HOW BUSINESS CAN HELP PEOPLE CREATE CHANGE

WOLFF OLINS x CITIZENME

 RADICAL EVERYONE RESEARCH / RETHINK / REMAKE

In a time of global pessimism, how can

business reignite hope and stimulate
growth? Our RESEARCH, in partnership
with CitizenMe, told us: it should help
everyone create radical change. Inside
companies, this demands a RETHINK of
fundamental concepts. Our contributors
start this conversation in the second
part of this report. And how should
leaders REACT? Robert Jones, our Head
of New Thinking, lays out three steps.

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If we take stock of the long-term changes

society has seen, things don’t seem that bad.
We’re likely to live longer, without extreme
poverty or malnourishment, and we’re less
likely to die violently. In statistical terms,
society is becoming more equal for all races,
genders, religions, and sexual orientations.
We have greater access to information and
global literacy rates continue to rise. Even
though there’s a long way to go, in many ways
things have never been better.

But this picture belies the current feeling

around the world. When there are problems
on our door-steps, far-reaching comparisons
rarely provide consolation.

Our research, based on 4000 responses across

the UK, US, Germany, and Brazil, reveals that
only 34% have a positive outlook on the world.
What’s more, we’re pessimistic about the
chances of things changing in the near future,
with 50% feeling things will only get worse.
Only 35% feel they’ll improve in the near term.

CURRENT OUTLOOK

Things will get worse 50%

Things will get better 35%

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Negative headlines dominate the media and

this is having a clear impact. When asked what
issues mattered most to them, there was no
consensus around a particular topic. Areas of
concern were wide-ranging. However, more
local challenges were considered to be the
most pressing. Health, Security & terrorism,
Education, and Employment were four of the
top five concerns globally.

WHAT MATTERS MOST?

Security, terrorism 39%

Health 39%

Education 37%

Planet, climate 35%

Employment 33%

Fairness, equality, democracy 29%

Corruption 27%

War zones & refugees 24%

Public services 19%

The impact of technology 17%

Immigration 16%

The elderly 14%

Other 3%

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There’s often a false perception that

pessimism is inherently linked to nostalgia,
but it can be a catalyst for progressive
thinking and positive change. Our research
reflects this. Rather than looking to the past
for answers, there’s an appetite for opposition,
for fresh energy, and for different rules of play.

Right now, over half of the people surveyed

think we should be creating radically new
systems, compared to just 14% who believe
we should be reverting to things past.
This belief isn’t the preserve of the young.
It spans age groups, genders and countries.
Even amongst over 55s, where pessimism is
most rife - 50% of over 55s have a negative
outlook compared to 33% of 18-24s - the
desire for radical change is clear.

Though the pace of change in the world is

unsettling, we don’t want to go backwards.
We’re shaped by history, but we have little
appetite to be bound by it. Big ideas that
challenge society’s status quo are likely
to gain support in future.

HOW SHOULD WE MAKE THE WORLD BETTER?

Fundamental changes to how things are 51%

Small improvements to how things are 31%

Return to when things were better 14%

Continue with how things are 5%

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In recent years, people have become

disillusioned with the efforts of organisations
and establishments - governments,
businesses, international bodies - in bringing
about positive change in the world. Instead,
people credit individuals and groups of
ordinary people working together.

When asked who ought to be driving change,

groups and individuals remain in the frame
(29% and 36% respectively). On top of
this, 41% on average believe the business
community has great potential. Respondents
ranked business ahead of existing national
governments, international bodies, activists
& campaigners.

WHO OUGHT TO BRING ABOUT POSITIVE CHANGE?

All businesses, including large internationals 41%

Individuals doing good 36%

Local governments 32%

Existing national government 31%

Groups of people working together 29%

International bodies 24%

A different national goverment 23%

Social enterprises & charities 16%

Activists & campaigners 12%

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WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO BRING POSITIVE CHANGE? There’s a large gap between expectation and
recent performance. Only 13% feel businesses
have been the primary driver of positive
Groups of people working together 37% change in the past decade and when asked
about the reasons for this, 42% suggested
Individuals doing good 36%
that focus on profit was a barrier.
All businesses, including large internationals 31%
People want business to take an active role
Local governments 21% and aren’t looking for delegation or distance.
When asked how businesses should be
International bodies 21%
creating positive change in the world, focusing
Social enterprises & charities 21% on sustainability (1st), doing good in the local
community (2nd), and fostering innovation &
Activists & campaigners 20% research to tackle problems (3rd) were the
most popular suggestions.
A different national goverment 20%

Existing national government 15% What next?

