Simon Zadek has recently released the second edition of his book, The Civil Corporation. In the new introduction to the book, Zadek outlines several key messages relevant to the CSR community. Here are a few that stuck out from my reading…
For sustainable development to occur, the short-term perspectives of investors must be changed and reliable methods for long-term value assessment must be built.
The evolution of CSR could be at the brink of a “Kuhnian revolution” where innovations build to the point that revolutions in thinking and paradigm shifts occur.
CSR is evolving in a series of generations. The first looks at CSR policy through the lens of compliance and risk issues. The second - which I would argue we are making our way through at the moment - involves strategy and innovation, while the third looks at how to transform markets so that the traditional accountabiliy strucutres of business, government, and civil society converge and collaboration becomes the new overarching paradigm.
For more on the Civil Corporation, you can visit the website of AccountAbility, a London think tank and membership organisation of which Zadek is CEO.