Diverse organisational models to address economic, environmental and social challenges

The report is designed to be a starting point for further actions and discussion between stakeholders. There is a need for far greater awareness of examples like this, as well as easier access to practical information and support on different ways to structure organisations and businesses. This lack of information also restricts useful academic analysis of what works and how.

This kind of work has been done before, in different ways. However, the potential and impact of a more diverse set of business and organisational models has, in the UK at least, been of marginal interest. This has been particularly obvious in recent international business discussions about discovering and embedding the ‘purpose’ or ‘mission’ of a firm, or using a wider range of sustainability indicators (such as those used to demonstrate environment, social and governance (ESG) performance). Such discussions have disregarded, or lacked knowledge of, examples of structuring economic activity that already work in this way. It was fascinating, if slightly dispiriting, in the masterclass to hear comments such as, “Why did we not know about these examples?”