The takeout from this research is unequivocal.
Businesses must help people create the
radical change they want to see in the world.
We need to RETHINK fundamental concepts,
and our contributors start that conversation in
the next section. For leaders, now’s the time to
WHO HAS BROUGHT MOST POSITIVE CHANGE? REACT, and in the final section, Robert Jones
explains how.
Groups of people working together doing good 22%

Individuals doing good 20% Analysis by Josh-Hedley Dent,

Lead Consultant at CitizenMe
All businesses, including large internationals 13%

Social enterprises & charities 13%

CitizenMe is a data platform that
Activists & campaigners 11% empowers people with their personal
data, and redefines consumer insights
International bodies 8%
by giving businesses access to
Existing national government 7% integrated digital and survey data
in minutes.
Local governments 7%

A different national goverment 0%

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01

MOHSIN HAMID

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We talked to Mohsin Hamid, Man Booker However, the truth is that on planet earth are many enterprises today that try to conduct I would like those producers to be
nominated novelist and Chief Storytelling today, people live longer, are less likely to die themselves in a way that they think to be compensated – to capture some share of the
Officer, about the themes from our research. violently, and the gap between the education morally sensible. For real impact, there are value in the economic system in which they’re
He had big ideas about how business can help that women and men receive is diminishing. huge implications on the way they approach participating. If this is to happen, there are
people create positive change in the world, The poorest people are consuming many more regulators, partners, products, and customers. lots of questions to answer.
starting with the way they serve the consumer. calories than they were centuries ago, and
the number of children that die from vaccine “For example, businesses Overall, though our pessimism is at least
How do you feel about today’s world? preventable illnesses is dropping dramatically. statistically unwarranted, we need change.
could promote a shift from
We are living in a moment where there is a It’s a better planet overall. To start that process, we must talk about
rampant sense of anxiety and pessimism. an obsession around the visions of the future that are radical,
I think there’s a feeling of crisis - not that human being as consumer to forward-looking and - above all - genuinely
If you asked somebody in the US in the 1960’s, there are more crises or fewer solutions a focus on the human being and inclusively attractive. Focusing simply
‘what will be happening 50 years hence?’ than before. on monetising the consumer strikes me
as producer.”
people would have probably told you, ‘we’ll be as an increasingly untenable long-term
in outer space. We’ll have flying cars. There’ll In this climate of unwarranted pessimism, proposition, and re-orienting away from
be robots. It’ll be a time of plenty, an amazing what kind of change do we need to see? For much of the last half century, the idea this is very important.
new world.’ If you asked somebody today, The changes we need to make are of consumers has become dominant in
you’d probably get visions of food shortages fundamental. Nostalgic visions of the future business and political discourse. Everything
and environmental catastrophes. are deeply flawed, and to address our gets cheaper, or free, which is good for the
pessimism, we need to begin to articulate consumer. But consumers can only consume
Why? There are multiple reasons, but one is visions for a future we actually desire. thanks to borrowing or producing. Borrowing
the pace of change. It’s accelerating and we’re is unsustainable, and producing gives a sense
bombarded with information. This information For example in 1960’s America, we recognised of dignity and self-worth. If you consume
is very often negative. Nobody reports that in that we wanted a future where black children thanks to borrowing, but don’t see yourself
Pakistan today, 200 million people didn’t kill and white children are treated the same. as a productive member of society with a
each other. They report that last week, one That’s a simple proposition that enabled a skill that’s valued and nurtured, you become
person blew up eight others. We’re biased direction, and many changes for the better did disenfranchised. Universal basic income
towards negative information because come. Political change should be grounded in won’t solve this.
dangerous news is useful to us. An orange enhanced equality. It might mean dismantling
flash behind the trees could be a tiger. national borders, maybe having democracy From a business standpoint, the productive
function at a planetary level. Could the world capacity of the end user should be the test.
As people compete for attention in all forms of vote on certain issues together, instead of Businesses should ask themselves how
media, they default to this kind of information. being bound by the power of nation states? they add value both to the people working in
We find it on our phones and televisions and This isn’t necessarily the right answer, but we the company and to the people they sell to.
screens every few minutes, so we think we’re need more of this kind of discussion. Advertisers pay for consumers’ attention, but
on the verge of disaster. Added to this is the I would apply similar standards to people’s
fact that in many places, we are living in a Can business help further this discussion? time as producers. What value, economic
time of rampant inequality. Awareness of The business community is vital to this or otherwise, can these people create from
inequality is growing rapidly, as people conversation. Businesses are stakeholders productive activity? How can business be built
see how others live, through Facebook and in larger society and should shape it for the on mutual benefit? For example, say writing
television and the like. better, always thinking about the societal Facebook posts is a productive activity,
consequences of business practices. There

