Tomorrow's Global Talent
We argue that tomorrow’s company will be operating in an era and a new business environment in which value creation depends on environmental and social issues as much as on economic ones – what we call the ‘triple context’. More than ever, companies will need to think in terms of their own sustainability and that of the ecosystems and communities in which they operate. We believe this means that companies should think afresh about what they mean by ‘talent’. At present most companies reserve the word ‘talent’ for high fliers who are destined to become top executives or high-level specialists. This is too narrow a view for a world with multiple challenges, needing people with a wide range of capabilities.
Talent, we argue, is all around us waiting to be unleashed. Contrary to popular belief and practice we argue that ‘talent’ should not be seen as a rare quality, but a diverse, multifaceted one that exists in everyone; it is abundant. It is a nice quirk of the English language that talent is an anagram of latent; underlining our view that much talent remains hidden and undiscovered.
Tomorrow’s Global Talent brings together leading thinking and practice, drawing on the insights and knowledge of those responsible for talent in leading organisations in both, the private and public sectors from across the world. The report provides our conclusions from the first phase of our programme – sharing the conclusions we have reached so far, as a basis for further discussion on the one hand, and deeper research on the other.
Join the discussion
here.
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Tomorrow’s Owners – Stewardship of Tomorrow’s Company
The report raises questions about the imbalance between the casino economy, the financial economy and the real economy. It examines the role in the investment system and the contribution to stewardship made by different investment players, including sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds and private equity. It discusses the explosion of derivatives and the role of short selling. It follows six months of research and dialogue, and is linked to a wider focus by Tomorrow’s Company on issues of stewardship and responsible investment.
We believe that there is no better time to be launching this report, just at the time when the pressure will be growing for ill-considered and knee-jerk regulation, of the kind which does not consider the system as a whole or the behaviours of the key actors in the system, and may lead to unintended consequences and is likely to be ineffective.
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Tomorrow's Global Company: Challenges and Choices
Launched on 18 June this is the latest report from the Tomorrow's Global Company inquiry.
Facing the global challenges, arising from the analysis, the Inquiry Team draw the conclusion that companies must expand the space in which they operate: the mindset of business leaders needs to shift and to be extended: 'global companies can be a force for good and are uniquely placed to deliver the practical solutions that are urgently required to address these issues', and to do this in practice requires a focus on three inter-locking and mutually reinforcing priorities:
- Redefining success - defining and measuring success in a way that aligns and integrates the social, environmental, human and financial aspects of companies' work;
- Embedding values - defining, living by, and being judged by values that are publicly espoused and applied rigorously in challenging situations; and
- Creating frameworks - supporting sound national regulatory frameworks and international agreements, working with governments, NGOs and others to create them.
Expanding the space in this way must become integral to the way in which we do business in the future. "This is not about philanthropy or companies being seen to be 'doing good'. These are actions that serve the long-term interests of any company", the report argues.
Click
here to read the executive summary
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The Future of Corporate Reporting - 'State of Play - February 2007'
This short report looks at how companies have changed their reporting style, both before and after the introduction of the enhanced Business Review. It examines the reasons behind their actions, and makes predictions for how we should expect this area to evolve in the upcoming reporting season following the year's end in December 2006.
To download a copy of the report click
here (this report is only available via download)
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Tomorrow's Global Company: Corporate purpose and values - time for a re-think?
Since the original inquiry into Tomorrow's Company in 1995, purpose and values have been central to the work of Tomorrow's Company. Their continued importance is reflected in many of the discussions taking place in our current inquiry - Tomorrow's Global Company.
In latest publication from Tomorrow's Company, the third in a series that accompany the inquiry, George Binney explores not just what companies are saying, in relation to their purpose and values, but also what they are doing and the consequences in terms of business performance. He looks at the rise of shareholder focus and suggests some ways leaders might influence the sense of purpose and values for their organisations.
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Sooner, Sharper, Simpler- a lean vision of an inclusive Annual Report (re-release)
This report was orginally published in 1998, when it was intended to challenge companies to re-examine and improve their approach to communication. The report focuses on a number of key principles, and played a vital role in developing the DTI's guidelines for its mandatory Operating and Financial Review (OFR).
