A new report published  by consultancy Xynteo announces ‘5 jobs to be done’ which business leaders should undertake to enable progress towards a new enduring, sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant growth model for Europe and the rest of the world. The findings are based on interviews with 27 European CEOs and business leaders, together representing a combined market cap of over €2 trillion, and a further 105 leaders from European businesses.

 

The five key concrete actions for business to lead the change to a new growth model are:

 

Move beyond shareholder primacy

Businesses need to continue to satisfy shareholder return while moving beyond it, through finding new ways of working with their boards; engaging their teams; and connecting to the rapidly growing pool of like-minded investors.

 

Lead the consumer

Businesses need to apply the power of behavioural insights to nudge consumers towards more sustainable choices, while simultaneously radically lifting overall sustainability performance of the products and services offered to consumers and changing the consumption model itself.

 

Shape the future of work

Businesses need to evolve their relationship with labour in order to help build a new model of employment, in which we have enough good work for humans while reaping the benefits of automation and AI.

 

Liberate data through trust

Businesses need to reverse the downward slide in trust, ensuring that data can be leveraged to unlock a new form of growth.

 

Reset the collaboration between government and business

Businesses need to change the narrative of the relative roles of business and government to establish symbiotic partnerships that leverage their complementary assets. Collaboration between business and government is essential to enable Europe to face the rest of the world as a united and innovative power.

 

Osvald Bjelland, Chairman and CEO, Xynteo said: “Through our conversations, we recognised that the challenge we face is not of practical means but of leadership and of will. Given the trend towards fragmentation of politics today, and that 69 of the world´s 100 largest economic entities are businesses rather than countries, it follows that our CEOs and their organisations need to assume more of the leadership load.”

 

“The main, and profoundly encouraging, takeaway from our report is that these leaders accept, as almost a foregone conclusion, their responsibility to contribute actively to a new growth model – not least since they see this contribution as a core source of competitiveness and differentiation. We hope the ‘5 jobs to be done’ serve as a stimulus for action that businesses from all sectors can take – now.”

 

To read and download the report visit: https://xynteo.com/our-work/europe-delivers.

 

About the Report

Xynteo spoke directly with the 27 CEOs and business leaders listed above. Xynteo additionally conducted telephone research with 105 businesses leaders, in conjunction with Opinium around a series of quantitative and qualitative questions related to Europe Delivers’ four Grand Challenges. These additional leaders were all director level and above, but below board level; aged under 50 and working in companies of more than 1,000 employees.

 

About Xynteo

Xynteo is an impact-first consultancy working with leading businesses to transform themselves and the systems in which they operate for sustainable and inclusive growth.

 

We help businesses form coalitions across sectors to drive collaborative action on systemic challenges. We also work directly with leaders to design and deliver transformation within their business.

Our programmes aim to catalyse partnerships, investment, and innovation to drive impact towards a new growth model.

 

About Europe Delivers

This report marks the end of the second year of the Europe Delivers programmes and builds on the initial findings from the report ‘A New Kind of Growth for Europe’, which Xynteo published in 2018.

 

Europe Delivers is a platform for reinventing growth in Europe powered by Xynteo. It aims to inspire a new narrative on growth; build a movement of change-makers; and catalyse impact toward a new kind of growth in Europe.

  

Europe Delivers is guided by an independent Advisory Board of leaders. They are:

Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sweden; Osvald Bjelland, Chairman and CEO, Xynteo; Tarja Halonen, Former President of Finland; Connie Hedegaard, Former European Commissioner for Climate Action; Henrik Henriksson, President and CEO, Scania; Jeremy Leggett, Founder and Former CEO, Solarcentury; Henrik Madsen, Former CEO, DNV GL; Henri Proglio, Former CEO, EDF and Veolia Environment; Wolfgang Schüssel, Former Chancellor of Austria; Hans Vestberg, CEO, Verizon; Thorhild Widvey, Chair, Statkraft, Former Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Norway.

At the heart of Europe’s current difficulties and future opportunities are four Grand Challenges. These interconnected themes were unpacked through conversations with the 27 CEOs and business leaders.

 

More information available at:

www.xynteo.com

 

 

Picture Courtesy Of Xynteo Consultancy