Conscious Firms: A Disruptive Productivity Model with Human Development at the Service of Stakeholders

Koponen, Ismo; Álamo, Pablo

In the present, social awareness is found in the form of organisations being conscious. The existence of the entrepreneurial phenomenon is explained from the social roots of human behaviour. Without sociability, there is no firm and without awareness, there is no responsible firm. By deeply exploring a case study of a conscious firm awarded by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, this study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship and ethical and socially responsible business management. We offer a theory and a productive model with human development that fosters entrepreneurship and makes it possible to build ethical interactions between the firm and the stakeholders. The methodology used is qualitative with a humanistic approach and presents the hypothesis that, if conscious firms want to have high productive performance, they must empower the worker in a way that turns them into entrepreneurs of their own work. The most important conclusion of this work is that conscious firms must have a productivity model that combines two processes: sustainable economic growth and comprehensive human development. We also suggest theoretical and practical implications for the consolidation of ethical advancements in the business world.