Determining When it is Legitimate to Engage

Martin Reeves of BCG Henderson Institute

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On December 14, 2023, we spoke with Martin Reeves of the BCG Henderson Institute to explore “CPR & Business Strategy in a Hyperpolitical World”

In their recent Harvard Business Review article, Strategy in a Hyperpolitical World, Roger L. Martin and Martin Reeves argue, “Almost everything about business today is political, in the sense that it requires consideration of a wide range of often controversial ethical, social and ecological issues.” Many executives know this reality all too well, as challenging societal issues are becoming ever more real and urgent in the workplace – via employee social media channels, town halls, engagement surveys and more. Given the range of high stakes issues in play, and the incredible cross-pressures confronting businesses for any action or inaction, leaders have begun to recognize that the real question is not "whether” they will confront politically contentious decisions but “when and how.”

In this module, we explore:

• How can businesses be sure they have a legitimate basis for engaging on issues?
• Are there clear areas where business should engage… or NOT engage?

The Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce (CPRT)’s Expert Dialogues are in-depth, recorded conversations with academic experts, stakeholder advocates and business practitioners to provide our members and other CPR champions with the expertise and context they need to develop principled, proactive CPR strategies. We invite those interested in a constructive, non-partisan, principles-based discussion.

Martin Reeves is a managing director and senior partner in BCG’s San Francisco office, and the Chair of the BCG Henderson Institute, BCG’s vehicle for exploring ideas from beyond the world of business, which have implications for business strategy and management. Martin is also the co-author of Strategy in a Hyperpolitical World, Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Corporate Entanglement, and The Imagination Machine (HBR Press, 2021 June).

Keywords: #CorporatePoliticalResponsibility, #CPR_Long-term Value, #CPR_Polarization, #CPR_BizStrategy, #CPR_EnterpriseRisk, #CPR_Legitimacy