Strategy

Social value

The most immediate and urgent concern for any company is addressing the many critical decisions surrounding the best way forward. Complicated evaluations, strategic shifts and hard choices are essential to ensure that companies can weather the increasing complexity of the In order to create social value, it is important to reimagine purpose, established power structures and the employer’s role. Unlocking social value is a process of co-creation between society, stakeholders and leadership. The idea of success is changing. People believe it is important for companies to take a stand on key social, environmental, and political issues.

In order to create social value, it is important to reimagine purpose, established power structures and the employer’s role. Unlocking social value is a process of co-creation between society, stakeholders and leadership. The idea of success is changing. People believe it is important for companies to take a stand on key social, environmental, and political issues.

Companies that move to skills-based hiring see a shift that gives them a stronger, more diverse workforce. The shift to hiring and career development based on people’s skills rather than degrees. Building culture should be done in a deliberate way. Companies must hire people with a focus on diversity. Equal pay throughout the company is also vital. Paying for unpaid labour makes society as a whole more equal.

Top banner image, Vlisco headquarters by Simone Post

Cross-cultural competence is the most critical factor for diverse teams. The number of ideas generated can increase due to the convergence of different perspectives, it may also lead to higher levels of conflict than with conventional teams.

01 Crisis management

02 Skills based hiring

03 Reducing the income gap

04 Cross-cultural competency

Freedom to move

Kamak is a sustainable sportswear brand from Switzerland, made by women for women. It is a collection that offers modesty, style and comfort for all women who want to regain their place in sports and leisure spaces. Even today, not all of them have the same easy access to sports and having clothes adapted to your needs is crucial to facilitate this access.

The collection gives maximum coverage with volume and invisible underwear in the styles. Modest clothing that is minimalistic and opaque allows women to keep what they consider intimate to themselves and stay in line with their values. See more here

A safe space

Somewhere Good is a mobile app, a social search platform for people to join, chat and discover new communities. Users can visit and enter different communities that suit their interests, for instance, a birdwatching collective for people of colour or an anti-capitalist book club.

Naj Austin built Somewhere Good on the premise of collectivism rather than individualism. She is reinventing how social media looks and feels, with the community and people of colour at its core. See more here

Preserving crafts

Architect Bijoy Jain has transformed a semi-traditional Rajastani house into Nila House, a craft centre in Jaipur as an act of cultural preservation. The project is part of the Lady Bamford Foundation, named after Carole Bamford, a British entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Nila House is a physical space to share the history of Indian textiles and crafts with a new generation, preserve the rich crafts heritage and support artisans. During workshops such as spinning together, precious time is spent together, sometimes with songs sung to the rhythm of a spinning wheel. See more here

Shelter

Sheltersuit was founded by Bas Timmer and is a place where people work together to create products to help ease the lives of the homeless. The Sheltersuit is a wind and waterproof jacket with an optional sleeping bag attachment for instant shelter. The jacket is made of high-quality, breathable, upcycled tent fabric and offers protection to homeless people.

Sheltersuit creates employment opportunities for newcomers, people who are struggling or people with disabilities to close the gap for people with a distance to the working population. See more here

Retail

Community-based stores in close collaboration with the local community, provide opportunities for neighbourhood improvement and that pay a living wage. Shops focus on community and people getting together. Activities are organised to meet the needs of a changing consumer base.

Retail concepts reflect the duality between traditional and modern life. Stores aim at bringing back community activities such as doing the laundry, a convergence between modernity and tradition.

Retail concepts and social enterprises can empower people to grow and reconnect with the food they eat. By transforming underutilized spaces within the city into thriving edible gardens, urban farming becomes a catalyst for sustainable living, social inclusion and re-greening the city.