HBR's 10 Must Reads 2020

The Dual-Purpose Playbook

by Julie Battilana, Anne-Claire Pache, Metin Sengul, and Marissa Kimsey

CORPORATIONS ARE BEING PUSHED to change—to dial down their single-minded pursuit of financial gain and pay closer attention to their impact on employees, customers, communities, and the environment. Corporate social responsibility from the sidelines is no longer enough, and the pressure comes from various directions: rising and untenable levels of inequality, increasing evidence that the effects of climate change will be devastating, investors’ realization that short-term profitability and long-term sustainability are sometimes in conflict. For reasons like these, a growing number of business leaders now understand that they must embrace both financial ...