企业高管今年最担心什么？新冠疫情只排在第二位
DAN REILLY
2022-02-08
尽管全世界的头条新闻都被奥密克戎、通货膨胀、劳动力短缺和全球供应链瓶颈等负面新闻所占据，到处都充斥着悲观情绪，然而很多商界领袖仍对2022年的前景持乐观态度。他们认为，当前世界形势变化不断，对于企业来讲却是不可多得的良机，应该加大力度应对气候变化，推进环境、社会和公司治理（ESG）。疫情期间，灵活多样的工作模式也已成为新范式，企业也应借此机会提高生产率、改善员工福祉，从而实现优化升级，走向成功。
温斯顿·丘吉尔在二战期间说过一句至理名言：“危机也是机遇，永远不要浪费。”重温这句话，正符合现在的情境。至少，在《财富》杂志CEO达沃斯晚宴上，众人达成了此共识。今年，一年一度的瑞典达沃斯世界经济论坛因新冠肺炎疫情而推迟，而达沃斯晚宴改在线上举行。来自各行各业的几十位企业高管参加了这次活动，对今年企业面对的主要机遇和挑战展开了讨论。
最近，《财富》杂志和德勤会计师事务所对企业高管进行了一次问卷调查，调查结果与本次线上活动中CEO们的担忧不谋而合。问卷调查中，71%的受访者表示，劳动力短缺和劳动技能落后可能是企业在2022年面临的最大障碍，第二大障碍则是新冠疫情(56%受访者表示)。
德勤CEO乔•乌库佐格鲁（Joe Ucuzoglu）表示：“劳动力市场竞争非常激烈，蓝领和白领阶层均如是。然而，这也有好处。有人预测，创新和新技术应用是减少就业的唯一罪魁祸首，但现在事实证明这是错误的。正相反，数字化转型正在大力地拉动经济增长，同时对优秀人才的需求也与日俱增。”
许多与会CEO一致认可，要应对未来的机遇和挑战，首先应接受疫情给正常工作和运营带来的种种变化。宠物和家畜用药品和疫苗厂商硕腾（Zoetis）的CEO，克里斯汀·派克（Kristin Peck）说：“当前，我们被卷入疫情危机之中，不得不远程办公、灵活办公。然而，这本身也是一个巨大的机遇，可以让我们提高工作效率，招揽全球各地的人才，之前我们根本做不到这一点。”她指出，隔离会对人的心理健康带来消极影响，如果采用这种工作模式，就需要解决这方面的问题。比如，一些企业安排领导层去“顺道拜访”员工，以保持和员工之间的联系。她说，关键在于乐趣和新意，比如一家公司的CEO甚至抽出时间给员工的孩子读故事，这既能让孩子的父母松口气，又有助于全面增进员工的家庭幸福感。
CEO们共同关注的另一个话题是，疫情的颠覆性影响，如何给企业带来机会，以重新定义和重塑企业自身。关注这一话题的大部分企业都在减排和促进可持续发展上起领导作用，并大力推进环境、社会和公司治理（ESG）。贝宝（PayPal）总裁兼CEO丹尼尔•舒尔曼（Daniel Schulman）表示：“目前，我们面临着巨大的机遇，作为CEO，作为一个企业，我们应该带头行动，负起责任，共襄善举。这是一个千载难逢的良机，如果能将大家改变世界的愿望汇聚成一股强大的力量，我们就能为了伟大的目标而团结起来，而不会仅凭一腔孤勇单打独斗。”
多数CEO认为，众多企业可以在对抗气候变化方面形成合力。正如美国银行CEO布莱恩•莫伊尼汉（Brian Moynihan）所说，COP26气候大会之后，“私企领域响应迅速”。
美国西方石油公司（Occidental Petroleum）CEO维基·霍卢布（Vicki Hollub）表示同意。她说：“虽然有些人对COP26感到失望，但我认为其也传递了很多积极的信号。商界比以往任何时候都更多地参与到这次COP会议中来，并且，问题的讨论可谓一针见血，没有浪费时间讨论气候变化到底是不是真的存在。因此我们意识到，必须开始采取一些行动了。”
对许多公司来说，“一些行动”的具体目标是，到2050年实现净零排放。霍卢布说，这需要通过全球合作，耗费数万亿美元才能实现。联合利华（Unilever）前CEO保罗•波尔曼（Paul Polman）著有《积极追求净零排放：勇于使付出多于索取，企业才能茁壮发展》一书。他认为，未来8年是实现净零排放的关键所在。据波尔曼表示，很不幸，气候变化“仍行于无法控制之轨道”。企业很快就将面临来自多方的巨大压力，促使其采取减排行动。
波尔曼说：“很有意思的一点是，金融市场实际是目前助长气候变化意识的真正驱动因素。金融市场正在迅速转变关于应对气候变化的看法，之前将其视为缓解风险的策略，而今则是一个巨大的机遇，这是好现象。这种转变，与其说由道德，我倒更认为是由经济利益所驱动的。众所周知，它撼动了整个经济系统。另一种驱动力量，信不信由你，实际上是企业自身的员工。现在，每家企业都有一位格蕾塔·桑伯格（Greta Thunberg）那样的环保先锋，也给CEO们施加着一定程度的压力。如果CEO们接收到这些信号，就得大力推进环保行动。不出所料，第三种驱动力量是成本。因为负外部性超出企业的处理能力，所以在价值链上，其所有业务的成本都会增加。我们都很清楚，各国政府正日益倾向于重新把处理负外部性的问题抛回给企业自身。”
