Activists and Innovators Part 2. Employee Activism: Change from Within

Alison Taylor is a clinical associate professor at NYU Stern School of Business, and the executive director at Ethical Systems. She has written a book about the new landscape for business ethics, for Harvard Business Review Press called Higher Ground.With ideas changing on what it means to be a good business, Alison Taylor says we need collective agreements on what is good and what is bad. And we need the right words to talk about these subjects. Her interview was part of our full story on activists and innovators in business.  We talk about what is needed to be an ethical organisation, which according to her doesn’t exist without employee participation, understanding and belief that speaking up lines are actually real – and not just performance the senior leadership is putting on.In fact, Alison sees a huge expansion in what employees want in terms of raising their voice, making their opinions felt having a role in shaping the values and priorities of the organization. So, why are organizations not responding very well tot his? And what should they be doing?Listen to the full interview with Alison Taylor and hear about best practices by organisations who see the advantage of including employee voice and employee opinions.Alison’s previous work experience includes being a Managing Director at non-profit business network Business for Social Responsibility and a Senior Managing Director at Control Risks. She holds advisory roles at ESG and risk consultancy Wallbrook and sustainability non-profit Business for Social Responsibility.She has expertise in strategy, sustainability, political and social risk, culture and behavior, human rights, ethics and compliance, stakeholder engagement, anti corruption and professional responsibility. Alison received her Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from Balliol College, Oxford University, her MA in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and MA in Organizations Psychology from Columbia University.https://www.ethicalsystems.orgTwitter: @FollowAlisonT Selected links from episodeRe_generation Canada - Canada’s largest platform to inspire youth in sustainabilityClean Creatives - A movement of advertisers and clients cutting ties with fossil fuels. Undercover Activist - A learning hub for employee-led change. 

Some activists are on the barricades, but most of them are not. We’ll hear from those who are doing grassroots organising, raising awareness in their organisations and encouraging colleagues to speak up and take action. People like Christian Vanziette, Manuel Salazar and Desiree Fixler who are putting pressure on the company from within. Voices of dissent who are daringly speaking truth to power, challenging and resisting in the face of questionable leadership.And we hear more from activists and experts Gail Bradbrook, Megan Reitz and Alison Taylor who have some tips for activists. Who show us we don’t all need to be on the barricades to lead change and how activists can prevent getting entangled and become part of the problem. Full Interviews with all speakers are on the Season 3 pageSnippets and Credits for this episodeGuardian article on the 420 Carbon BombsExtinction Rebellion - a do-it-together environmental movement.Power for All - Julie Battliana and Tizana CasciaroTransition movement - Rob HopkinsTaking Action from the Inside: Linkedin Article Manuel SalazarTaking Action in Six Steps for employees - Youtube video Manuel SalazarCreatives for Climate podcast with Ryan GellertSustainability isn’t good enough Paul Polman

We see activism as a whole range of activities that change the priorities we work on. Insisting we talk about the real issues. This is about speaking truth to power. Starting with resistance and standing for our values and the possible future we envision. This is where activism crosses paths with innovation.Kwame Ferreira, founder of Impossible and Tessa Wernink, co-founder of Fairphone & the Undercover Activist have been doing (social) innovation for a long time. More recently, they have been diving into activism and what it means for business.We see that innovation without activism in the mix challenging the status quo, does not move the needle. It does not change the norm. Does that make activism a necessary ingredient to ensure innovation is not just benefiting the user but also other layers of the ecosystem?In Part 1 of Season three, we move from entrepreneurs to intrapreneurs. From social innovators to activists. And question whether activism can speed up innovation for businesses to lead.We speak to experts in the field of good business and leadership like Megan Reitz and Alison Taylor. And hear from employee activists and community organisers Christian Vanizette, Manuel Salazar, Gail Bradbrook and Desiree Fixler. Full Interviews with the speakers are on the Season 3 pageSnippets and Credits for this EpisodePlanetary Podcast Interview Stefanie Hauer with Desiree FixlerBloomberg Wealth: Nelson PeltzShareholders vs. Stakeholders -- Friedman vs. Freeman Debate - R. Edward FreemanE118: AI FOMO frenzy, macro update, Fox vs Dominion, US vs China & more with Brad Gerstner2023 Investor Day speech - Elon MuskThe Tipping Elements - Johan Rockström Davos 2023Where’s the political will? - Al Gore Davos 2023Climate Change debate - Bjørn Lomborg and Andrew Revkin | Lex Fridman Podcast #339#79 — The Road to Tyranny - Sam Harris in conversation with Timothy Snyder

