Companies, the last bastion of the collective progress

We live in a more troubled world, where fear and hatred are often the driving forces behind our individual and collective actions. Traditional points of reference are crumbling. Special interests take precedence over the common good. Faced with the breakdown of social circles, the near-failure of governments to perform their fundamental functions, and the urgency of an unavoidable climate transition, the company appears to be the last place where the individual can reconnect with the collective. This new environment also offers a tremendous opportunity for the role of business to evolve beyond the essential creation of economic wealth.

Disaffection with social circles

The traditional circles of socialisation - political, religious, associative or trade union - are in crisis. Voter turnout is falling, union membership is plummeting, religious commitment is waning and associations are struggling to recruit. The messages conveyed are becoming dangerously radicalised.

In this environment, the company is becoming the last place where people from different backgrounds interact on a daily basis. It is a unique space for ‘living together’, where shared ambitions can transcend individual differences. This social function, although rarely highlighted, is increasingly crucial in preserving a form of social bond in our more fragmented societies.

The growing failure of the State

At the same time, governments are facing unprecedented budgetary constraints, at a time when citizens' expectations in terms of economic and social protection have never been higher. Public administrations are struggling to fulfil their traditional missions, and health and education systems are deteriorating, fuelling a feeling of mistrust towards public institutions.

Faced with this failure of the State, the business sector can fill a gap, not only as an economic player creating wealth, but also as a social and societal pillar. Many companies are concerned with well-being in the workplace and organisational flexibility, with ongoing training and skills development, and with supporting communities in need.

A capitalist model on its last legs

The traditional economic model is faced with a climate emergency that requires urgent, far-reaching structural changes. The equilibrium point of an economy under this new environmental constraint is necessarily degraded. The economy will create less wealth tomorrow than it has up to now, at least during this transition phase. The global economy is entering a phase where growth is becoming uncertain, compromised and even questionable in its validity.

Yet the majority of capital owners remain attached to historically high financial returns, all too often neglecting or delaying the investments needed for a sustainable economy. This imbalance jeopardises the future of the companies themselves, as well as that of all our stakeholders.

The company as a catalyst for a new collective

Imagining the future together no longer means taking advantage of a divisive, liberal or redistributive doctrine, but thinking about pragmatic solutions by experimenting with new ideas.

Reinventing a new economic balance by integrating ecological constraints into our business models, rethinking our performance indicators, favouring a longer time horizon for the allocation of human and financial capital, and sharing the cost of the transition fairly and equitably between all stakeholders (shareholders, employees, companies, government).

Supporting the development of skills by preparing employees for technological change and the new demands of tomorrow's businesses, by strengthening training and adaptability, and by preparing for the unpredictable and disruptions to come.

Valuing the diversity of our employees by encouraging a wide range of backgrounds and origins in order to transform differences into strategic assets, and by uniting individuals around shared values so that they contribute to the group rather than detract from it.

Corporate governance that meets the challenge

The days of the company whose sole mission is to maximise shareholder wealth are over. Yet there is still a lack of transparency in the dialogue between the parties: shareholders, boards of directors, management and employees.

How many boards of directors confront their shareholders and ask them to speed up expenditure on environmental transition at the cost of poorer short-term financial performance? How many managers explain to their employees that technological revolutions will create winners and losers on the job market?

The first condition of effective governance is a shared understanding of the realities. The complexity of the issues at stake means that we need to explain the facts straightforwardly, so that each link in the governance chain can then assume its responsibilities on an informed basis. Truthful dialogue is the first step towards a responsible and peaceful society. Within this governance, in which each party must be able to contribute, the staff representation bodies, the HR and CSR departments, in particular, have the opportunity to make the company a place where individual and collective aspirations can be reconciled.

In a world where traditional structures are crumbling, the company has unwillingly become the last bastion of the collective bond. Its difficult position at the crossroads of transitions also gives the company the opportunity to reconcile contradictory injunctions, to sublimate our individual interests for the common good. Do we have any credible alternatives to believing and acting in its success?