BGA | BUSINESS IMPACT
INTERVIEW
The Gaïa programme is divided into seven mandatory courses and three electives; which single course are you most excited by, and why? There are plenty of amazing courses. One example is Climate Intelligence. First, the students learn about the works of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and climate forecasts for 2030, 2040, 2050 and 2100. They will then meet real companies that are questioning their own future. For 12 hours, the students will support those companies and help design business models according to the IPCC scenarios. Working to anticipate and provide clarity about a highly uncertain future deeply engages both students and company executives, who discover a very different future from the one they had anticipated in their traditional business models.
Can you tell our readers more about the findings of the ClimatSup Business project ahead of the release of its final report in November? I do not yet know the exact conclusions of the report, but it should show the importance of decompartmentalising expertise in management, academic research and pedagogy. Many teachers/ researchers have expertise related to ecological and social transition, but there are not enough links between these areas of expertise to reinvent our ways of producing, working, consuming and living together. We probably need more sharing of our internal expertise on these topics to better help future managers make the transition. What is the responsibility of business schools in helping to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals? Are you optimistic that they will be achieved by their target dates? Scientific and technical lessons related to energy, climate and biodiversity are essential, but they do not allow us to make the transitions that we so badly need. Proof of this is that 2022 will mark the highest level of net CO2 emissions ever recorded. Engineers have been working for years on technical solutions aimed at improving efficiency, decarbonising and regenerating but they are not yet equipped to give society the inspiration and impetus to carry out the huge ecological and social transition projects that are required. To get companies on board, we need inspiring and motivating narratives, something that marketing does very well. We also need competent HR experts who are aware of employees' present and future energy constraints; business strategists who are capable of integrating environmental issues into the heart of companies' business models; financiers and accountants who take into account biodiversity, climate, and energy challenges and ramifications to meet future compliance requirements. Engineering schools do not train people in these skills specifically, so it is up to business schools and management universities to do so. Engineers know what to do to decarbonise, but they do not know how to ensure that this project is shared and carried out collectively. Gaïa, by reconciling hard sciences with social sciences and business, offers solutions to this problem. But the effort must be made collectively, with academic partners, companies, states, NGOs and individuals. Will we be able to go fast enough in the transitions to avoid a bleak future? At Gaïa, we will do everything in our power to achieve this goal.
How important is a multidisciplinary approach to the management of environmental and social issues?
Students have become aware of our dependence on the living world and know that there will be no more business if we do not take care of others and the planet. Everyone understood that we had to develop new business models, products, services and practices capable of creating new balances that are necessarily sustainable and inclusive. But we still need to understand the world around us to take care of it. The true understanding of fundamental biological mechanisms, climate inertia, rebound effects and fossil energy dependence are all part of enabling our students to adopt a systemic vision of the challenges to come. Dismantling companies’ traditional management practices and enabling them to go beyond their own perimeters are major challenges necessary to tackle for the transition. Multidisciplinarity reduces blind spots and allows for a better understanding of the complexity of the world. This additional acuity is also very stimulating for our students. What else has Gaïa, the school of ecological and social transition, done since its launch last year? We have developed four executive education modules for companies. These four modules are a gateway to understanding the need to transform an organisation in order to adapt to the major changes to come. These executive programmes have been a great success with managers and business leaders. For Audencia employees, we also offer ecological and social training throughout the year.
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José Maillet is professor of ecological and social transition at Audencia, where he also leads Gaïa, the school for ecological and social transition. Highly committed to CSR, Maillet supports and advises companies and public organisations on strategic topics related to CSR and supports the deployment of CSR performance indicators, vectors of innovation and performance. He holds a PhD in management sciences
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