Yesterday during an event at ETH Zurich, the new CEO of WWF Switzerland was introduced: a former CITI Bank employee and McKinsey consultant.
One might ask, what the WWF has to do with a major bank and strategic business consulting firm?
WWF is a large NGO, and I assume holding significant assets from its donors. We might question whether WWF is diversifying into strategic business consulting like McKinsey, e.g. in the field of corporate sustainability? Is it also a coincidence that ETH Zurich has hired a former McKinsey consultant as professor for its chair of sustainability and technology?
Strategic business consulting is certainly key in developing businesses. Was or is it sustainable for the economy, society, our vital, natural resources and the environment? There is a risk that consulting businesses take advantage of the green wave, in a way to benefit from free riding, making use of a greenish etiquette or greenwashing with the only purpose, to generate revenue and profit.
In particular, strategic business consulting puts corporate sustainability and our society at a very high risk, if its bottom-line is developing new business and maximizing revenue and profit while freeriding the green wave. In doing so, there might be some tacit agreement between the consultancy firm and the corporate customer, to proceed with business as usual. We all know the consequences of such behaviors. Since large business consultancies operate at the global level and different cultures, such behavior infringe democratic processes, encourage corruption and increase the gap between the rich and the poor, worsening the latter livelihood and survival conditions.
We all agree that for profit-based organizations, be profitable is key for a company’s survival. We also know, that only focusing on profit and growth, at the expense of the society and the environment is unsustainable. An organization to survive has to be profitable and sometimes, organizations need excellent leadership to be turned around towards profitability, in order to survive and stand on its own feet. Sometimes this is achieved in bringing in an external business consultancy firm.
Is the WWF in a turnaround situation? Should WWF divert into strategic business consultancy? What about WWF’s core purpose and values?
How do we perceive WWF’s purpose and role? I perceive WWF’s role in the conservation of natural ecosystems, its inhabitants, fauna and flora, emphasizing its purpose and mission with regards to climate change, adaptation and capacity building. WWF sees its ultimate goal to build a future where people live in harmony with nature http://www.wwf.org/
If WWF is funded from different sources, such as corporate businesses quoted on the stock market, what about funding through private donations? This is a big question mark. The answer of WWF: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/businesses/
My question to WWF is, why should I make donations as a private person, when a NGO like WWF makes money from contracts with the private business sector?
To conclude on the strategic business consultancies, it is important, that their consultancy leads corporations to the transformation path of the three pillar/triple-bottom-line sustainability – society, environment, economy. Since the people of these consultancies are in the driving seat, it is crucial that they excel with strong sustainability competencies and make use of sustainability leadership.
My personal vision is that in the short-term, strategic business consultancies like McKinsey have turned into consultancies, with a mission and a purpose that have been adopted by WWF a long time ago. The opposite way around would be disastrous for us all and for our planet.