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02

PADDY LOUGHMAN

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What a time to lead. role in the development of computing, women What if we reframed creativity, so that it
struggle to be accepted in Silicon Valley. doesn’t seek to create change, but anticipates
The scale and complexity of change in the and helps us find solutions for the problems
world is unprecedented, and our research Biases are hard to overcome. They’re change creates? The leaders we spoke to
shows this is taking its toll on our general entrenched, institutionalized and sometimes agreed that creativity, by this definition,
outlook. Data is enormous, some problems are undetectable. To tackle them, modern leaders is crucial.
too complex to understand, corporate power must recognise the value of Emotional
is shifting, and technology may be escaping Intelligence. EI competencies aren’t ‘soft This means being willing to connect, to be
our control as post-human futures crest the skills’ that are weak or pliable, but essentials open-minded and curious, to learn and play.
horizon. In this landscape, how can a leader that may offer leaders an advantage over the Perhaps most importantly, it means being
be effective? What style of leadership AIs they’ll soon compete with. willing to encourage creativity in those around
can tackle the ambiguous, inter-systemic them by making room for experimentation.
challenges we face to steer us towards a “Truly engaging with EI
radically better future? Reaching beyond the now
means significant shifts
Pressures to focus on the short-term
We’ll pose thoughts developed through in leadership craft.” are manifold. From the profit motive and
conversations with Sarah Drinkwater, Head short election cycles, to our preoccupation
of Campus London at Google and Chair of Leaders need to understand their emotional with mindfulness, nostalgia and instant-
Google Women UK, our CEO Sairah Ashman, limits, seek to extend them, and embrace gratification, we’re constantly shortening
and others who help shape our thinking daily. those of others. They must recognize the horizons. Because we can so easily quantify, Ultimately, integrity means that social goals
We’ll talk about how modern leaders must differences and accept that they don’t have track and celebrate short-term results, align with business goals, rather than taking
bring fresh energy to perennial concerns, and all the answers. Having ‘the ability to fire they’re seductive. second place. This cannot be value signaling.
consider entirely new ones. themselves’, as Sarah from Campus London Positive change isn’t delivered by a tagline.
describes it, is crucial. Leaders need to help us look further ahead, Leaders must recognise customers and
Beyond the bubble, via EI beyond immediate reward and recognition. competitors as people and partners, rather
Diversity and inclusivity aren’t just good Disrupting disruption Long-term challenges require effort that than numbers and threats. They must push VC
for business; they can be a competitive Experiments show that by ‘violating your may go unrecognised for decades. We are, as return cycles to raise capital to support long-
advantage. Diverse teams are smarter schema’ you can ‘switch on’ your creativity. counterculture activist Angela Davis puts it, term goals, that build a future we may never
because they understand diverse problems, This suggests that creativity a) resides in all of the ‘living imaginaries of past generations’. actually get to appreciate.
and without them business can suffer. us, and b) is a mechanism we have evolved to We realize their visions, as future generations
respond to and survive change. As Sarah sees will realize ours. What’s clear is that in such uncertain times,
In broader culture, expectations have shifted. it, people often think creativity is ‘producing leadership is vital. We need diverse leaders
7 year olds give TED talks, people of colour things’, when really, it’s ‘problem solving’. For this kind of long-term thinking, leaders building inclusive environments. We need
take the highest accolades in fashion, film, need integrity and accountability. Rather them to nurture creativity to solve existing
and theatre, and feminist narratives thrive. In business today, to be ‘creative’ is often than enter the stalemate between stubborn problems rather than create new ones. And
There’s an appetite for better representation, to disrupt. But disruption theory has been nostalgia and indefinite optimism on one we need our figureheads to have integrity,
but it’s not reflected in leadership. Private criticised for being blind to continuity, and side, and the sclerotic lack of alternatives on to pursue visions that have incredibly far-
education – which caters to just 7% of the ‘disruptive’ thought leadership is devolving the other, leaders should seek coalitions and reaching consequences.
population – is still the passport to power. into cynical billionaire-class propaganda at partnerships. To make them work they’ll
Women are absurdly under-represented. There the expense of public intellectual analysis. need a degree of neutrality and, as Sairah
are only 15 female heads of state out of 146, We need new ideas, but we also need careful Ashman put it, ‘a determined agenda but a
more FTSE 100 CEOs called Dave than female maintenance and systems-thinking to ensure very low ego’.
CEOs, and despite playing a central our ideas have broad, long-term impact.

