Connect How Companies Succeed by Engaging Radically with Society

Drawing on the experiences of John Browne, former CEO of BP, and the insight of two McKinsey experts, Connect explores the recurring rift between business and society and proposes a way in which companies can prosper by connecting with the world around them. In an era of unremitting transparency, the consequences of repeating the mistakes of the past are greater today than they have ever been. And there is an enormous prize for companies meeting these new demands with respect, authenticity and openness and making society’s needs part of their business model. Research undertaken by McKinsey & Company for this book shows that companies who do connect with society boost their performance by more than 20 percent over a ten-year period. Looking back through history at the triumphs and failures of companies to engage successfully with the communities around them, the book outlines four major principles for true, positive social connection, not lip-service CSR. Leaders must "map their world" to gather a clear-eyed, unbiased assessment of their business and its stakeholders; they must define their company's contribution to society clearly and powerfully; they must apply their well-honed management skills not just to numbers but to hard-to-define social issues; and they must commit to radical engagement and transparency with the outside world. Through vivid storytelling and interviews with global leaders like Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Goldman Sachs' CEO Lloyd Blankfein, Browne and his co-authors show how companies can connect with society, and offers practical tips for taking strategic action.