SEWF to Get Sneak Peek of Report on Corporate Social Innovation in Canada

We are living through a great transition in how economies and markets function and societies thrive. New forms of innovation are required to shift progress to overcome systemic social and environmental challenges and build a new economic operating system that will strengthen Canada’s resiliency.

Business can make a powerful contribution by providing innovative ways to leverage the power of the private sector. Corporate Social Innovation is about fuelling breakthrough changes in how businesses operate so that they can achieve social and environmental value creation alongside financial profit.

KPMG, Volans and Social Innovation Generation (SiG) are co-authoring a report on Corporate Social Innovation - the what, the who and the how your business can help lead the change.  

Delegates at the Social Enterprise World Forum will hear from Tania Carnegie, National Executive Director, Community Leadership, KPMG Canada during the SEWF Stampede Gala event on Thursday October 3rd, 2013. Tania will be speaking at the BMO Exhibit Hall A on the Stampede Grounds at 6:30 p.m. during the pre-Rodeo Reception. 

More on BREAKING THROUGH: A New Kind of Capitalism 

As Harvard’s corporate strategy guru Michael Porter points out, over the past century the boundaries between business and social issues have undergone dramatic changes.  One hundred years ago a large business enterprise might have been the social patron, providing housing, education or other forms of welfare for its company town residents.  But over time the scope of corporate responsibility retreated. 

We are now in a turbulent period of re-thinking how companies can best serve people, planet, as well as profit.  Disruptive events like the 2008 financial crisis have opened new dialogues on the role of corporations in society, such as Bill Gates’ call at Davos for Creative Capitalism. A growing number of organizations, like Volans’ Breakthrough Capitalism, are making the case that “business as usual” is insufficient to meet the environmental and social challenges our 21st century world faces. These thought leaders, like John Elkington, are calling upon firms to change the way we do business. Novel frameworks are sprouting forth, such as Corporate Shared Value and Corporate Social Innovation, that encourage companies to re-examine and re-formulate their business strategy.

Business can make a powerful contribution by providing innovative ways to leverage the power of the private sector. Corporate Social Innovation (CSI) is about fuelling breakthrough changes in how businesses operate so that they can achieve social and environmental value creation alongside financial profit. 

One global leader in the field of CSI is Danone, a French food products multinational that partnered with Grameen Bank to develop a yogurt business improving diets in Bangladesh.

In Canada Vancity, the country’s largest community credit union, has member-led innovation at the core of their business model. 

Fundamentally, the way business leaders and stakeholders see the corporate landscape is shifting and increasingly employees and recent graduates are seeking careers with purpose. Following this growing movement, KPMG, Social Innovation Generation and Volans decided to document the scope of Corporate Social Innovation in Canada. They have generated a report on this analysis due out in November. In writing this report the three organizations hope to encourage Canadian business leaders to challenge their own assumptions about what is—or is not—possible for their organizations.