Impossible and Tessa Wernink come together to showcase positive stories in business. They speak to entrepreneurs and business people from around the globe, whose curiosity has led them to question current systems and develop ethical and sustainable business practices.Season Two takes the listener to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discover the power of social entrepreneurship and planet-centric thinking to build economic value, serve community needs and contribute to long-term stability and peace.Season One hosts interviews with 17 entrepreneurs who have put the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of their business and who show us how to build mission-driven businesses.Don't forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the What If We Get It Right podcast.  https://www.whatifwegetitright.com/Follow us on:Instagram// Twitter// Linkedin// Facebook

Impossible and Tessa Wernink come together to showcase positive stories in business. They speak to entrepreneurs and business people from around the globe, whose curiosity has led them to question current systems and develop ethical and sustainable business practices.Season Two takes the listener to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discover the power of social entrepreneurship and planet-centric thinking to build economic value, serve community needs and contribute to long-term stability and peace.Season One hosts interviews with 17 entrepreneurs who have put the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of their business and who show us how to build mission-driven businesses.Don't forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the What If We Get It Right podcast.  https://www.whatifwegetitright.com/Follow us on:Instagram // Twitter// Linkedin//Facebook

Impossible and Tessa Wernink come together to showcase positive stories in business. They speak to entrepreneurs and business people from around the globe, whose curiosity has led them to question current systems and develop ethical and sustainable business practices.Season Two takes the listener to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discover the power of social entrepreneurship and planet-centric thinking to build economic value, serve community needs and contribute to long-term stability and peace.Season One hosts interviews with 17 entrepreneurs who have put the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of their business and who show us how to build mission-driven businesses.Don't forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the What If We Get It Right podcast.  https://www.whatifwegetitright.com/Follow us on:Instagram // Twitter // Linkedin // Facebook

Impossible and Tessa Wernink come together to showcase positive stories in business. They speak to entrepreneurs and business people from around the globe, whose curiosity has led them to question current systems and develop ethical and sustainable business practices.Season Two takes the listener to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discover the power of social entrepreneurship and planet-centric thinking to build economic value, serve community needs and contribute to long-term stability and peace.Season One hosts interviews with 17 entrepreneurs who have put the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of their business and who show us how to build mission-driven businesses.Don't forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the What If We Get It Right podcast.  https://www.whatifwegetitright.com/Follow us on:Instagram // Twitter // Linkedin // Facebook

Impossible and Tessa Wernink come together to showcase positive stories in business. They speak to entrepreneurs and business people from around the globe, whose curiosity has led them to question current systems and develop ethical and sustainable business practices.Season Two takes the listener to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discover the power of social entrepreneurship and planet-centric thinking to build economic value, serve community needs and contribute to long-term stability and peace.Season One hosts interviews with 17 entrepreneurs who have put the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of their business and who show us how to build mission-driven businesses.Don't forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the What If We Get It Right podcast.  https://www.whatifwegetitright.com/Follow us on:Instagram // Twitter // Linkedin // Facebook

Impossible presents Tessa Wernink in a journey across 17 interviews to meet entrepreneurs and business people from around the globe, whose curiosity has led them to question current systems and develop more ethical and sustainable business practices.Don't forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the What If We Get It Right podcast. All 17 episodes here: https://www.whatifwegetitright.com/ Follow us on:Instagram // Twitter // Linkedin // Facebook

Impossible partners with Tessa Wernink in a journey across 17 interviews to meet entrepreneurs and business people from around the globe, whose curiosity has led them to question current systems and develop more ethical and sustainable business practices.Don't forget to subscribe to never miss an episode of the What If We Get It Right? podcast.Visit our website: https://www.whatifwegetitright.com