The Responsibility Revolution

The Responsibility Revolution is about innovating new ways of working; instilling a new logic of competing; identifying new possibilities for leading; and redefining the very purpose of business. Jeffrey Hollender, founder of Seventh Generation, and Bill Breen, co-author of The Future of Management, have drawn on the best thinking not in the corporate responsibility arena, but in the realm of strategy, leadership, and management. They were granted access to all kinds of good-company innovators, CEOs, and founders, including a number who don’t often give interviews, to show how an emerging breed of business revolutionaries are turning theory into practice, and are building organizations that grow revenue by contributing to the greater good. This is a book about change, but it seeks to help companies change from within change their priorities; the way they organize; how they compete; the way they interact with the world. Comprised of a potent mix of veteran good companies, as well as those that aren’t often associated with corporate responsibility, each chapter offers new models for building the kind of companies that will thrive in the emerging Sustainable Economy. There are pioneers like Patagonia, Organic Valley, and Seventh Generation; big brands like Nike and Timberland; European companies like Marks corporate giants like eBay and IBM; and outliers, like Etsy and Linden Lab, who represent the first iterations of imminent change.

Each of these companies offers promising ideas for building financially, socially, and environmentally sustainable organizations. While there is no single road map for forging a mission-driven business, these innovators have laid out a series of navigation points that show the way. It's no longer a matter of "whether" to mainstream corporate responsibility (CR) to a company's operations CR has never been more prominent on the corporate agenda. The challenge now is "how?" And in the not-so-distant future, companies will increasingly want to know "how well?" Is CR adding value to the business, and is the business adding value to society? The Responsibility Revolution reveals the smartest way to compete on values, the enlightened way to lead, the best way to build profits and fulfill a larger mission. It’s a one-of-a-kind guidebook for entrepreneurs, leaders, and aspiring leaders who "get it," but are unclear on how to "get going."