Positive Difference
After our summer break + Difference is back. We are feeling refreshed and positive after our break and delighted to bring you our October edition. Our world isn’t an easy place to inhabit right now but there is so much good going on and + Difference’s purpose is to highlight those for you. You don’t need to swallow the “business as usual” message, change for the better is bubbling away, sometimes you just need to find it. So please delve in and nurture the “feeling-good” warmth. You will feel better for it.
Purpose, Purpose, Purpose
As you may be aware of by now we are passionate about purpose and we are encouraged to find that this is a subject that is gaining more traction than ever with the publications of the following :
Guidance on being a Purpose Driven Organisation (PDO)
It has never been more complicated for organisations operating in the UK than it is right now. The challenges and concerns raised by social inequality, resource depletion and an acknowledged climate emergency have made it less clear what role businesses should play in society. Customers, investors and regulators increasingly want to know if organisations are part of the solution to society’s shared challenges and aspirations. However, there is little consensus on how a business can become part of the solution.
With these challenges in mind and as part of its role as the UK national standards body, the British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a new guidance document which sets out what being a purpose-driven organisation means in practice. The standard, PAS 808: Purpose-Driven Organisations provides support to governing bodies and executive managers on how to approach an organisation’s purpose, policies and decision-making processes. Per the guidance, the primary goal for a PDO “is achievement of the purpose as an optimal strategic contribution to the long-term wellbeing of all people and planet”.
Scotland’s new purpose report
The Scottish Council for Development and Industry has set out the business case for purpose, and practical steps that business and government can take to support a purpose-driven approach. We understand that this is the first government-commissioned report on business purpose and it provides an extensive analysis of how purposeful business can promote economic prosperity and environmental and social well-being, as well as commercial success. Please have a read of their new report, Now is the time for purpose: Putting purpose at the heart of Scottish business
In other news
Launch of the Poverty Strategy Commission
The current cost of living crisis has ramped up poverty in the UK, which had already risen by 1.6m between 2000 and 2019. Now more than ever, we need to tackle poverty through a lens that brings together all sides of the argument. So we welcome the launch of The Poverty Strategy Commission with its aims to forge a political consensus around how to tackle poverty, and what the public should expect from a social security system. The Commission is a cross-party and cross-sector approach to ending poverty, and includes James Timpson and Tanni Grey-Thompson. For more information on the Commission, click here to access the new PSC website and read the open letter from all Commissioners.
Navigating Climate Change in Europe: The Choices Ahead
More in Common interviewed more than 26,000 adults in six countries — France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom, the results of which are in this paper, with a view to help environmental policymakers, civil society organisations and the climate movement to understand where the obstacles lie and how to best build on public consensus to advance much needed climate solutions. One positive is that the report found “intergenerational agreement that climate change is worrying, that it’s human driven, and that it requires that individuals take personal responsibility. There’s a shared desire among generations to build a green future, and most are taking at least some steps towards building it”. However although the majority are convinced of the reality and urgency of climate change “the distrust in institutions and disaffection from society that manifests in scepticism about climate change is a profound and stubborn challenge”. The report urges climate advocates and policymakers to put forward “pragmatic solutions to make policies more compelling to voters. Pairing climate with demonstrably popular and urgent policies is one such choice. Another is to bring the benefits of policies close to the homes and daily lives of citizens, emphasising their value for children and grandchildren. A third is to create campaigns and communications strategies that build on relationships of trust”.
Emotional Wellbeing
The world might feel a real heavy place right now but in this article we find out why this doesn’t mean you need to wave goodbye to feeling joy and gratitude.
Shifting mindsets: A Regenerative Future
Doing less harm is not good enough — we need an economy that not only preserves what we have, but improves the world we live in. This video from The Ellen MacArthur Foundation brings together complementary visions of a regenerative future, exploring the circular economy as a framework to make decisions that solve lots of problems at the same time – reshaping the economy to become regenerative by design.
And finally, this month’s Positive News.
As always contact us for more info on becoming a Better Business.