What Does “Stakeholder Capitalism” Mean to You?

A guide to the four main types

by

Lynn S. Paine

by

Lynn S. Paine

From the Magazine (September–October 2023) · Long read

Alex Eben Meyer

Summary.

Business leaders are being urged to adopt a multistakeholder approach to governance in place of the shareholder-centered approach that has guided their work for several decades. But through hundreds of interviews with directors, executives, investors, governance professionals, and academics over the years, the author has found wide differences in how those leaders understand stakeholder capitalism. That lack of clarity can put boards and executives on a collision course with one another when decisions requiring difficult trade-offs among stakeholders’ interests arise. It also creates expectations among stakeholders that if unfulfilled will fuel cynicism, alienation, and distrust.

To help reduce the risk of such negative consequences, the author has created a guide for corporate leaders that illuminates four versions of stakeholder capitalism: instrumental, classic, beneficial, and structural. They reflect significantly different levels of commitment to the interests of stakeholders and rest on very different rationales.

Idea in Brief

The Insight

Stakeholder capitalism can take several forms, but few leaders distinguish among them.

The Challenge

The failure of corporate leaders to establish a shared understanding of which form they’re embracing leads to confusion and controversy.

The Answer

To reduce the risk of such misalignment, leaders should be clear about which version of stakeholderism they are espousing and what it will take to deliver on that commitment. This article describes the four main types.

The past few years have seen an outpouring of articles and statements heralding the arrival of a new and more inclusive form of capitalism, often called “stakeholder capitalism.” It promises to bolster companies, improve outcomes for their constituencies, produce better returns for long-term shareholders, and ultimately strengthen the economy and society as a whole. In line with the new ideology, corporate boards and business leaders have been urged to adopt a multistakeholder approach to governance in place of the shareholder-centered one that has guided their work for several decades.

A version of this article appeared in the September–October 2023 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Lynn S. Paine is a Baker Foundation Professor and the John G. McLean Professor of Business Administration, Emerita, at Harvard Business School.

What Does “Stakeholder Capitalism” Mean to You?

Idea in Brief

The Insight

The Challenge

The Answer

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