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Governance

It starts with … Me, myself and I.
OR: a simple field manual to create (sustainability) disempowerment in organisations.

May 10, 2023

This manual was originally drafted when I was astonished by the way how ‘doublespeak’ is being used in organisations to prevent change. Any change. Including – but not limited to – sustainability related ones. It is a cynic-sarcastic-semi-realistic manual on how to be reasonably successful in disempowering an organisation. It is applicable to all areas that encompass change including innovation, sustainability, internationalisation, digitalisation and so forth.

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

Continuous Learning Mistakes: When time teaches to know better

April 13, 2021

Knowledge and data are two interesting entities: essential for decisions at any one time. And yet evolving with time. And with that, decisions taken some time ago, possibly decades earlier, may prove flawed – in hindsight. But what if years down the road these insights are resurfaced and either proven to be partially or fully inaccurate? What if the nuggets are suddenly being used in a context that has shifted significantly since? What if our best intended and best-possible informed statements of the past are called out years, decades later? A few thoughts on this dilemma.

Governance Labels

Sustainability & Standards: Thoughts about best practice

March 12, 2016

Of the close to 500 eco-labels that exist worldwide, just over 100 apply to textiles, according to the Eco Label Index. Behind each label is, or should be, a standard that backs up the claim being made. Given the prevalence of standards, the following questions arise: Why do standards exist? What value do they deliver? What are their limitations? What is ‘best practice’ for standards, their development process? What about the proliferation of standards?

Biz Strategy Governance

Tools for boards: A few goodies, but far between

September 14, 2021

Most companies have had a brush with sustainability (or it’s finance industry lens: ESG) at the very least on an operational level. Not necessarily always voluntarily or out of conviction, mind. Looking at corporate boards however, the picture starts to change – not necessarily to the better. While boards of listed companies may have been forced to look at non-financial disclosure, it is rare that any board has a sound grasp, never mind approach, to all things ESG and sustainability. This is why I list in this post the few tools I am aware of that are specifically targetting and intended to help corporate boards start on the journey towards becoming climate and SDG savvy.

Biz Strategy Finance Governance

Measurement ≠ Data ≠ Information ≠ Knowledge ≠ Action

May 4, 2021

You can't manage what you can't measure. This often cited quote by Peter Drucker lies at the heart of many things: change management, quality management, staff diversity, environmental footprint, CO2 output … you know it. This is why many millions of dollars, and countless hours, have been invested in creating suitable measurement tools. It's just that: Measurement ≠ Data ≠ Information ≠ Knowledge ≠ Action.

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

The leadership difference: Time to Think

September 29, 2020

Research has known for a while that when someone in your presence is trying to think, much of what you are hearing and seeing is your effect on them. That is also the case for boards. Because: under the right conditions and circumstances, people will – invariably – think for themselves. Just: is that desired?

Biz Strategy Governance

Responsible: For what, towards whom, and who indeed is?

June 1, 2021

Corporate responsibility, business ethics, sustainability, ESG. Whatever the terminology there are three fundamental questions that underpin all decisions, actions, strategies in this regard. These questions are strategically relevant for any board of directors. Because they are the basis upon which fiduciary duty is constructed. And: they outline the framework within which the fiduciary duty of a board is bound to evolve over time.

Biz Strategy Governance

Selling or embedding: Governance, Corporate Responsibility, and the role of the C-Suite

June 30, 2020

Unless the top line of company executives are held accountable for and judged by their contribution to the company’s risk management and mitigation efforts, including importantly CSR and sustainability performance, the company will struggle. Without senior commitment and engagement, the system only ever allows for minor ‘bug fixes’.

Biz Strategy Governance Opinions

Sustainability Standards? Of course! … For everyone else

July 20, 2021

It's a funny state of things: One where investors complain that ESG data is not standardised; where at the same time companies – and notably their boards – complain that investors do not ask for data in a standardised way. And where the very same companies and boards nonetheless prioritise proprietary measurement systems over any other one for their own supply chains and products. It's a paradox. One that is not efficient, effective, or conducive to impact. A call to leave politics to the side, focus in impact, and standardise, standardise, standardise.

Future Tech Governance

Open Data, Open Impact

June 26, 2015

Have you heard about open data? And about open source? The equivalent of open source in sustainability terms would be an ‘open standard’. But what would that mean?

Definitions Globalisation Governance

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (2) – COP 15: When CBD is not about cannabis

November 2, 2021

While the relevance and criticality of COP26 is hammered home in the global media, the news reporting on COP15, as an effort possibly and reality more important than its Scottish climate conference peer, was rather subdued and unspectacular. Let’s therefore get the most context-relevant questions straight out of the way: What is COP15? And why are there two COPs? And what has biodiversity to do with it?

Biz Strategy Governance

Have you Done the Math? Or: Growth – the Elephant in the Boardroom

June 9, 2020

We need new business models that are not predicated on selling more stuff to more people. And because in the 'Here and Now', there is truly not much more to say, I could finish with the above quote. Except that: Those ‘new business models’ are not reality. Far from it. About the Role of the Board in the 'Why'.