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03

AMY LEE

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As a film fan, I tend to see the world through celebrities, politicians, business leaders Silence is jeopardy long-term alliances, leadership choices or
that lens. So it was when I considered the — more like us (aka more funny, boring, Another reason for this shift in perception the right of public companies to pursue social
results of our research: 41% of people believe spontaneous, flawed). may be simply that businesses are doing agendas. Howard Schultz, former Starbucks
that companies everywhere, both large and better at doing good. High profile scandals like CEO, experienced a #boycottStarbucks
small, should be ‘creating positive change’ “So the digital tools that the Volkswagen emissions cover-up in 2015 backlash and was accused by certain pundits
in the world. This is a challenge to CEOs may finally have put the nail in the coffin of of putting ‘personal political views before
give us the power to turn
but also a surprising vote of confidence for Corporate Social Responsibility as an effective shareholders’ when he pledged to hire 10,000
the potential of business to do good, in a businesses inside out may vehicle for impact and consumer influence. In refugees over the next 5 years. Clearly,
world where pop culture repeatedly paints in turn have humanized the its place has grown a new breed of digitally- ‘positive impact’ is a matter of opinion not
corporations as greedy Gordon Gekkos, very companies we prefer native businesses that put their social mission simply a moral imperative, particularly for
impervious to the needs of regular Joe. at the heart of their brand and their business public entities with shareholders to answer to.
to distrust.”
model. Warby Parker and Everlane are riding
Citizen Kane, often cited as ‘the best movie the wave of conscious consumerism by giving Uncle Ben once said to Spiderman: ‘with great
ever made’, serves as a lightning rod for the One video of Travis Kalanick turning on a driver us all the chance to do good as we do things power comes great responsibility’. Common
dominant narrative on corporate life in the became the viral personification of Uber on its that feel good. sense and our research says this is as true
late Twentieth Century and early Millennium. worst day. Elon Musk is a billionaire future- of board execs as it is masked crusaders.
Business, the film seems to say, is the builder you can tweet right now and who might We have to acknowledge, however, that this Wherever you are in the world, businesses
cynical pursuit of profit, in direct opposition respond in seconds. Unlike Steve Jobs and new breed is typically privately-owned and have huge influence over people and the
to the human impulse to do good by your other iconic business enigmas of the past, therefore free to pursue personally motivated planet. As digital tools have broken down
fellow (wo)man. How could such commercial leaders and their staff are there to interact social agendas. Just as Hollywood is willing to barriers between brands and individuals —
organizations — particularly those publicly with us at any moment, creating the illusion romanticize start-ups selling niche artisanal enabling both parties to be more open, more
listed, serving the quarterly demands of the that they are more current, more accessible products and demonize big corporates, surely honest, more available to each other — so our
stock market first and foremost — drive and perhaps more open to act in our interests it’s not so easy for public companies with expectations have grown that companies will
anything but more wealth for the 1%? than ever before. mainstream audiences to take a stand? use their power to make our world a better
place to be.
Yet our research shows that people do believe New forms of media are also central to Harvard Business School historian Nancy
that profit-seekers can and should be agents undermining our confidence in public Koehn said, ‘The C.E.O.s of big public
for positive impact. So, what’s changed? Are institutions. Coming of age at the end of last companies don’t walk out onto the plank of
we now more willing to have faith in business? Century, the zeitgeist was defined by stories social and political leadership by default.
investigating the morality of stiffs in suits But today, to keep silent is to jeopardize
Business inside out (Pretty Woman, 1990, American Psycho, the reputation of the company.’ Certainly, in
Since Orson Welles’s depiction of newspaper published 1991). Today, we interrogate power the wake of the US presidential election in
mogul Charles Foster Kane, the media in new ways. Weibo enabled a Chinese 2016, we have seen an increase in so-called
landscape has radically changed. The online blogger to reveal a state official’s corrupt corporate activism on hot button social
revolution of the last decade has transformed accumulation of wealth; Wikileaks is regularly issues by some of the world’s biggest brands.
how we tell, consume and monetize stories, used to reveal alleged abuses of position; 80 companies, including Apple, Pfizer and
and has played an instrumental role in modern movie-makers force us to examine Deutsche Bank, took a stand on LGBTQ rights
blurring the lines between people and official versions of events (Michael Moore, by lobbying North Carolina’s governor to repeal
business. Social media, in particular, gives Kathryn Bigelow). Perhaps this increased the state’s laws on washroom usage.
everyone with internet access the ability to lack of trust for the establishment has shed a
publish their ideas to millions in the blink of relatively optimistic light on the potential for But, if the recent political turmoil on both
an eye: propelling the unknown to influential, business to make positive impact. sides of the Atlantic has taught us anything
and making the previously unknowable — it’s that the masses are not aligned. Not on

