To address the climate crisis, for-profit firms—major contributors to climate change and social inequality—must adopt and sustain a purpose beyond the pursuit of profit. Beyond-profit business models prioritize positive environmental and social impacts alongside financial success.
Although many stakeholders now demand that firms adopt sustainable practices, little research exists to guide the implementation of these commitments. Our interdisciplinary team will use in-depth interviews and on-site observations to identify managerial practices and organizational structures that allow firms to maintain a beyond-profit purpose.
This research will generate a toolkit of best practices applicable to the thousands of firms interested in advancing planetary solutions, which we will disseminate at an annual Yale Beyond-Profit Business Conference. This multistakeholder conference and related publications will catalyze a learning community to reimagine the relationship between business and society.
