The drive for growth has been central to the political and economic narrative of the last 12 months. In a recent Open University survey, more than 96% of UK business leaders agree that growth is important to their business strategy.
However, growth can come at a cost and leave behind certain groups of our society, as technology and working practices change. Almost three in four (72%) of leaders said growth pressures can conflict with workforce diversity and inclusion goals.
Similarly, growth and technological advancement have had environmental impacts. In the survey, 71% said sustainability and net-zero efforts are sometimes compromised to enable growth. Access to skills is a huge barrier to organisations in these areas and underpins these tensions around growth. The majority of employers said workforce challenges had moderately or significantly impacted their ability to grow inclusively (63%) and sustainably (63%).
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The Open University brought together thought leaders and experts from a variety of sectors to discuss the difficult balancing act between business growth and inclusion and sustainability. The host, Edleen John, led two roundtables covering people and the planet to discuss how to navigate these challenges – with skills development as central to the solution.
Watch as the panels offer advice and real-world examples of how we can adopt a mindset that sees people and the planet as central drivers of growth.