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04

CHRIS MOODY

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‘The world is changing’… and behave. This can only ever be a good thing. something truly special, we need to embrace
But what does it mean for the role of the these things rather than submit to rigour,
If I had a pound for every time I read this design professional? Do those 10,000 hours logic and algorithmic predictability.
statement I’d be riding round on a gold Segway you spent on the foundation course at art
with a silver cape. But, much as we’re in a school or in that unpaid internship matter now Wearing augmented eyewear is innately
‘post’ era – post truth, post expert, post anyone can access the same tools as you? On weird. Google Glass tried to normalize it,
Brexit, post leader of the free world – ‘the top of that, if Travis and Jeff make their own whereas Snapchat embraced the oddness,
world is changing’ is a truism for a reason. logos, why do we need you? and that’s why Spectacles were infinitely
The world has changed, and our research more interesting. They made people smile.
shows we’re keen for more. Over half of the In pursuit of difference
people we talked want radically new systems, The creative industry needs to respond to Great things can come from being unlike
compared to just 14% who believe we should this shift. Rather than pushing to be ‘better’ everyone else. Michael Johnson, Michael
be reverting to things past. We’re looking for (which has to be a given), it should push to Phelps, Usain Bolt and the amazing Caster
newer, bolder, better ideas. be ‘different’. Semanya are peerless and extraordinary.
Good brands will always ‘work’, will be lean,
Now, it’s easier than ever to get a voice or What colour is your car? When was the last nimble and agile but great brands are mind
a thought out in the world. Where once the time you saw an orange one? In many areas bogglingly different, greedy and freakish.
creative industry had control, this is no of design and culture, standing out is dying They have form, function and attitude. Heart
longer the case, and creative professionals out. As everyone’s emboldened by the same stopping beauty, aesthetic tension, clashing
are rethinking traditional practices. The technology and opportunities, it’s a great time colours and typefaces make the world a more
type of jobs we do today at Wolff Olins are to make things but these things are often the interesting place.
radically different from the ones we did even same. Uniformity is the price.
five years ago. We’re branding and realizing The world wants radical change for the
experiences, sentiments and philosophies, as “So in our era, it’s the better and we won’t get that by holding up a
much as we’re giving a presence to tangible mirror. We’ll shift it on its axis by interacting
role of the creative to
organizations. with it, surprising it, and then forging new
be deliberately weird.” rules. Designers have a duty to do more
Playing to the crowd than assemble logical user journeys for the
From Johnson Banks’ experiment with group Wikipedia and Facebook are among businesses that commission them. They
think on Mozilla, to straight-to-Snapchat the greatest, most collaborative, most should be placing obstacles in the way that
publications, through to genuine omnichannel revolutionary tools of our time but they have make people stop, take notice, and change
behavior, design is finding ways to adapt to little presence. They’re simply vessels. Their course.
this new normal. Brands are learning to gather functionality is obviously important, but why
great content from the crowd, to listen to the shouldn’t things that work well look great too?
audience and to involve them in the creative The Victorian sewer system was an exercise
process. Surfwear maker Quiksilver, smoothie in underground engineering, but it was still
shop Jamba Juice and the pop band One designed to look good.
Direction are just a few of the names that have
looked for help on creative crowdsourcing This isn’t about polishing icon suites or
websites like Talenthouse and Tongal. making responsive fonts. It’s about finding
extraordinary ways to do ordinary things.
More people than ever can create and shape Life’s best bits come from beauty, surprise,
the ways our communities look, sound, feel joy, awkwardness and silliness. To make

