Organizational positive impact, tech edition

Why positive impact and technology are the way forward

This article was originally published by SogetiLabs.

Our planet and society need our support to overcome pressing challenges. An increasing number of businesses acknowledges this and chooses to become and to stay a positive force for change. Technology can be helpful to achieve this ambition. In fact, I believe it is one of the key levers for change.

Companies are increasingly choosing positive impact

A company that wants to make a positive impact isn’t all that new. Take Benetton, for example. They launched, over 30 years ago, a series of advertisements that didn’t put their product front and center. Instead, they addressed societal issues such as inequality, racism, religious freedom and AIDS.

Fast forward to the present day and there seems to be an explosion of companies making big inspirational statements declaring to do good for planet and society.

Adopting to a new context

Why the sharp increase? Not to give away the ending, but it’s just sound business. Especially since we have been exposed to several large-scale events lately that have made us aware of how vulnerable our way of life is and how dependent we are on our planet.

Companies are as much impacted by those large-scale events as we are, as individuals. As a result, there is much more focus now on organizations’ positive impact, resilience and agility. Organizations that adapt to the new context and that contribute positively to a bigger purpose than just their bottom line will have a place to do business in the future.