Business leaders convening in bustling New York City and the snowy resort city, Banff, Canada, next month will have ample opportunity to gage the fast-spreading impact of the “Shared Value” movement “bringing business and society back together.”
It’s just a bit more than three years since the iconic Harvard Business Review article, “Creating Shared Value” by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Cramer injected that pregnant term into the “corporate social responsibility”/”sustainable development” lexicon. But the heft and resources of the authors — and, perhaps the directness of the term itself — have already generated considerable traction in the global corporate citizenship community.
Now looms the “Shared Value Leadership Summit” in New York May 13-14 http://bit.ly/QohYeP . It will focus on “the role the investment community can play in advancing shared value.” Scheduled speakers appear to represent the crème de la crème of the movement. In addition to many on-the-ground case studies of best practices, the two-day conference can be expected to consider “horizon” developments such as integrated reporting, societal “externalities”/natural capital and sensitizing and preparing the next generation of business leaders through programs such as the United nations Global Compact’s Principles of Responsible Management Education (see BIS blogs on these subjects).
On a much more modest level, the Canadian Public Relations Society will present a panel discussion on “Shared Value” at its “Ascend 2014” annual meeting on May 27th in Banff. The panel will address the vital connection between establishing trilateral partnerships (business, governments, civil society) and effective two-way communications. Business In Society will be represented on the panel and report on its outcome.