In one survey nearly 80 percent of chief financial officers said they would decrease spending on research and development to meet earnings targets, and just over 55 percent said they would delay a new project to meet earnings targets even if it meant a (small) sacrifice in value. In another, 59 percent of executives would delay a high net present

find the entrepreneurs, who want to take the next step with us? We’re trying to initiate a virtuous circle, where the loans we make act as demonstration projects and there are spillover effects—so other people come into the space. We’re looking for trust—so we try not

But a potluck only works if everyone pitches in. Taking the trouble to cook an elaborate lasagna is like taking the trouble to make sure that your suppliers are taking care of the environment and following good labor practices. There’s always a temptation to free ride—to arrive with a packet of stale cookies. If everyone thinks that no one else is

The brothers treated their employees as family and were famous for their reluctance to stand on ceremony and their willingness to get their hands dirty. From the beginning they invested heavily in education. All employees were required to take an introductory academic course and could then choose commercial or technical training if they wished. The

In short, Erik was able to translate his vision for improving the sustainability of the waste business into a new, highly disruptive—and highly profitable—business. The conversation around reimagining capitalism is sometimes framed in terms of a tension between profits and purpose. NG’s case illustrates why this conversation is missing the point.

Successful purpose-driven leaders have to learn to relinquish control—to believe at a deep level that those who work for them have at least as much creativity and drive as they do.

We need to move from a world in which environmental and social capital are essentially free—or at least someone else’s business—to a world in which the need to operate within environmental limits within a thriving society is taken for granted.

More broadly, the right kind of ESG metrics could provide a richer language for talking about how doing the right thing can generate financial returns. They might lengthen time horizons and help both managers and investors unpack the dynamics of the relationship between doing good and doing well. When does it make sense to invest in human capital?

participants were interested in a system of spiritual philosophy developed by the philosopher-scientist Rudolf Steiner, who conceived of society as comprising three realms: economic, rights (including politics and law), and cultural-spiritual. He believed that a healthy society depended on a balance among the three domains.