Although the mandatory OFR has now been repealed, much of what is detailed in this report still holds true today, and continues to be a foundation for work by Tomorrow's Company in the field of reporting.
'Sooner Sharper Simpler' also contains the inclusive scorecard; a tool for measuring the effectiveness, clarity, and overall communication of purpose and values of the Annual Report.
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Tomorrow's Global Company: Climate change - the role of global companies
In March 2006, on the occasion of the Tomorrow's Company Annual Lecture, former US Vice President Al Gore delivered a powerful speech on the subject of climate change. He stressed the need for companies to work in partnership with others to combat what many regard as the greatest challenge facing the planet.
This publication first sets out the issues outlined by Al Gore, focusing particularly on the growing urgency of the situation. It then examines the efforts made, to date, to create a global framework for action, before looking at how companies feature in the potential solutions. It reviews examples of action taken by the business community to reduce negative environmental impacts and pro-actively tackle climate change, before making some concluding observations on the role of companies and others in facing the challenge ahead.
This is the second in a series of interim publications which explore some fo the major challenges being faced by companies within the context of the Tomorrow's Global Company inquiry.
Click
here to download the press release
To order a copy please contact Gerard at
gerard@tomorrowscompany.com or on 020 7222 7443. Alternatively please fax or send your details on the order form below.
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Tomorrow's Global Company: The challenges and choices report of the conference held at Wilton Park, UK
Tomorrow’s Global Company aims to bring together a group of leaders primarily from business, but also from civil society and NGO backgrounds, to explore the trends that will effect the future global business environment and to spell out what these changes mean for their strategy, leadership and governance. As part of the inquiry, Tomorrow’s Company organised a conference in partnership with Wilton Park which introduced some of the key inquiry themes to a diverse audience. This publication captures the main points made by selected speakers, the key conclusions that emerged from the discussions and some reflections on the key conference themes.
All Tomorrow's Company members are entitled to a free copy. Non-members can also apply for a free copy but this cannot be guaranteed due to limited availability.
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The ageing population, pensions and wealth creation
A short study that examines some of the issues raised in the First Report of the Independent Pensions Commission. That report drew attention to just one aspect of the future age structure of the UK population – the affordability of pensions and how they are to be funded. In this report, a business-led group has challenged the assumptions that have created a sense of crisis.
The fundamental reason why an ageing population is affordable is that rising productivity dwarfs any potential negative impact. The report challenges both the use of a flawed statistic in the form of the ‘old age support ratio’ and the notion of a ‘savings gap’
Download the press release
Download the executive summary
Download latest press release - Response to the Turner Report
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"The purpose of profit" - 2005 Tomorrow's Company Lecture by Jeff Swartz
On 12 January 2005 Jeff Swartz, President and CEO of Timberland, spoke to an audience of 200 people about his leadership of Timberland and his convictions that a business that reaches out to society will be more successful as a result. His lecture and the whole debate that followed was chaired by John Manzoni, CEO Refining and Marketing for BP, whose comments are also captured in the publication.
Click
here to read Mark Goyder's introduction to the publication.
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Restoring Trust - Investment in the twenty-first century
This report follows a two year research project into the effectiveness of the UK investment system from Tomorrow' Company. It is
• a ‘helicopter view’ of the UK investment system
• the final report of a consultation and research project led by an Inquiry Team of 20 top UK business and financial leaders and chaired by Sir Richard Sykes
• drawn from interviews and workshops with over 500 people from every link of the investment chain
• a long-term agenda for restoring investor confidence
• a warning to the industry that it faces a stark choice: leadership or suffocation
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Redefining CSR
This is the latest thinking in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from Tomorrow's Company, a provocative piece that attracted a lot of media, government and academic interest. It draws a distinction between "compliance CSR" and "conviction CSR", analyses different forms of CSR reporting, and suggests ways of tackling CSR from an enterprise perspective.
Click
here to read the introduction to Redefining CSR
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Modernising Company Law
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) asked Tomorrow's Company to review the proposed Company Law. This report showcases our findings.