Biz Strategy Circularity Governance

EU Plastic Waste Tax – Or: What went wrong, when compliance fuels R&D?

August 4, 2020

The cat is – long-time coming - finally left out of the bag: while drawing up a Covid19 recovery package, EU legislators have decided to introduce a levy on non-recycled plastic as per 1st of January 2020. Reading through the text, two points offer a considerable surprise: The short notice, the wording, and the focus on packaging. But how come that legislators seem to drive the industry R&D agenda? Here a few questions for boards to ask their CEOs to get to the bottom of this.

Governance Opinions

For better or for worse: Governance is made by People

August 9, 2022

When it comes to governance, discussions about ‘Best Practice’ are frequent. What is often forgotten however: Governance, and notably ‘good’ governance, stands and falls with people. WHO sits on the board is hence at the very least as important as HOW that board is set up to operate by its procedures and surrounding legal constraints. Why is that so? And why is this often ignored?

Italy sings and applauds during Corona lock down

Globalisation Governance Opinions

The Post Corona World – A Backwards Corona Forecast

April 14, 2020

When will Corona 'be over'? never. There are historical moments when the future changes direction. We call them bifurcations. Or deep crises. These times are now. Matthias Horx discusses what that means concretely.

Biz Strategy Governance

Roping up: Alpine Roping Techniques and the Corporate Board

August 25, 2020

In mountaineering there are three distinct methods to handle the rope. Each technique has some distinct application characteristics. And as a consequence, a direct impact on the team work, team effectiveness - and even survival. What can boards learn from alpine roping techniques?

Biz Strategy Future Tech Governance

AI x Sustainability (2): Leveraging AI for ESG Reporting

October 22, 2024

Could ESG reporting finally become less repetitive and tedious? AI has the potential to transform ESG reporting by automating compliance tracking, integrating data from diverse and unstructured sources, and streamlining audit preparation. This opens up opportunities to free data and ESG experts from repetitive, tedious tasks. Yet, while AI offers promise, tight oversight remains essential to address challenges like data quality ('crap in is crap out') and system integration.

Biz Strategy Circularity Governance

Sustainability Tone Deafness: The Sound of Silence

March 9, 2021

The leadership team level at company X is not making the moves that might be expected and needed from a sustainability perspective. What to do? How to overcome the blockage? How to make progress without even mentioning the S-word in the discourse? The answer: Compliance, Risk, and the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). Or in more tangible terms - start the conversation by focusing on legal compliance, Risk and Due Diligence, Efficiencies ... and good old benchmarking with the competition. No S-word needed. Not a big step for humanity no doubt. But a door opener to many more interesting conversations.

Biz Strategy Globalisation Governance

80 : 20, 20 : 80: Impact of SMEs vs. Corporates

May 22, 2013

In Europe, SMEs make up 99% of all companies, and provide 67% of employment a much higher percentage of jobs in developing countries. Research has shown that they generate around 50% of the private sector’s turn over, and that SMEs contribute at least 80% to the national GDPs. Yet less than 20% of policies, government investments etc. are made with them in mind.

Biz Strategy Governance

‘Rules of Procedures’ of a Corporate Board: In the best interest of …?

May 25, 2021

One of the things usually approved at the constituent board meeting after every company AGM are the board of directors' ‘Rules of Procedure’. What looks, and is often perceived, as a formality though, at close looks carries not just formal weight, but indeed formulates – directly or between the lines – the duties of the board. What do these rules typically enshrine - and what not?

Future Fit Industries of 'Stuff': Governance, Responsibility, and the Age of Doughnut Economics

Governance

It starts with … Me, myself and I.
OR: a simple field manual to create (sustainability) disempowerment in organisations.

Continuous Learning Mistakes: When time teaches to know better

Sustainability & Standards: Thoughts about best practice

Tools for boards: A few goodies, but far between

Measurement ≠ Data ≠ Information ≠ Knowledge ≠ Action

The leadership difference: Time to Think

Responsible: For what, towards whom, and who indeed is?

Selling or embedding: Governance, Corporate Responsibility, and the role of the C-Suite

Sustainability Standards? Of course! … For everyone else

Open Data, Open Impact

The Next Wave: Biodiversity (2) – COP 15: When CBD is not about cannabis

Have you Done the Math? Or: Growth – the Elephant in the Boardroom

EU Plastic Waste Tax – Or: What went wrong, when compliance fuels R&D?

For better or for worse: Governance is made by People

The Post Corona World – A Backwards Corona Forecast

Roping up: Alpine Roping Techniques and the Corporate Board

AI x Sustainability (2): Leveraging AI for ESG Reporting

Sustainability Tone Deafness: The Sound of Silence

80 : 20, 20 : 80: Impact of SMEs vs. Corporates

‘Rules of Procedures’ of a Corporate Board: In the best interest of …?

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