在财务方面，企业可以效仿欧莱雅（L'Oréal），针对关注气候变化的消费者群体进行产品设计。欧莱雅的CEO尼古拉斯·希罗诺姆斯（Nicolas Hieronomus）说，尽管三分之二的消费者“宣称”他们会选择其他更环保可持续的品牌或产品，但只有大约10%的人实际会这样做。希罗诺姆斯说：“消费者不想多花钱。而且我们已经意识到，更重要的一点是，他们不想在产品质量方面做任何让步。我们正在研发的产品，与目前市面上有同等甚至更高的技术含量，而且更环保可持续，这才能真正满足消费者的需求。”
但正如波尔曼所言，针对下一步的思考和行动，CEO们需要把格局打开，在2030年之前将排放量减半。在这次活动的尾声，波尔曼向所有与会者发出呼吁，希望大家从现在开始，以身作则，一起做出更大的努力。
“那么，怎样才算成功的企业、成功的领导者?”他问道。“首先，需要为自己对这个世界产生的影响负责。如果不负责任，就会出大问题，Facebook等公司就是反面教材。这意味着，现在那些积极投身于净零计划的CEO们，考虑的不止是净值为零这么简单了。”
“地球的承载力已经远远超出了其能承受的界限，我们正以超乎寻常的速度透支后代的资源。所以我们需要考虑资源、环境的再生、恢复、修复等问题，这意味着我们要亲身参与更大范围内的变革。我们会发现，作为一名CEO，能做的事情是有限的，但决不能被那些不愿做出改变的人拖后腿。因此我们需要像今天这样，进一步拓展盟友关系，切实推动范围更广、更系统化的变革。” 波尔曼说。（财富中文网）
译者：Transn
尽管全世界的头条新闻都被奥密克戎、通货膨胀、劳动力短缺和全球供应链瓶颈等负面新闻所占据，到处都充斥着悲观情绪，然而很多商界领袖仍对2022年的前景持乐观态度。他们认为，当前世界形势变化不断，对于企业来讲却是不可多得的良机，应该加大力度应对气候变化，推进环境、社会和公司治理（ESG）。疫情期间，灵活多样的工作模式也已成为新范式，企业也应借此机会提高生产率、改善员工福祉，从而实现优化升级，走向成功。
温斯顿·丘吉尔在二战期间说过一句至理名言：“危机也是机遇，永远不要浪费。”重温这句话，正符合现在的情境。至少，在《财富》杂志CEO达沃斯晚宴上，众人达成了此共识。今年，一年一度的瑞典达沃斯世界经济论坛因新冠肺炎疫情而推迟，而达沃斯晚宴改在线上举行。来自各行各业的几十位企业高管参加了这次活动，对今年企业面对的主要机遇和挑战展开了讨论。
最近，《财富》杂志和德勤会计师事务所对企业高管进行了一次问卷调查，调查结果与本次线上活动中CEO们的担忧不谋而合。问卷调查中，71%的受访者表示，劳动力短缺和劳动技能落后可能是企业在2022年面临的最大障碍，第二大障碍则是新冠疫情(56%受访者表示)。
德勤CEO乔•乌库佐格鲁（Joe Ucuzoglu）表示：“劳动力市场竞争非常激烈，蓝领和白领阶层均如是。然而，这也有好处。有人预测，创新和新技术应用是减少就业的唯一罪魁祸首，但现在事实证明这是错误的。正相反，数字化转型正在大力地拉动经济增长，同时对优秀人才的需求也与日俱增。”
许多与会CEO一致认可，要应对未来的机遇和挑战，首先应接受疫情给正常工作和运营带来的种种变化。宠物和家畜用药品和疫苗厂商硕腾（Zoetis）的CEO，克里斯汀·派克（Kristin Peck）说：“当前，我们被卷入疫情危机之中，不得不远程办公、灵活办公。然而，这本身也是一个巨大的机遇，可以让我们提高工作效率，招揽全球各地的人才，之前我们根本做不到这一点。”她指出，隔离会对人的心理健康带来消极影响，如果采用这种工作模式，就需要解决这方面的问题。比如，一些企业安排领导层去“顺道拜访”员工，以保持和员工之间的联系。她说，关键在于乐趣和新意，比如一家公司的CEO甚至抽出时间给员工的孩子读故事，这既能让孩子的父母松口气，又有助于全面增进员工的家庭幸福感。
CEO们共同关注的另一个话题是，疫情的颠覆性影响，如何给企业带来机会，以重新定义和重塑企业自身。关注这一话题的大部分企业都在减排和促进可持续发展上起领导作用，并大力推进环境、社会和公司治理（ESG）。贝宝（PayPal）总裁兼CEO丹尼尔•舒尔曼（Daniel Schulman）表示：“目前，我们面临着巨大的机遇，作为CEO，作为一个企业，我们应该带头行动，负起责任，共襄善举。这是一个千载难逢的良机，如果能将大家改变世界的愿望汇聚成一股强大的力量，我们就能为了伟大的目标而团结起来，而不会仅凭一腔孤勇单打独斗。”
