“Good Growth is not just a way to be successful economically, it’s a way to be successful as humans”
Hold on – what is Good Growth?
At Gofore, Good Growth (GG for short) is a new business model for sustainable digitalisation that helps organizations to embed sustainability into everything they do. The model comprises a portfolio of high value elements that help to address sustainability through three lenses – Business, Society and Nature. Good Growth gives the process, the tools and expert collaborations that are needed in creating digital solutions that make a sustainable future possible.
We partnered with Ekokumppanit to develop the GG model together. Currently we are in the first phase of development which delivers at the end 2020, a year that for many has cemented opinion and action around the need for new ways of thinking and doing. If you would like to know why we need it, read on.
Sustainability is the new business transformation
Businesses have prioritised economic growth over everything else for as long as we have known (in the western world at least). Many of us have spent a lifetime in jobs that have supported companies primarily to grow their market share and then to grow some more.
Recently, COVID-19 has brought our never-ending desire for economic growth into stark light. It’s interesting yet rather depressing to see so many nations juggling between saving lives by reducing infection and getting people back to work to avoid any further economic downturn. It’s clear that our society, our sense of well being, our way of life as humans is intertwined deeply with the notions and concepts of growth, capitalism and economic success. So what? I hear you say.
I was talking to a friend of mine recently about Gofore’s Good Growth model and he immediately assumed Good Growth was a measure of how economically successful a company was and assumed the offer we were building at Gofore was a way of helping our clients to maximise this type of economic success. Well in many ways, he was right, and I was happy that he thought about it that way. For Good Growth to succeed on its goal, we need to ensure that we work with the current ways of doing business, using capitalism and economic growth as the foundation for the Good Growth model but at the same time, transitioning forward toward something much better. Good Growth means it is possible to combine sustainability and business by helping companies edge into an unpredictable future in a way that keeps them socially relevant, economically healthy, culturally vibrant and sustainable.
Sustainability is the new business transformation and like all transformations, it’s a long journey of disruptive change that takes time and needs to address the fundamentals of how we behave as humans. Good Growth is not just a way to be successful economically, it’s a way to be successful as humans.
3 reasons why:
1. It’s the right thing to do
The most important of the 3 Why’s in my mind. Not sure I need to even explain this point, but I’ll do it anyway. Take a look at all the stuff that is going on in the world today. Climate change is real, animal populations have declined by 70% in the last 50 years, micro-plastics can be found in all brands of bottled water, we are in the midst of a global pandemic which has killed more than 1.5 Million people worldwide and rising. Businesses are in economic fallout with unemployment rising sharply, threatening social stability and public wellbeing and putting more stress on the healthcare system. Political polarisation is rife, as nations continue to squabble on the most basic needs for cross country collaboration. It seems fair to say that the world needs clarity and concrete action and I believe we can make a real impact from our area of business and with our combination of skills and scale. I’d love to see more companies standing behind the promise of sustainability. If we work together and stand together, then there will be no stopping us. In numbers we have the best chance of changing mindset and fast-tracking the transition to a more sustainable future.
2. It’s a more meaningful purpose for everyone’s work
I’m a designer and I’ve always had the idea, that I want to create a better world. It’s the main reason I got into this job in the first place. For us Goforeans, we are all in the business of creating the future through digitalisation. The responsibility on our shoulders is greater than it’s ever been in the past. Every decision we make in the way we design, develop and implement digital services, has the power to change the way millions of people behave. In our field, in our jobs, together with our customers, we are the gatekeepers of Good Growth. We should ask ourselves if we are ready to accept our responsibility because if we do, it means we need to stand behind it and act on it in everything we do. The payback will be huge, knowing that we are directly responsible for developing a more sustainable society and business environment, and getting paid to do so. Could you even imagine a better win-win?
3. It simply makes good business sense
You don’t need to dig very deep to find a thousand reports and predictions about the value of sustainable business in the coming decades. Back in 2017 the European Business Review was predicting a 12 Trillion business by 2030. If you are a keen follower of stocks and shares, you’ll notice sustainability funds are out-performing others. Check this article from the Economist. Even the financial institutions are in on the action. Who would have imagined that JP. Morgan would take such a stance?
The truth is that many of the bad old ways of doing business are coming under intense scrutiny from an open and transparent digitalised world, where the people’s voice is heard loud, clear and critical. The younger generations demand sustainability, the older generations are fighting with their guilt. Governments are creating policies and compliance legislation. The polarisation we see in society today is only helping to strengthen the cause and mobilise action.
If we believe that the market is in transformation and sustainability is becoming a valued and demanded aspect of all businesses and organisations, we need to ask ourselves what are we offering to the world in regard to sustainability, and how can we help our customers with their sustainability challenges?
Do you want to get started with Good Growth?
We at Gofore provide professional support and coaching to organisations that are interested in exploring how Good Growth can benefit your business.
Check out our Good Growth offer from here.
For more information please contact Kristiina (kristiina.harkonen@gofore.com)