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05

NOMZAMO MAJUQWANA

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If 2016 was all shock and awe, will 2017 be business. Only 7% of people credit existing a growing proportion, particularly millennials, to fulfill people’s desire for a fundamentally
more ambition and action? That’s a question I national governments for positive change in feel at their most influential in the workplace, safer, more sustainable, and healthier planet.
asked myself, fingers crossed, as I joined Wolff the last decade, and only 13% point to so business should become a springboard for For people, they can build diverse workplaces
Olins’ San Francisco office this January. Half a businesses. them to affect the change they want to see. where, to echo the sentiment of Ben Horowitz’
year later, our research proves my hope is an This demands more than generic volunteering famous Columbia University commencement
emerging reality. Ours is an age of people power. We have and sustainability initiatives. address, anyone is able to contribute their
seen change coming from each other – from skills to affect change they want for the
Crises that came to a head in 2016 are only individuals in their everyday lives and from Power to the outside people they represent.
now making their full impact clear. As a liberal, groups of ordinary people coming together. Unlocking businesses’ innate people power is
I see politics I stand for under threat in every Looking to the future, most of us – 54% just one side of the coin. The flip side of this For themselves, businesses stand to benefit
country I’ve ever called home, from Brexit’s overall – look again to individuals and groups coin is consumers – the people who use what hugely from doing more with and for people.
undoing of European integration in the UK, for answers. companies provide. To be really powerful in an By permitting and preparing people to act
to Trump’s disregard for liberal democracy age of people power, organizations must think on issues that matter to them, they stand to
in the US, or corruption’s corrosion of the Power on the inside about how they can simultaneously empower bolster loyalty and retention. By nurturing
constitution in South Africa. Personal politics Where does this leave corporations? Though their workforce and those who use their a workforce confident in its abilities to rally
aside, we can all see our climate changing we’re looking to people to affect positive products and services. people and resources around a cause, they
as the Antarctic begins to collapse, Africa change, we don’t want business to step aside. can fill ever-widening succession gaps with
loses fertile land, and America’s temperatures In fact, we expect it to step up: 41% of us Here in the Bay Area, the need for business proven leaders. Lastly, by taking action on the
soar. And we fear new types of wars, from believe businesses, both large and small, to find its place in an age of people power problems that are most important to their
horrifyingly spontaneous roadside terror ought to bring about positive change. This is particularly pressing because most people, businesses can achieve the most
attacks to global cyber attacks capable of figure shows huge potential, and is especially companies create platforms for action rather resilient form of relevance: They can become
exposing and stealing our digital identities. revealing when we consider that only 31% than products for consumption. The most what the world really needs.
cite existing national government. powerful organizations in Silicon Valley thrive
The result is a fight or flight situation, and by giving people a form of power. Apple allows
our research shows people are gearing up For us to realize the potential, we must us to pursue our passions, Google makes
for the former. Though many of us have a close the gap between people power and it possible for us to find information, and
negative outlook about the future, there’s corporations. From an internal perspective, Facebook helps us forge connections.
universal desire for radical change, including this is easily done when we remember that
in relatively optimistic markets like Brazil. businesses are made up of individuals too. These companies rely on people using their
Given the scale of the challenges before us, platforms to personal ends. They’re under
this appetite for action is exciting - but anyone “A workforce is essentially particular pressure to keep being the tools
looking to affect change needs power to make people need to affect the change they want.
a group of people brought
it happen. Doing so will demand not just a powerful
together everyday, and by workforce, but also one as diverse as the
An age of people power unlocking the innate power users this city’s biggest companies empower.
British philosopher Bertrand Russell defined of employees, every business Only then can constant alignment between
power as ‘the ability to produce intended the change people want and the platforms
is ripe to thrive in an age
effects’. The ‘intended effects’ revealed by our businesses provide begin to be possible.
research all revolve around change, and to of people power.”
understand where power lies, we need to ask: If all businesses take inspiration from the
who has the ‘ability to produce’ it? But corporations can’t simply assemble above, they’ll have a transformative impact for
people to meet commercial targets. They must the world, for people, and for themselves. For
Our respondents haven’t seen positive change catalyze them in service of fundamental and the world, they can win the trust necessary
coming from the establishment, or from positive change. Deloitte research shows that