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Lessons from Enron
What really happened behind the most controversial governance scandal and how can we prevent another Enron from happening? This illuminating report gives explanations and reasons into the Enron debacle.
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The non-existent non-executive
This is a response to the DTI Review of the role and effectiveness of non-executive directors. This paper tries to answer a simple yet complex question: What should the real duties and roles of the Non-Executive Director be?
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21st Century Investment
Following a year of dialogues and workshops around the business and
investment community this report examines the investment decision chain,
from the individual saver or pension scheme member through to the impact
of institutional investment upon companies. (Price = £35.00)
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Employee Ownership in Tomorrow’s Company
In discussions about business there is a tendency to assume that the
public quoted company is the universal model. This study is about employee
businesses, defined as companies which have a deliberate culture and
philosophy of employee ownership and where employees have a significant
shareholding, either directly or through a trust, and share in the success
of the company. (Price = £50.00)
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Building Tomorrow’s Company
This book describes the very real progress that many companies, including
our members, have made in changing attitudes and enhancing performance
as they have taken on board the work of the Centre for Tomorrow’s Company.
The book serves as a useful summary of our key concepts and is packed
with case studies to illuminate corporate good practice. Written by
Philip Sadler, (Published by Kogan Page). (Price = £25.00)
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The RSA Inquiry into Tomorrow’s Company
The conclusions of the inquiry, published here, have been shaping the future of UK businesses ever since. Now a best-selling publication, the Tomorrow’s Company Report sets out the inquiry’s recommendations, based on its cumulative findings. (Price = £35.00)
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Living Tomorrow’s Company
Written by the Director of the Centre for Tomorrow’s Company, Mark Goyder;
the book forecasts a future in which a logic for the absolute power
of shareholders no longer applies. It describes the battle between
two views of business: one of which reduces it to a narrow concept of
contracts and transactions; the other an inclusive approach recommended
by the original Tomorrow’s Company Inquiry team and already practised
by many of the UK’s most successful companies. (Published by Gower).
(Price = £30.00)
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Prototype Plc
This report's insights into the future of Annual Reporting remain timely particular in light of the proposals for Operating and Financial Reviews (OFR) proposed in the UK Government’s Company Law Review. Published in the Annual Report format, Prototype Plc is a colourful primer for all interested in corporate governance and reporting.
Price = £30.00
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Leadership in Tomorrow’s Company
The report defines leadership as a process of influence, emphasising that this process involves both leaders and followers. Taking an historical perspective on what constitutes effective leadership it includes a full account of the concept of transformational leadership and its role in achieving rapid and radical organisational change. Some examples of successful transformational leadership are quoted, followed by a critique of this approach. The report focuses on the leader’s role in facilitating organisational learning and the role of leadership in the development and maintenance of the organisation’s vision and values. In conclusion the report examines the way we currently develop leaders and addresses the key question of how tomorrow’s leaders are to be developed. (Price = £30.00)
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The Inclusive Approach & Business Success
Drawing on the findings of major academic studies of companies with
a long-term track record of success, the report examines the evidence
that links overall success with progress in particular relationships,
especially with customers and employees. There are also indications
that companies which focus on external objectives have outperformed
those who focus more narrowly on profit or shareholder value. The report
argues that traditional performance-measurement according to financial
criteria alone is increasingly unacceptable and is seen to be inappropriate
by more and more business leaders. It goes on to suggest that broader-based,
more holistic performance-measurement models offer more effective indications
of the likely long term profitability of organisations. (Price
= £30.00)
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The Corporate Reporting Jigsaw
An invaluable guide to the issues raised by the current debate about
the future of company law. The report focuses on the conflicting views
about the future of corporate reporting. The first part sets out two
perspectives: the entrepreneurial and the societal. It argues that companies
are in danger of dealing with these in isolation and shows how an inclusive
approach integrates the two. Section two takes a practical approach
to potential changes in company law and discusses options and opportunities
for individual stakeholder groups and an agenda for action by CEOs,
finance directors and company secretaries. (Price = £30.00)
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Leading and Managing in the New Economy
The aim of this study (conducted in conjunction with GPL) is to understand
the impact of changes in the economy on the way organisations are led
and managed in the future. (Price = £90.00)
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