Societal learning

Societal issues, or ‘externalities’, are issues that are affected by, or affect, your business. They are often difficult and complex issues, for which no one stakeholder has overall responsibility, but for which business increasingly realises it has a major part to play.

Examples include addiction for the gaming industry, child protection for mobile phone companies, health for food manufacturers, the ageing population for providers of life insurance and pensions and, arguably for all businesses, climate change.

Senior people need an understanding of those issues in order to understand their market place, future changes and risks and opportunities. For example, O2 embraces child protection because, despite the tremendous opportunities presented to young people by mobile phones and the internet, they understand they have a responsibility to minimise risks such as text bullying, illegal internet content and chat room grooming.

 

In immersing companies and their people in these issues we don't take a classroom-based or theoretical approach. In keeping with the nature of Three Hands' programmes, we set up real projects that engage people in the issues and enable them to interact with non-profit partners and other stakeholders at the heart of the issues.

 

Examples include the child protection workshop we devised for O2 that helped employees understand child safety in relation to mobile phones and the internet and the climate change project we ran for a group of young Bahraini business leaders that immersed them in the issue over an intensive 5 day period.

 

With sustainability, collaboration and transparency ever more important features of successful companies, we believe societal learning will play an increasing role in business success. Connecting with real world issues empowers leaders and employees, contributes to a wider sense of purpose and makes the workplace more meaningful — something that is good for businesses, their people and wider society.