多数CEO认为，众多企业可以在对抗气候变化方面形成合力。正如美国银行CEO布莱恩•莫伊尼汉（Brian Moynihan）所说，COP26气候大会之后，“私企领域响应迅速”。
美国西方石油公司（Occidental Petroleum）CEO维基·霍卢布（Vicki Hollub）表示同意。她说：“虽然有些人对COP26感到失望，但我认为其也传递了很多积极的信号。商界比以往任何时候都更多地参与到这次COP会议中来，并且，问题的讨论可谓一针见血，没有浪费时间讨论气候变化到底是不是真的存在。因此我们意识到，必须开始采取一些行动了。”
对许多公司来说，“一些行动”的具体目标是，到2050年实现净零排放。霍卢布说，这需要通过全球合作，耗费数万亿美元才能实现。联合利华（Unilever）前CEO保罗•波尔曼（Paul Polman）著有《积极追求净零排放：勇于使付出多于索取，企业才能茁壮发展》一书。他认为，未来8年是实现净零排放的关键所在。据波尔曼表示，很不幸，气候变化“仍行于无法控制之轨道”。企业很快就将面临来自多方的巨大压力，促使其采取减排行动。
波尔曼说：“很有意思的一点是，金融市场实际是目前助长气候变化意识的真正驱动因素。金融市场正在迅速转变关于应对气候变化的看法，之前将其视为缓解风险的策略，而今则是一个巨大的机遇，这是好现象。这种转变，与其说由道德，我倒更认为是由经济利益所驱动的。众所周知，它撼动了整个经济系统。另一种驱动力量，信不信由你，实际上是企业自身的员工。现在，每家企业都有一位格蕾塔·桑伯格（Greta Thunberg）那样的环保先锋，也给CEO们施加着一定程度的压力。如果CEO们接收到这些信号，就得大力推进环保行动。不出所料，第三种驱动力量是成本。因为负外部性超出企业的处理能力，所以在价值链上，其所有业务的成本都会增加。我们都很清楚，各国政府正日益倾向于重新把处理负外部性的问题抛回给企业自身。”
在财务方面，企业可以效仿欧莱雅（L'Oréal），针对关注气候变化的消费者群体进行产品设计。欧莱雅的CEO尼古拉斯·希罗诺姆斯（Nicolas Hieronomus）说，尽管三分之二的消费者“宣称”他们会选择其他更环保可持续的品牌或产品，但只有大约10%的人实际会这样做。希罗诺姆斯说：“消费者不想多花钱。而且我们已经意识到，更重要的一点是，他们不想在产品质量方面做任何让步。我们正在研发的产品，与目前市面上有同等甚至更高的技术含量，而且更环保可持续，这才能真正满足消费者的需求。”
但正如波尔曼所言，针对下一步的思考和行动，CEO们需要把格局打开，在2030年之前将排放量减半。在这次活动的尾声，波尔曼向所有与会者发出呼吁，希望大家从现在开始，以身作则，一起做出更大的努力。
“那么，怎样才算成功的企业、成功的领导者?”他问道。“首先，需要为自己对这个世界产生的影响负责。如果不负责任，就会出大问题，Facebook等公司就是反面教材。这意味着，现在那些积极投身于净零计划的CEO们，考虑的不止是净值为零这么简单了。”
“地球的承载力已经远远超出了其能承受的界限，我们正以超乎寻常的速度透支后代的资源。所以我们需要考虑资源、环境的再生、恢复、修复等问题，这意味着我们要亲身参与更大范围内的变革。我们会发现，作为一名CEO，能做的事情是有限的，但决不能被那些不愿做出改变的人拖后腿。因此我们需要像今天这样，进一步拓展盟友关系，切实推动范围更广、更系统化的变革。” 波尔曼说。（财富中文网）
译者：Transn
While there’s plenty of doom and gloom to be found in the headlines about omicron, inflation, labor shortages, and the global supply chain, there are plenty of business leaders ready to be optimistic in 2022. The world being in such a state of flux is the perfect time for companies to reinvent themselves and find success through increased efforts in combating climate change, furthering their ESG work, and boosting productivity and employees’ wellbeing through the hybrid work models that have become standard during the pandemic.
