What Does "Stakeholder Capitalism" Mean to You?

Business leaders are being urged to adopt a multistakeholder approach to governance in place of the shareholder-centered approach that has guided their work for several decades. But through hundreds of interviews with directors, executives, investors, governance professionals, and academics over the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Harvard business review 2023-09, Vol.101 (5), p.108
Main Author: Paine, Lynn S
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Capitalism
Corporate governance
Investors
Leadership
Stakeholders
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Business leaders are being urged to adopt a multistakeholder approach to governance in place of the shareholder-centered approach that has guided their work for several decades. But through hundreds of interviews with directors, executives, investors, governance professionals, and academics over the years, the author has found wide differences in how those leaders understand stakeholder capitalism. That lack of clarity can put boards and executives on a collision course with one another when decisions requiring difficult trade-offs among stakeholders' interests arise. It also creates expectations among stakeholders that if unfulfilled will fuel cynicism, alienation, and distrust. To help reduce the risk of such negative consequences, the author has created a guide for corporate leaders that illuminates four versions of stakeholder capitalism: instrumental, classic, beneficial, and structural. They reflect significantly different levels of commitment to the interests of stakeholders and rest on very different rationales.
ISSN:0017-8012