How Small Companies Can Ignite Social Revolutions To Shape a Better World

Every company matters in shaping a better world and smaller companies can certainly do their part. Companies who start early eventually emerge as leaders of their communities and the world.

The company is the primary unit of the free market economy, so it has a direct role in shaping social norms and influencing change. If we want to see a better world, then there is no better place to begin than with our companies. Large firms such as TATA and Google have always believed in making a difference but what about the vast number of Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) in the world?

READ how Tata transformed the lives of a village.

If we want to see a better world, there is no better place to begin than with our companies.

Fortunately, there is a growing number of SMEs who have begun to realise that they too can do something to shape a better world and find success along the way. From preserving culture by developing branded food and beverage concepts to help farmers gain sustainable livelihoods, more leaders now have an elevated awareness of their role in improving the state of our world.

The Figaro Coffee Company helps Philippines coffee farmers by engaging them in contract farming and introducing organic coffee farming.

But how about the rest of the SMEs whose businesses may not have a clear role in helping someone or make the world into a better place? What can they do? Their purpose of business might not inspire anybody, may not attract media attention based on what they aspire to do but they are an essential part of the economy. So this is the current state in terms of companies trying to make a difference: we have the big businesses who feel strongly that they have to do something. And then there is another group of inspired leaders who started their businesses with the idea of helping others or change the world into a better place. But these two groups are still the minority. If we want a better world, then we need every company on board.

Elon Musk has founded three companies with the aim of changing the world into a better place, through sustainability and a more ambitious one: to enable humanity to populate other planets.

If we want a better world, then we need every company on board.

In our journey to help companies innovate so as to move up the value-chain, we  realised that when companies start to believe that their work has incredible value and that they can do something to make a difference, their businesses benefit too. It has less to do with starting corporate social responsibility programmes as this will require additional resources. But it is about doing daily work with an extraordinary sense of meaning and purpose. But it takes a while before companies even understand the power that they possess in igniting social revolutions. When asked, here are three excuses that we have heard:

1st reason - We are too small to make a difference

Many SMEs are busy doing the work and avoid talk about making a difference in society. The general perception is, only when you are bigger, and then you can afford to do corporate social responsibility type of initiatives. This is a missed opportunity as we have found that when small companies start to reflect deeply on what they can do, they begin to realise that they can achieve a lot on their own. For example, if the country is going through religious conflict, they can build bridges within their company by asking staff to share their faith traditions to build understanding. How about the issue of respecting others? Maybe in the relationship with suppliers, perhaps the general approach in your industry is to have a rather abusive relationship with them, how can you ignite a small revolution by treating them as partners? These little ways might seem trivial to some but in some countries where we serve, these actions can ignite real revolutions and have a lasting effect.

READ how a company in Thailand is doing its part for the environment through its business model

2nd reason - These good intentions will not reap any business benefit

Many companies choose to keep to the status quo because they believe that the good that they can do will not make a difference and, more importantly, will not give them any business benefit. This is not true since this is more perception and nothing to do with reality. Whenever we trigger this kind of conversations, about how their company can do ordinary things in an extraordinary way, we always get wonderful ideas. And once some these ideas get implemented consistently, you start to see a change in behavior. Staff increase their sense of ownership in the company as they now realise that their daily work can be meaningful. People collaborate more bringing about revenue opportunities from surprising avenues. These companies also start to be more innovative as they now look at their routine work with new eyes.

3rd reason - Our industry has a way of doing things so no one will be interested

Some companies tend to hide behind old traditions to explain why they do not wish to change anything even if those practices are ineffective or irrelevant. The fact is, our world is now in a phase of significant change. Technology has increased the level of transparency, and there is a generation of employees seeking meaning and purpose. So very soon, every single industry will be impacted by a new way of doing business that is to be more open and done with meaning. This means that if your company is the first one to bring about the simple revolutions from within, like for example, improving transparency, respect social equality or encourage innovation then you will also most likely differentiate yourself. This is a unique way to grow your business influence and it is good for growth.

As smaller companies work towards becoming global leaders, they must also inspire new beliefs and method of work in the modern world. One cannot claim to shape the world if the perception of one's work is not extraordinary. In our experience, here are three steps that small companies can take to ignite social revolutions:

First Step: See everything in new light

We usually start the conversation by inviting the companies to share about what they do and the perceived impact they have on others. For example, when you ask someone to do something, what does it mean to the person regarding meaning, value and importance? Once everything is evaluated on this basis, things start to change in terms of perspectives. Staff begin to take things more seriously with a greater sense of responsibility. Work quality begins to improve when people realise that their contribution can make or break someone’s rice bowl. Or that their work has a real impact on the economy of the country and even the world.

