Leadership

Creating High-Impact Coalitions

CEOs can lead the charge on society’s biggest problems.

by

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

and

Tuna Cem Hayirli

by

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

and

Tuna Cem Hayirli

From the Magazine (March–April 2022) · Long read

Mark Smith

Summary.

Traditionally, responses to crises and societal problems—the Covid-19 pandemic, natural disasters, racial inequities—are considered the responsibility of the public sector and NGOs. But addressing the world’s most critical problems requires leadership, resources, and skills beyond those of any single organization, industry, sector, or government. What’s needed, the authors argue, is high-impact coalitions—an emerging organizational form that reaches across boundaries of business, governments, and NGOs.

Although public-private partnerships have existed for some time in various forms, large cross-sector, multistakeholder initiatives are newly resurgent and not yet widely understood. They are more voluntary and relationship-based than formal organizations but more task-directed than networks. They connect otherwise disparate spheres of activity that bear on big problems by aligning powerful actors behind a purpose-driven mission. Once underway, they can harness and utilize capabilities quickly and flexibly.

This article describes the features of high-impact coalitions and sets out five principles that make the difference between success and failure.

Idea in Brief

The Challenge

A high proportion of stakeholders—86% on the Edelman Trust Barometer—expect business leaders to take the lead on societal issues.

The Problem

The world’s most critical problems are complex, requiring leadership, resources, and skills beyond the capacity of any single organization, industry, or sector.

The Solution

High-impact coalitions are an underrecognized organizational form for addressing societal problems. They are voluntary and relationship-based, and connect otherwise disparate spheres of activity that bear on big problems by aligning powerful actors behind a purpose-driven mission.

If you ask CEOs what keeps them up at night, you find that their worries go well beyond staying ahead of the competition. Increasingly they worry about big systemic challenges and what they can do to help fix them. That’s because they’re keenly aware of people’s expectations: A high proportion of stakeholders—86% on the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer—believe that business executives must play a lead role in tackling societal issues.

A version of this article appeared in the March–April 2022 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, the founding chair of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, and a former chief editor of Harvard Business Review. She is the author of Think Outside the Building: How Advanced Leaders Can Change the World One Smart Innovation at a Time (Public Affairs, 2020).
RosabethKanter
TH

Tuna Cem Hayirli is an MD/PhD student in health policy at Harvard University.

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