I was at the INSEAD global leadership Summit recently where I was invited to speak on a very relevant topic for today’s times- ‘Responsible Leadership and Sustainable Growth’. The discussion and the subsequent questions on the sidelines of the event set me thinking. Is developing sustainable technologies still a nice to have? Or are organizations today realizing the imperative nature of doing business that is environmentally sound? Are India and Indian business as aware as their counterparts in Europe and the US?
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I believe corporate India today is just as committed as any developed economy to evolving a sustainable business model. This is because we have a greater need and an opportunity to do so. Indian businessmen are as global in their thinking as their counterparts around the world. Business leaders today are setting the tone for resolving issues pertaining to the environment, a topic that will be on the agenda tomorrow just like democracy was a century back. People were not born aspiring for democracy but once they learnt about it, they started asking for it. Democracy came about not because some leaders said that it was the right way to go, but because the people at grass roots could see the difference it was bringing in their lives. So will ‘being green’. Businesses will go green because it’s good for business and for society.
Question is- what will bring about that step change that is required to set the juggernaut rolling?
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Hi Vineet,
I believe that there has been a lot of talk about CSR and so on, but I am amazed that no one talks about ISR – Individual Social Responsibility. I believe that as an Individual I contribute more to Carbon Emissions than say a company. But, all this brouhaha about CSR and the subsequent hype makes me think of a classic oxymoron.
Because, the IT companies are not the major contributors to this but they are companies like Oil Refineries, Automobile manufacturers, Chemicals and other such factories. And yet you see no one asking them to do anything. Like you pointed out, it has all been talk and no walk.
You spoke about Automobile companies creating better and more fuel efficient cars but that again is dependent on an individual’s choice as a consumer to have a highly luxurious/powerful car. Especially in countries like India where the speed limit of a vehicle is actually the limit to which you can push your vehicle and considering the crappy roads, how many people would like to go for a greener car – considering the capital cost.
I believe a more saner and more penetrative strategy would be for Government to incentivize production of such cars and more importantly incentivize the purchase of such cars.
My question to you is thus this – Do you think it is easier for everyone to just blame ‘bad old’ businesses rather than look inwards?
Looking forward to hearing from you on the same. (I know that’s a fat chance but still no harm in waiting for a reply)
Regards,
Venkatesh Sridhar
http://www.venkateshsridhar.com
That was a real quality interview. The debate around the green issue has been pondering for quite some time. I think this was a rock solid response from an industry heavyweight like HCL , as to how it understands its responsibility and is contributing its part effectively.