A new study from SDA Bocconi School of Management underlines the intertwined relationship between nature and GDP. Its starting point is the revelation that more than 50 per cent of global GDP – or $58 trillion of global economic value – is exposed to risks linked to natural degradation. Specifically, these risks encompass extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, critical changes in Earth systems and resource scarcity. The upshot is that working to regenerate nature also equates to regenerating the economy and the SDA Bocconi report illustrates the role business can play. Entitled Regenerating Nature Means Regenerating the Economy , the report calls for moving beyond the climate dimension alone and focusing on nature-based solutions. It explores the potential of regenerative agriculture and the challenges linked to soil, water and oceans. It also highlights how companies can engage in remediation activities, for example, through the use of water treatment or low-emission transport. The report was presented in Paris to an audience of 400 students from various grandes écoles institutions by its author Sylvie Goulard, professor of practice in global affairs at SDA Bocconi. It is the result of a collaboration between the Milan-based business school and French initiative 2050Now. Examples from several major companies affiliated with 2050Now are presented in the report, such as the use of regenerative agriculture practices in the supply chains at luxury goods multinational LVMH and utility firm Veolia’s work on purification, water treatment and a reduction in fossil fuels’ use. The report also makes recommendations for organisations that include the engagement of people and territories; the fight against misinformation; the use of positive psychological levers to drive action, as demonstrated by neuroscience; and the role of companies as places of learning, participation and collective alignment. EB THE BUSINESS IMPERATIVE FOR NATURE REGENERATION SCHOOL : SDA Bocconi School of Management, Italy
The modern business landscape is undeniably challenging, with those at the helm forced to negotiate new technologies, continuing volatility and pervasive inequalities. A new white paper from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) argues that these evolving realities are increasingly demonstrating that traditional leadership methods are no longer fit for purpose and that a new approach is needed to deal with today’s global challenges. That approach, the paper postulates, should be based around a shift from performance-focused management towards wisdom-based leadership that is grounded in ethics, reflection and compassion. Wisdom at the Helm: Redefining Leadership for a Complex World is authored by Surya Tahora, professor of organisational and leadership studies at SPJIMR and Tanvi Mankodi, assistant professor of organisational and leadership studies at the school. “Leadership today demands more than vision and agility; it demands wisdom – the ability to harmonise performance with purpose, innovation with integrity and human values with technological progress. Embedding wisdom into leadership is not a soft ideal, it’s a strategic necessity. As workplaces become more complex and AI redefines how decisions are made, wisdom provides the compass leaders need to stay human-centred and purpose-driven,” declared Tahora. The paper suggests that leadership programmes should encompass ethical decision-making scenarios to assist in formulating new strategies, while also promoting reflective practices, encouraging humility in leadership and fostering cultures around wisdom-oriented values. There is also a focus on the ethical integration of AI in organisational decision- making, with recommendations for establishing AI ethics boards and roles dedicated to overseeing responsible AI use. The paper was released through SPJIMR’s Centre for Wisdom in Leadership, of which Tahora is the executive director. EB PAPER CALLS FOR LEADERSHIP APPROACHES TO BE REDEFINED AROUND WISDOM & ETHICS SCHOOL : SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, India
10 Ambition • ISSUE 6 • 2025
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