A new sustainable value system
How enterprises can benefit from a multi-stakeholder view
Businesses today are operating in a complex landscape. As performance is increasingly influenced by important shifts taking place across economies, societies, and the natural environment, leaders are recognizing this interdependence and responding in kind. Public statements from the US Business Roundtable and CSR Europe show a growing number disavowing a purely shareholder value-focused view of the role of corporations in society.
The challenge now is turning those intentions into action. We believe a key component can be the adoption of a multi-stakeholder view that considers what value creation means for a broader set of stakeholders. Deloitte’s new Sustainable Value Map™ (SVM) was developed to accelerate this effort. It provides sample value frameworks for multiple stakeholder groups to help reveal a bigger picture of how businesses impact and are reliant upon essential resources, like habitable climates, stable societies, and public infrastructure. Armed with this perspective, business leaders can make better, more confident decisions that create long-term value for all their stakeholders.
Shifting toward a multi-stakeholder view
The new SVM builds on the foundation of our original shareholder value map, the Enterprise Value Map™, by incorporating additional value frameworks.
By looking at shareholder value, employee value, customer/social/public value, and environmental value frameworks together, businesses can begin to manage broader stakeholder value with the same rigor we have been applying to shareholder value creation. For a deep dive, download the full SVM.
Building on ROI principles
The return on investment (ROI) principles of the original shareholder value are also embedded in the expanded SVM. This broader perspective can help companies better account for their impacts across stakeholder groups. It can also help them better recognize and actively manage their long-term access to critical resources and infrastructure provided by non-shareholder stakeholders—access that may be increasingly threatened due to societal and environmental pressures. Inclusion of critical assets like water, roadways, ports, stable climates, educated employees, and licenses to operate can help make improvement of value for other stakeholders not just a matter of principle and a “nice to have,” but also a matter of preserving access to inputs critical to long-term shareholder value creation.
Creating value for a broader set of stakeholders
By taking a wider view, enterprises can unlock returns and opportunities across stakeholder groups.
- Shareholders: Greater investor returns and ESG performance, as well as reduced business risk, input costs, and cost of capital
- Employees: Increased jobs, income, benefit, training, in addition to greater diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Customers/social/public: Improved products and services, economic vitality, and community impact, with reduced risk
- Environment: Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and resource depletion, along with greater environmental responsibility and development
Making the future of enterprise value sustainable
As we work toward more sustainable business behavior, the challenge is to expand our thinking about how enterprise value can be defined and created moving forward. The good news is that the necessary changes can be achievable and beneficial—for all stakeholders and for the long term.
To see the first version of the Sustainable Value Map™ and learn more about applying a multi-stakeholder lens to your enterprise, download the full report today.