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06

DAN GAVSHON-BRADY

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Since the 1970s, the moral obligation of Many have proposed ways to look beyond interdependent, globalised, information
business has been to deliver value for individual business performance, towards economy, these matters aren’t straightforward.
shareholders, no more, no less. It has yielded the wider societal and environmental
enormous benefits to these shareholders and concerns of an economy. In a recent book, Adam Arvidsson and Nicola
to consumers. But it has also come at a cost, Pietersen write that industrial society was
to citizens, to workers, to communities and to In 2009, Wilkinson and Pickett proposed built on a social contract, in which business
the environment. a steady-state economy as a sustainable wasn’t purely about return for shareholders.
approach to building more equal societies. Its interests were intimately and structurally
As the effects of the Anthropocene age and of In 2017, Kate Raworth gained praise with tied to society’s, and ‘most people agreed on
globalisation become increasingly apparent, Doughnut Economics, which looks to address the basic common values: economic growth
questions are being asked about the role of the human tension between commercial and increasing prosperity’. They propose
business; not just from the general public, achievement and ecological disaster in a an ‘ethical economy’ that integrates moral
but from within. Joe Nocera, writing for 21st century economy. concerns with economic measurement.
Bloomberg, says ‘The essential problem with
the over-reliance on shareholder value as These suggested interventions aren’t without Just as climate change is not a technological
the only metric of success is that it creates inspiration or merit, even if some remain problem but one of political and economic
the wrong incentives’. Paul Polman, CEO of cynical about corporate greenwashing. will, so business’ capacity to create radically
multi-billion dollar company Unilever, says, However, if businesses can use another better worlds is not a technical problem but
‘If ultimately the purpose of a company is quantitative measure, the approach can one of intent. And that intent must come from
maximizing shareholder return, we risk ending become entirely self-serving, with ‘good’ a recalibration of the social contract: what is
up with many decisions that are not in the metrics a proxy for monitoring and optimising business for and what and whom is it meant
interest of society.’ Even the Financial Times economic performance. (Will Davies has to serve?
of London has got in on the act, calling water written extensively on the co-opting of
privatisation an organised rip-off with bills wellness and happiness by both governments Whatever their ownership or incentive
rising simply to fund shareholder payouts. and big business as a form of social, structure, organisations and institutions
professional and economic control.) are – for a while at least - made up of people.
Our research shows 42% of people believe Given the future of corporate power
the business community’s concern for profit Recalibrating a mismatch increasingly lies in its capacity to galvanise
is a barrier to positive change. Shareholder All of these models have hopeful, in some its people around societal issues, as my
return alone is too crude an incentive, failing cases, utopian intent and viability. But they colleague argues in Rethink Power, it feels
to take into account personal, societal and exist in a vacuum, and fail to incentivise like an exciting time to be exploring these
environmental implications. What then, should business to work differently. questions. If we can answer them afresh,
be the measure of success? we can start to balance the mismatch
The fundamental problem is the mismatch between people’s expectations of business
A broader view between our expectations of business and current reality.
There have been many attempts to broaden and the execution of business. This needs
the scope. The triple bottom line, for example, recalibrating.
was geared towards social and environmental
impact. The quadruple bottom line focused on Back when healthy, competitive business
sustainability. Other non-monetary measures, served customers, employees and local
like happiness and wellness indexes, have communities, that fed a functioning
encouraged optimisation of sentiment over democracy. But of course, in a highly
annual returns.

