We've all been told never to doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world—indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
This is true today in a different way than it ever has been before. People are standing for transparency in government and institutions. Children are teaching their parents to buy green products. In the Middle East they are casting off authoritarian governments and claiming the right to govern their own lives. With mobile phones, rapidly expanding internet connectivity, and exploding social networks, one person can inspire many who share the same view. Anyone can activate a dormant network of impassioned individuals, who just needed to get connected to get going.
Our world is being transformed by groups of ordinary people who share a belief. Today, we're brought together not by our class, community, or country, but by our ideas. It's the rise of movements.
As the leader of a large company, I've asked myself: is there a role for corporations in grassroots movements?
In a word: yes. Companies are part of movements, too. Companies respond to changes in customer preferences—they contribute to the movement by catering to its values. The green movement is leading businesses to create new products that are better for our planet—look at GE's Ecomagination. Look at how the health and fitness movement has led to the boom in gym memberships, the elimination of trans-fat in snack foods, and the mass appeal of sports brands like Nike and Reebok—or how the value of collective prosperity inspired farmer's cooperatives in India's dairy industry.
In short, businesses translate movements' values into new products, services, and processes. They bring an ideal into the material world.
And at a basic level, corporations are simply groups of individuals. Businesses are learning from the influence of Generation C—connected, changing, convergent—to think of employees as `resident consumers.' We also need to think of them as resident drivers of change. By empowering employees to join movements for positive change, businesses stay connected to what matters to their stakeholders.
This is why Mahindra is launching Spark the Rise, a platform for tapping into a movement that is already out there – a movement where people are standing up to take responsibility for the future. We believe in the power of ordinary people acting together to redefine our world – and we think Spark the Rise empowers people to do just that.
We all have ideas—now we have the means to connect, and to act.
What can YOU do?
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Posted By: Anand Mahindra on August 16, 2011 in http://www.sparktherise.com/
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