But to keep people in a constant state of awareness so as to ensure performance, you need to do this on a regular basis. In our firm, we do this annually, and the sessions are called Alchemy. We invite our consultants to attend a 2-day retreat where we explain to them the meaning and rationale of the tasks that they do. After the session, you can see a change in them because they start to behave more like partners, adding more innovation and value to the process. As they gain confidence, they become activists and start meaningful revolutions to enhance value and meaning of our work.

Second Step: Do everything with purpose

Once people begin to see things in a new light, they will perform their daily tasks with added value and purpose. This provides new ideas to transform company human resource policies and practices. This is critical because many companies adopt similar human resource policies or corporate practices without meaningful thought or imagination. And that limits the company from maturing and developing its path for development.

One way to maintain momentum is to evaluate your policies and practices annually during the corporate retreat. We also advise companies to start internal teams like cultural committees to ensure that there is a group of internal activists to promote a culture of meaning and purpose. One of our clients that repair and sell high-end string instruments did this and saw a marked improvement regarding participation from the staff. Once the staff saw that the managing director was serious about supporting innovation, they were more willing to share and commit to make change happen for the classical music industry.

Third Step: Launch the revolution

What is a revolution if it is not launched? After you have initiated the revolutions internally, whether it is about creating a more pro-family environment, or about respecting beliefs or creating a new way of working with suppliers, make it a point to share with the world. With social media, it is now easier to do this on your Facebook or LinkedIn corporate accounts. Many companies are amazed after they have done so because it usually invites appreciation and inquiries. Companies have long been perceived as capitalist tools and not activists for a better world. Therefore, any positive examples of extraordinary practices always provoke conversations.

This form of sharing also helps to reinforce your internal revolutions and keep your people engaged. This is why firms like GE publish their corporate governance stories so that they will always remember how to live up to the revolution that they have begun. In Consulus, we have this deeply held belief that companies can shape a better world and so in 2013, we launched the World Company Day initiative where we invited companies to pledge a new way of doing business, one that will shape a better world. More than 200 companies like SaladStop and Hong Kong Broadband Network have signed up and shared their experiences.

Launch of World Company Day Initiative in Ho Chi Minh City in 2013

At the end of the day, companies do not need to be just about profit. We are not just a component of the economic system but an active agent for a better world. People spend more time working hence the way work is organised and practiced has a real and lasting impact on the world. Imagine if every CEO were to see their work in a new light, how many problems in society will we be able to solve? And imagine if every staff realise that their work can be extraordinary, how much more value will we be able to generate to shape a better world?

Some say companies are incapable of ethical behavior because of the focus on profit. But there are people in the world who are trying and they are succeeding. It is not enough to add more successful businesses to the world. It is time to use that power to confront the challenges of our time collectively. To do that, we will need all sizes of businesses to come on board.

READ another relevant article: Time to think different about Profit

If you believe your company can shape a better world through daily work then join these 200 other companies at www.worldcompanyday.org or follow our LinkedIn page

About Consulus

We are a global innovation and design consultancy with business management and multi-disciplinary creative capabilities. Since 2004, we have helped companies, governments and non-profit groups achieve sustainable profit and growth by redesigning their organisations, business models and brand experiences. Our competitive advantage comes from the insights gleaned from reviewing companies in 18 cities throughout the Asia Pacific regarding their business and organisational models. Read about our PurposeCore programme if your organisation is looking for an effective transformation to meet the complex challenges of the 21st century.

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Consulus is the convener for Shape the World Conference, a creative thought-leadership event aimed at providing design-led strategies to inspire companies to transform and shape the world. In 2013, Consulus launched the World Company Day initiative to inspire companies to shape the world creatively into a better place through daily work.

The Consulus Partnership is present in Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Italy, Argentina

About Lawrence Chong

He is the Co-founder and CEO of Consulus, an innovation consultancy with business management and multi-disciplinary design capabilities. He is a featured Speaker at global events such as World Marketing Summit and World Brand Congress. He served as the Immediate Past President of Design Business Chamber Singapore. His thoughts on Asian innovation and creativity appear in regional media such as Business Insider, Business Times, Marketing Magazine, Newsbase TheEdge and VTC10. In his personal capacity, he is a member of Religions for Peace and the Focolare, working for peace through dialogue among people of other faiths.