Book Review by Hazel Henderson
“The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability & Success,” by Carol Sanford, Jossey Bass 2011, is a deeper, more satisfying look at business from the inside by a seasoned management consultant.
Sanford’s methods are holistic and based on systems thinking, unusual for most companies striving to please Wall Street analysts. Sanford’s recounting of her daunting work within large corporations, including DuPont (DD), Procter and Gamble (PG), and Clorox (CLX), shows that significant change, even at the division level of such companies can take decades. These case studies show that reforming capitalism and steering such behemoths in more socially and environmentally responsible directions may take more time than needed by a polluted, environmentally stressed, warming planet.