Giving Compass' Take:

• In The Social Ecosystem Dilemma - And How to Fix It FSG shares how corporations are successfully changing the social ecosystem. 

• How can these learnings be shared and used effectively by other organizations? 

• Read about corporate social responsibility trends in 2020. 

In today’s complex world, companies everywhere are confronting long-entrenched social or environmental problems that have major financial consequences for the company and its shareholders yet cannot be addressed by normal business practices. Poor diet and insufficient exercise lead to increased health care costs and diminished employee productivity; inadequate recycling systems are increasing raw materials scarcity and prices; weak infrastructure and government corruption limit entry into emerging markets; low productivity of smallholder farmers leads to poverty, deforestation, and unreliable sourcing; and ineffective educational systems increase employee training and turnover costs.

Faced with these dilemmas, companies have typically responded by joining global industry coalitions and donating to social sector organizations. These broad and well-intentioned efforts, however, have done little to overcome the bottom-line impact of such challenges in companies’ key markets. An entirely new approach is needed if companies are to capture the many important opportunities for growth and profitability that are blocked by today’s societal failings. Fortunately, a handful of pioneering companies have already demonstrated how to identify, manage, and overcome these ecosystem barriers.

This guide is based on such examples and FSG’s analysis of a dozen corporations that are leading change in the social ecosystems that matter most to their business. Their success is based on five key steps, which we describe in greater detail in the main text, and illustrate through a selection of stories

Download the full PDF: The Social Ecosystem Dilemma - And How to Fix It at FSG.