THE GROWTH ADDICTION
For a long time the measure of the health of a business has come down to one thing: growth. But - much like the state of the economy being reduced to GDP - there is increasing cultural pressure to let go of reductive measures.
Over the last few years, people have got better at thinking about and talking about systems: The pandemic highlighted the built-in inequities in society; the spotlight on police brutality forced mainstream media to talk about systemic racism; ‘billionaire’ became a dirty word; and the cost of living crisis pointed a big fat question mark at energy companies. The climate conversation shifted from the distraction of consumer responsibility to defiance against the corporations and governments that have us hurtling towards destruction.
People have questions, especially those growing up in this mess. Tiktok is full of anti-capitalist content; reddit has an ever-growing anti-work thread; and hustle culture is making way for wellbeing culture - a world in which your life matters more than your work.
The business world is responding at a surface level - offering free therapy for stressed out workers, reducing waste, doubling down on CSR efforts - but people are looking for systemic change, not just cosmetic change. Offsetting harm is no longer going to cut it.
First and foremost we need to tackle the obsession with growth.
When growth is the fundamental goal, everything else is sacrificed in its service. Your growth target may sit alongside others - winning over the next generation, becoming more sustainable, excellent service - but growth will always win in a fight.
An obsession with growth at the cost of all else does not make for healthy businesses. Just look at other systems:
In the body, growth at the expense of overall health is considered a malignancy or pathology.
In nature, growth at the expense of an ecosystem’s overall health is called a parasite or pest.
We need to look at the whole system in business too.
The definition of a thriving business should be that it lives in symbiosis with everything it touches:
It provides something the world needs.
It provides a fulfilling living for its workers.
It puts back more than it takes from the planet.
This is a mass conversation that’s being had by economists and teens on tiktok, so it’s a great time for all of us to step back and take a look at the systems we run and participate in at work. It’s time to rewrite the objectives.