Staying global means remaining human - interview with Katja Gentinetta

How would you describe the world today? How has it changed over the last few decades?

The world we live in today is very different from 10 or 20 years ago. There has been a shift and we are now seeing wars and conflicts around the globe, driven by the battle between autocratic nations on the one hand, and democracies on the other. Countries have different perceptions of how they want to position themselves in this world. Rather than seeing themselves as part of a “global whole” and contributing to it, some states are increasingly seeking to create zones of influence or control where they set their own the rules. Of course, this type of multipolar world already existed in the past – and we are now moving back in the direction of that world order. Our world is becoming ever more fragmented and polarised.
 

Why do you think this fragmentation is happening?

I am a political philosopher – and political philosophers always start with the same question: how do we want to live together? I think that one of the catalysts of the current wars and conflicts are the ideological differences between traditional communities and modern societies. Today’s world is in the midst of a clash of cultures – these two different ways of living together.

You once said: “Staying global means remaining human”.

Yes, I believe that being global, or living in a globalised world, means that we accept that humanity has a common fate. It is all about shared human values and freedom. It is about accepting that all people have a vision of a better life and want to contribute to our planet. If we are to overcome the difficulties in our world, we need to look beyond identity politics and national borders and focus on people themselves. And we need to acknowledge that we are here to build a better world for all of us.
 

How would a return to a multipolar world affect global businesses?

After 30 years of constant globalisation, returning to the old world order would be quite a challenge for global businesses as they have spent the last three decades operating anywhere and everywhere. Many of these businesses will already be wondering where they would go if we returned to a multipolar or bipolar world order. This is a completely different situation compared to a few years ago.

Do you think the main responsibility of companies is simply to generate profits – or do they have a purpose beyond creating shareholder value?

I think it is clear that every profit made by a company also benefits the people who work there. Employees earn a salary and, as consumers, they contribute to the world we live in. In that respect, economic profit goes far beyond shareholder value. If we look back at the 1970s – when Milton Friedman famously said: “The business of business is business” – it shows that we are now in a very different world. Today, it is widely acknowledged by the business community that we face significant challenges on our planet. And as far as I can see, there is an overall understanding among businesses that they need to contribute to our world. They need to ensure that the activities they conduct to address challenges become a business case – or what people in industry refer to as their “purpose”. This is the reason for doing something. And that is ultimately also the meaning of life for every one of us; each individual needs to have this sense of contributing to something bigger.
 

And that “purpose” needs to become part of every company strategy. It has to be how we create value.

Yes. Think about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. There are so many things happening in that space. And I know that not everything is perfect and businesses have a lot of work to do, but they are moving in the right direction.

You are a Swiss citizen. How do you see the future of Swiss-based companies and what are the advantages – and perhaps also the disadvantages – for businesses of operating in Switzerland today?

I would say there are classic Swiss qualities such as being innovative, competitive and having a global perspective. After all, Switzerland was one of the very early global economies and still is one of the world’s most globalised economies today. And this is certainly a heritage that is strong within Swiss companies and helps them to achieve further growth. Going forward, there will be an even greater demand for companies to adopt a responsible approach to business – and that includes showing where you belong in a potentially multipolar or even bipolar world.

Do you think that in the future, businesses will need to prioritise sustainability commitments over profits to succeed over the long term?

I would say that companies need to strive to deliver on two fronts: they need to succeed as an individual organisation and they need to operate sustainably for the benefit of the whole world. Businesses need to acknowledge that we have a planet, with a natural environment, and we have people – and we need to take action to protect them, no matter how fragmented that world may become. It is only by combining economic success and sustainability that you can foster a sense of belonging within a company and beyond – in modern society as a whole.

What advice would you give to business leaders who are seeking to navigate the current challenging environment and to encourage their people to deliver strong performance while being mindful of sustainability?

I think the key question in this context is: how do you align people with the company’s objectives? This is where it is worth considering the work of the psychologist Howard Gardner from the Harvard Kennedy School, who conducted research in the 1990s across different industries, companies and employees to find out what makes people happy at work. His findings pointed to three key ingredients: excellence, engagement and ethics. In particular, he discovered that employees are happiest when they use their expertise to produce excellent results, feel engaged and work in an efficient and effective manner. And business leaders need to be ethical, to set an example for their people and to foster a sense of belonging that goes beyond individual hopes and identities to create something bigger. And if business leaders want to bridge a divided world and a diverse workforce, they need to go as far as considering every human being.

So it is all about our humanity in the end?

Yes, If you ask yourself how to stay global in an ever more fragmented world, my response is that you should simply remain human.