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ROBERT JONES

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‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, 1. Reframe your role

committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has’. If you’re going to help customers change their
world, reframe your role. Think about a cause
These words from anthropologist Margaret that’s linked to a social agenda, and transform
Mead now have a new urgency. your goals from the traditional corporate
mindset of ‘everyone wants’, to a new ideal:
Our research shows that the majority of ‘everyone can’.
people want radical change. They believe it
will come from individuals and small groups, AXA is part way through this transformation.
not governments. And they expect business to Rather than an ‘if’ business, that pays out
play a role in leading that change. if you have a disaster, it’s becoming a ‘how’
business that gives customers ways to live
Businesses can help people to make sense better. Its five customer experience hallmarks
of things, through knowledge, advice and – shining examples of service initiatives -
education. Think Wikipedia, TED, Faber make this philosophy very tangible, and at
Academy, FutureLearn and Smithsonian. a broader scale, its Research Fund ‘boosts
the scientific discoveries that contribute to
They can help improve their lives, through societal progress’.
ethical consumption and smart tech. Look at
IKEA, Patagonia, H&M, Hive or Zocdoc. Wonderbly has discovered a bigger social
purpose behind what it does. It isn’t just a
And they can help them change their worlds, publisher of children’s books: It’s a movement
through creative, political or commercial that makes parents more creative, and uses
powers. Watch Today at Apple, 38degrees, personalization to spark self-belief in its very
Modern Fertility, Etsy or Kickstarter. young readers.

In all these ways, businesses can help make Enel, one of the world’s biggest energy
everyone radical. companies, has applied its new, activist
spirit – ‘open energy’ – to the sharp end of its
So how to start? business, by merging CSR with innovation, and
by redefining its relationship with customers
The organisations making headway are through its digital experience.
ambitious. They’re going for what’s difficult,
what’s far-reaching. They’re seeking Organisations like these are reframing their
irreversible change and, in the same vein roles and rewiring their businesses around
as our contributors in the previous section, a cause.
they’re rethinking conventional wisdoms.

Out of this ambitious spirit, we see three

specific actions.

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2. Power your customer Centrica is one of these. It knows the value

of empowering its people, trusting them to
If you’re going to help customers in a big new use their judgement, and incentivising them
way, then be deeply customer-centric. Don’t to meet the customer’s needs rather than
just serve your customers, make them feel the organisation’s short-term commercial
bigger, bolder, stronger. demands. It uses net promoter score, which
tracks a customer’s willingness to recommend
After all, customers are no longer passive them, as its central performance metric.
consumers but powerful, active citizens. They
want to shape, fund, produce and co-own. An empowered frontline has the freedom to
tailor their approach to their customer base.
Team Knowhow, a new UK-based tech support Hampshire Trust Bank, a challenger brand
service, is designed around real customer in the financial services sector that doubled
needs. They have built service categories - their customer base last year, knows the value
and an entire commercial framework - around of the personal touch. CEO Mark Sismey-
customer benefit (Connect it, Fix it, Protect it, Durrant talks about a ‘return to the finest
Improve it). traditions of relationship banking’, which
means specialist teams investing time to fully
Girl Effect is enlisting its users - girls from understand individual objectives.
around the world - to help end poverty by
getting creative. It uses market research and For this approach to work, more and more
shapes the content in its portfolio of media companies encourage their staff to bring their
brands to challenge the social norms that whole humanity to work. They want them to
hold their communities back. It will have 30 be people, not corporate functionaries. They
million active participants by 2020, inspiring are shaping an employee experience that
more than 350 million people to create a new embraces the whole person. For cutting-edge
normal for girls. examples of these companies, look at the
work of Frederic Laloux.
Organisations like these are designing a
radically different customer experience: one And because so much of the customer
that gives users and customers the power to interface is now digital, there’s a big move
change their world. to humanise technology. Very recently, the
world’s tech community mobilised behind the
need to think about people and societies, not
3. Humanise your organisation just users, in the Copenhagen Letter.

If you’re going to give your customers new The companies working in these ways are
powers, you have to empower your own making waves, and this is just the start.
people - especially the front–line, If more can reframe their role, power their
who are your interface with customers. customer, and humanise their organisation,
they’ll help everybody create the radical
Progressive businesses with a customer change they want to see in the world.
service arm don’t have sales targets.

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WOLFF OLINS x CITIZENME