanity can be established and new eras born. Could it be that we are standing at the threshold of the next episode in business history?
The quest in this book is ultimately to explore the profound new enterprise logic propelling the “Business of Building a Better World” – ways that the field of business is increasingly becoming an agent of change and a partnership power for building a better world – together with all of this serving as a catalyst for the “betterment of your business.”
The relationship between business and society – and the unprecedented search for mutual advances between industry and the world’s profound upheavals – has become one of the decisive quests of the twenty-first century. As we stand now in what scientists are calling the “decade of determination”, the stakes could not be higher for humanity and planet Earth.
-David Cooperrider and Audrey Selian, Introduction
We want to celebrate the “better business and better world” vision of Harry Halloran and the catalytic gift of Halloran Philanthropies for this book. Harry was a courageous and values-led leader in the business for good movement. Few have “walked the talk” the way Harry Halloran has through his lifetime of building and investing in businesses that serve communities. His deep commitment to positive values in business through practice and altruism has inspired so many. Harry’s belief in the dignity of work, in human community and solidarity, in moral and stakeholder capitalism, and in the positive goodness that can be propelled through purpose-driven innovation and entrepreneurship constitutes the cornerstone callings that fuel the research questions, inspiration, and values of this book.
Audrey Selian
Director of Artha Impact
Audrey Selian (Co-Editor), PhD., serves as Director of Artha Impact (Rianta Capital Zurich), an impact investment initiative under the auspices of a dedicated advisory to the Singh Family Trust and has been an advisor and friend of Halloran Philanthropies for many years.
Audrey contributed to “The Pursuit of Human Wellbeing: The Untold Global History” (Springer) in 2017 and published various reports and white papers on systems change and impact platforms. She holds degrees from the Fletcher School at Tufts University (PhD, MALD), The London School of Economics (MSc) and Wellesley College (BA).
David Cooperrider
Founder and Faculty Chair, Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit
David L. Cooperrider (Co-Editor), Ph.D., is a Distinguished University Professor at Case Western Reserve University and holds the David L. Cooperrider Professorship in Appreciative Inquiry and is the Faculty Director of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at the Weatherhead School of Management.
David is also the honorary Chairman of Champlain College's David L. Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry. David has authored 25 books and over 100 articles and book chapters. He serves an advisor to many companies and to organizations such as Apple, the US Navy, and the UN Global Compact with its 12,000 companies.
What's inside?
"What we are witnessing is a shift that is all-embracing, rapid, irreversible, extending to the far corners of the planet and involving practically every aspect of business life. What we are witnessing is a world increasingly divided by companies that are known as part of the problem and those that are leading the solution revolution in this, the era of massive mobilization. What we are witnessing is the birth of a comprehensive new enterprise logic, one that can not only create better value and truer wealth but can also be a platform for building the 21st century company, the kind of enterprise will be loved by its customers and stakeholder communities, emulated by its peers, and prized by all those who care about the next decisive decades of our planet."
- Paul Polman
Accountability for All
"Laws and regulations must be changed to require businesses and financial institutions to look beyond their own financial returns and take responsibility for the impact they have on the social and ecological systems on which a more just, equitable, and prosperous economic system depends."
- Bart Houlahan and Andrew Kassoy, Chapter 9
Innovating to Flourish
"When leaders and organizations are socially and ecologically embedded, and take a long-term view of their business, it inspires innovations that prioritize and support mutual benefit to the business and society."
- Ron Fry and Udayan Dhar, Chapter 16
Transforming Business, Transforming Value
"Creating a sustainable, regenerative world as embodied in that vision requires reimagining the dream by taking a critical and inclusive posture to both our current assessment of the world and shaping of possible futures."
- Gillian M. Marcelle and Jed Emerson, Chapter 11
.png)
The Forward
Jesper Brodin and Halla Tómasdóttir
CEO of IKEA and CEO of the B Team
"Thankfully we are not short on guides to light our path. In this volume, The Business of Building a Better World: The Leadership Revolution That is Changing Everything, David Cooperrider and Audrey Selian bring together a treasure trove of thought leaders and some of the most path-breaking CEOs of our time. The book is imaginative, empirically researched and actionable. What is more, this book is not just about the future. In prompting leaders to aspire to something greater, it can help shape the future."
Jesper Brodin and Halla Tómasdóttir
.png)
Quote From The Book
Michele Hunt
Transformation Catalyst
“A vision of love may be our only hope to heal and discover the path to a flourishing future."
Michele Hunt
Quote From The Book
Raj Sisodia
Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Conscious Capitalism Inc.
"Yet, this future is far from inevitable. We have agency. We can influence and alter the trajectory of life on our planet. The levers are in our hands. If we exercise them with care and consciousness, we can set human society and the planet back on a life-sustaining path. It starts with a fresh approach to business"
Raj Sisodia
Quote From The Book
Nadya Zhexembayeva
Reinvention Guru
"Companies are expected to reinvent themselves and their products faster than ever before. However, to do so, we first must flip the fundamental beliefs that drive our management systems. The first flip we need to make is to stop treating change as an exception to a rule and to start seeing it as a normal part of our daily life."
Nadya Zhexembayeva
Quote From The Book
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Director and Chair of the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative
"To be an agent of world benefit, companies must move from having reduced their negative externalities, such as air pollution, to positive actions that solve a problem, such as slowing global warming. That is a higher standard than simply 'do no harm.'"
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Quote From The Book
Paul Polman
Former CEO, Unilever
"The core question is whether the world is better off because your business is in it."
Paul Polman
Quote From The Book
Roger L. Martin
Former Dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto
"If you are a participant in a business model, does the model feel sufficiently human overall for you to participate in it enthusiastically? If it does, then dive in. If it doesn’t, it is your job to work to make it human enough to warrant your and others’ participation."
Roger L. Martin
Quote From The Book
Marga Hoek
Global Speaker and Author
"It has become abundantly clear: investment for good is a good investment, as sustainable investments have proven to be more resilient."
Marga Hoek
Quote From The Book
Naveen Jain
Business Executive and Entrepreneur
"We must create the future from the future, not the past…It all begins with an individual believing in the possibilities and creating a movement that ultimately changes the mind of society."
Naveen Jain
Let's Build a Better World.
Building a better world is the most potent force on the planet—for generating on the inside of the firm, the most engaged, empowered, and innovation-inspired enterprise every leader wants.
Buy on AmazonSign up to stay informed.
Building a Better World | Copyright 2022
Harry Halloran
We want to celebrate the “better business and better world” vision of Harry Halloran and the catalytic gift of Halloran Philanthropies for this book. Harry was a courageous and values-led leader in the business for good movement. Few have “walked the talk” the way Harry Halloran has through his lifetime of building and investing in businesses that serve communities. His deep commitment to positive values in business through practice and altruism has inspired so many. Harry’s belief in the dignity of work, in human community and solidarity, in moral and stakeholder capitalism, and in the positive goodness that can be propelled through purpose-driven innovation and entrepreneurship constitutes the cornerstone callings that fuel the research questions, inspiration, and values of this book.
