Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

The Ecosystem of Shared Value

By: Mark R. Kramer and Marc W. Pfitzer
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

Governments, NGOs, companies, and community members must all be involved in programs to create shared value, yet they work more often in opposition than in alignment. A movement known as collective impact has facilitated successful collaborations in the social sector, and it can guide businesses in bringing together the various actors in their ecosystems to help remedy some of the world's most urgent problems. In the process, companies will find economic opportunities that their competitors miss. Five elements must be in place for a collective-impact effort to achieve its aims: (1) a common agenda, which helps align the players' efforts and defines their commitment; (2) a shared measurement system; (3) mutually reinforcing activities; (4) constant communication, which builds trust and ensures mutual objectives; and (5) dedicated “backbone” support, delivered by a separate, independently funded staff, which builds public will, advances policy, and mobilizes resources.

Keywords

Social Entrepreneurship; Cooperation

Citation

Kramer, Mark R., and Marc W. Pfitzer. "The Ecosystem of Shared Value." Harvard Business Review 94, no. 10 (October 2016): 80–89.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Register to Read

More from the Authors

    • September–October 2022
    • Harvard Business Review

    The Essential Link Between ESG Targets and Financial Performance

    By: Mark R. Kramer and Marc W. Pfitzer
    • August 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Engine No.1: An Impact Investing Firm Engages with ExxonMobil

    By: Mark R. Kramer
    • October 2021
    • Faculty Research

    Engine No. 1: An Activist Hedge Fund Pursues Stakeholder Capitalism (B)

    By: Mark Kramer
More from the Authors
  • The Essential Link Between ESG Targets and Financial Performance By: Mark R. Kramer and Marc W. Pfitzer
  • Engine No.1: An Impact Investing Firm Engages with ExxonMobil By: Mark R. Kramer
  • Engine No. 1: An Activist Hedge Fund Pursues Stakeholder Capitalism (B) By: Mark Kramer
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.