A new report reveals that hands-on learning opportunities for executives expose them to stark social realities could be core to restoring the reputation of corporate Britain, and creating more responsible business leaders.
The study analysed the charity’s pioneering experiential Prince's Seeing is Believing programme, where chief executives see and experience social issues first-hand, and investigated why some business leaders put creating value for wider society at the heart of their work, whilst, at the same time, stories of corporate failures attributed to poor leadership abound. The approach involves leaders rolling up their sleeves and really seeing the shocking, negative socio-economic impact of a preoccupation with profit. The programme, designed to create professionals who understand that responsible practice needs to be at the core of all that we do, also offers executives first-hand experience of the positive impact that business can have on lives.
The study also looks at how to develop the 'right' kind of leaders. Research-led recommendations to develop responsible leaders who are powerful forces for social good include:
Leading by example – They must act as exemplars and champion responsible business leadership on public platforms and in conversations with peers, and encourage responsible leadership through the goals they set, the stories they tell, the shadow they cast through what they are seen to do and who they celebrate and reward.
Recruiting the right people – Talent management and recruitment processes need to value different qualities and life experiences, such as volunteering and secondments to voluntary organisations. These activities make a crucial contribution to developing the right worldview and an ethical, responsible organisational culture.
Developing responsible leadership – Leaders and HR professionals must embed experiential learning into their organisation’s leadership development activities to improve workplace performance.
New research reveals that hands-on learning opportunities for executives that expose them to stark social realities are core to creating more responsible business leaders. Conducted by Ashridge Business School and Business in the Community (BITC), the study analyses the charity’s pioneering experiential Prince's Seeing is Believing programme, where chief executives see and experience social issues first-hand. Seeing is Believing has taken 8,000 chief executives out across the UK to see and experience first-hand pressing social and environmental challenges such as homelessness, alcoholism or youth unemployment since 1990. Participating business leaders, who have included bosses from Costain, KPMG, Greggs, Fujitsu, Barclays, Thames Water, then feedback to HRH The Prince of Wales on the collaborative action they've taken.
The research investigated why some business leaders put creating value for wider society at the heart of their work, whilst, at the same time, stories of corporate failures attributed to poor leadership abound. The new report Developing Responsible Business Leaders is based on in-depth interviews with nine chief executives* who have taken part in the initiative. The study draws on their early careers, role models, influencers and defining experiences to reveal how first – hand engagement with social issues has acted as a catalyst to kick-start their consciousness and drive to embed responsible business practice.
For Ken McMeikan, Group Chief Executive, Brakes, his Seeing is Believing visit, with first-hand experiences of homelessness and child poverty opened his eyes to the “reality and horrors of some of the difficult issues in society that are easy to walk past and ignore”. For Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, it was a chance encounter with Mother Teresa that initially sparked his awareness of the power and influence of leadership. Participation in a Seeing is Believing visit to a ‘wet hostel’ for alcohol misusers then inspired him to ensure more businesses play a key role in solving societal issues. For Duncan Tait, Chief Executive, Fujitsu, working in his parents’ newsagents as a child and watching their customer service gave him insights into the role of business in society. Duncan led a Seeing is Believing visit that sparked an epiphany that built on this experience and enabled him to clearly define the business case for responsible behaviour, leading to him second his own employees into deprived areas. To develop the ‘right’ kind of business leader, getting the right combination of different kinds of life experiences is crucial. Through personal perspectives on the role of business leaders, by business leaders, the study reveals themes that repeatedly emerge in the life histories of progressive leaders. These include: First-hand experiences of pressing challenges in society and personal relationships with people experiencing them; exposure to influential role models working successfully to address these challenges and working with a peer-group and support network of like-minded business leaders
Developing ethical leaders – Research- led recommendations to develop responsible leaders who are powerful forces for social good include:
Leading by example – They must act as exemplars and champion responsible business leadership on public platforms and in conversations with peers, and encourage responsible leadership through the goals they set, the stories they tell, the shadow they cast through what they are seen to do and who they celebrate and reward.
Recruiting the right people – Talent management and recruitment processes need to value different qualities and life experiences, such as volunteering and secondments to voluntary organisations. These activities make a crucial contribution to developing the right worldview and an ethical, responsible organisational culture.
Developing responsible leadership – Leaders and HR professionals must embed experiential learning into their organisation’s leadership development activities to improve workplace performance.
Lee Waller, Director, Ashridge Centre for Research in Executive Development, added: “With complex issues such as homelesness, drug abuse or climate change, managers need to have a deep engagement with them. Through learning by taking part, experiential learning gives executives hands-on learning opportunities and the opportunity to focus on wider challenges than revenue generation. Conventional management courses just don’t cut it when it comes to developing leaders with a worldview that grasps the role of business in the wider world. Experiential learning equips employees with an emotional connection to the subject, real examples to draw on and inspiring stories to share back in the workplace.”
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, said: “Powerful, personal experiences outside of the business are at the heart of shaping the approach of chief executives to leadership.
Seeing is Believing not only immerses leaders in some of the most pressing socio-environmental issues, it also triggers an understanding of the role of business to address these issues collaboratively and practically. Experiential learning nurtures values and decision-making throughout an organisation. By actively participating in this and encouraging employees to do so, business leaders send a powerful message that responsible business practice is valued and genuinely embedded within their business strategy.”
Matt Gitsham, Director, Ashridge Centre for Business and Sustainability, said: “Thirty years ago there was very little discussion around corporate sustainability – people expected issues to be resolved through public policy interventions. Times have changed, and sustainable business practices are something every business leader needs to understand.”
