Read the article by WEMEAN partners published in Le Parisien on February 3, 2019, "L'Époque est aux dirigeants qui s'engagent" (The time is ripe for leaders to get involved). While companies have been spared overall by the tremors of the "yellow vests" movement, unlike politicians, unions or the media, their leaders have a place to take and a space to occupy in the reconstruction of a collective perspective. It's to the question of the meaning of their action and their role in and for society that they must now answer if they don't want to miss out on the fundamental movement that is shaking up our societies and of which the French eruption is a symptom.
Some have already anticipated this expectation. A few days ago, the Chairman of BlackRock, the world's leading investment fund, wrote to all business leaders, urging them to go beyond the mere pursuit of profit... to define their "raison d' être" and provide evidence of it. At the same time, following on from the Pacte law on first reading in the Senate this week, the President of Medef, was keen to set an example in France by writing the raison d'être of the employers' organization, in full, into its bylaws: "acting for responsible growth".
Whether a fad for some, or a conviction for others, business leaders can no longer avoid questioning their vision of the world and society. Those who take up the challenge, who decide to answer it sincerely and authentically, not only demonstrate their awareness of the new responsibilities they face, but also give themselves the means to ensure their company's success in the world to come.
Their challenge: to bring their raison d'être to society! Creating jobs and growth remains a necessity, and even a priority. But that's not enough... From now on, companies must give meaning and commitment to society's progress. And why? Because that's what the new generations and, more generally, citizens, employees and consumers expect. Beyond individualism, we expect decisions to serve the general interest, employment to generate collective benefits, growth to bring meaning, and our production and consumption models to respect our health and our environment. The success of applications that scan food products andprovide details of their quality, even in supermarkets, is proof of this on a daily basis!
Companies are now bound by the same requirements as any other organization, especially public ones: they must first and foremost contribute to society and the general interest... in order to achieve growth. Their raison d'être surpasses their mere social or environmental responsibilities, and constitutes a historic imperative that new generations are translating into survey after survey, by demanding greater utility or social and societal value from their jobs and their companies. And so much the better! In this respect, it's a time for committed leaders, not just managers.
With the Loi Pacte, companies will be able to include their raison d'être alongside their corporate purpose in their articles of association. From now on, a company will be defined as much by its purpose as by its role. The law is not binding... yet! But this evolution is already creating a new dimension of responsibility for managers: to make meaning the condition for the economic and social success of companies.
Guillaume Jubin, Frédéric Latrobe and Clément Reyne, partners at communications consultancy Wemean.
