The Other Side of Growth: An Innovator's Responsibilities in an Emerging World

There is a sea change of perspective taking place in the business world today. It is the Twenty-First Century, and business leaders have finally awoken to the reality that their obligations lie not only to their shareholders, but to every stakeholder they touch… their employees, their customers, the environment, and society at large. It is an awakening of epic proportions – one with profoundly far-reaching implications. We have also awoken to the reality that our actions – and our inactions – have far broader ramifications than we ever could have imagined possible previously. Enter innovation. Every business organization today – regardless of sector – is pursuing innovation in one form or another. It is the lifeblood of growth and relevance. Innovation delivers tremendous new value for businesses and their customers. But behind the scenes, innovation can also introduce numerous undesirable consequences and outcomes for the broader set of stakeholders. Even worse, innovation can be used in not only beneficial ways, but also in malicious ways – if the appropriate guidelines and controls are not put into place to prevent this. Consequently, business leaders today must ask many questions of their actions surrounding innovation-driven growth. Questions like: • Are we benefiting some at the great expense – and possible harm – of others? • Will certain parties use our innovations in ways we that we did not intend or foresee – to do more harm than good? • Are we turning a blind eye to those possibilities – all in the name of maximizing shareholder profits? • And in the full balance of things… are we doing more harm, or more good? It is imperative that we ask – and answer honestly – these and many other questions about the new innovations we are bringing into the world… to ensure we are in fact doing right by all stakeholders, and doing so in a way that will ultimately prove sustainable over the long run – sustainable for us, for our employees, for our customers, for the environment, and for society as a whole – including all future generations. This goes well beyond just environmental sustainability, to include social sustainability (for the entire world), and truly long-term financial sustainability for both our organization and each of the markets it touches anywhere in the world. This book implores us to consider and ask these types of questions… to think long, deep, and hard about the new innovations we are bringing into the world and how we are doing so…. to ensure that at the end of the day, we are in fact doing more good than harm, and are leaving our world better off for posterity than when we found it – by every measure known to us. After reading this book, and the unique perspectives that each of its nine authors presents, you will come away with a profound new appreciation for this type of questioning, and the incredible value it offers to you and your organization.