It’s the perfect time to heed the wise words that are attributed to Winston Churchill during World War II: “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” At least, that’s the consensus that came out of Fortune’s CEO Davos Dinner, which took place virtually this year after the annual World Economic Forum in Sweden was postponed due to the pandemic. The event featured dozens of executives from a wide array of industries discussing the top opportunities and challenges they’re facing this year.
The concerns expressed by these CEOs mirrored the results of Fortune and Deloitte’s latest survey of top executives, in which 71% of respondents said that the labor and skills shortage would likely be the biggest hindrance to operations in 2022, followed by the pandemic (56%).
“It is an incredibly competitive labor market and that's across the blue collar and the white collar,” said Deloitte CEO Joe Ucuzoglu. “It's somewhat fascinating. It's proving wrong some of these prognostications that all the innovation and the deployment of new technologies would be this big net destroyer of jobs. What we're seeing is that the opposite is happening, that digital transformation is driving a ton of growth. It is creating a need for more great people.”
One solution, as agreed upon by many of the CEOs in attendance, is to embrace the changes in normal work operations that were caused by the pandemic. “This crisis we were put in, to go remote and hybrid, is actually itself a huge opportunity to increase productivity, to access talent geographically across the world that we hadn't been able to do,” said Kristin Peck, CEO of Zoetis Inc. She also noted that this model needs to address the negative mental health aspects that come with isolation, pointing out that some businesses have scheduled “drop bys” with leadership to stay connected. Fun and creativity are key, she said—one company’s CEO even carves out time to read stories to the children of his employees as a means of giving parents a break and boosting overall family wellness.
Another common theme in the discussions was how the pandemic’s disruption offered companies the chance for redefining and reinventing themselves. This idea is tied closely to businesses leading the way on reducing emissions and increasing sustainability, as well as bolstering their ESG efforts. “We have a tremendous opportunity as CEOs and businesses to be a force for good, to take and seize the leadership moment that we have in front of us,” said PayPal President and CEO Daniel Schulman. “Bringing our desires to change the world together at scale, so we're not all doing it individually but we rally around some very big ideas and come together, it's a huge opportunity.”
The area that most CEOs agreed that they could be a force for good was climate. In the wake of the COP26 climate conference, “the private sector is moving fast,” as Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan put it.
Occidental Petroleum leader Vicki Hollub agreed. “While some people were disappointed with COP26, I thought there were a lot of positives,” she said. “The business community was more involved in this COP than any before. And there was no discussion about whether climate change is real or not so, finally, we're all to the point. We know we have to do something about it.”
For many companies, that “something” is aiming to have net-zero emissions by 2050, efforts that, according to Hollub, will take worldwide collaboration and trillions of dollars. It’s really the next eight years that are crucial, according to Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever and author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take. Unfortunately, climate change is “still on an uncontrolled trajectory,” he said, and soon businesses will be under intense pressure to act from a number of forces.
“The real driver of climate change awareness right now is actually, interestingly, the financial market, which is rapidly moving from seeing it as a risk mitigation to an enormous opportunity, which is a good sign,” he said. “I don't think it's driven by morality. It's really driven by financial returns, which we know moves an economic system at scale. The second force, believe it or not, is actually your own employees. Every company now has a Greta Thunberg and the level of pressure that CEOs get, if they are perceptive to them, to move faster on this. The third, not surprisingly, is the cost. There is not a business in the world that doesn't have cost increases in the value chain because of our inability to deal with these negative externalities. And we all know very well that governments increasingly are putting these negative externalities back on our business.”
On the financial end, companies could look to follow L'Oréal’s lead in designing products for the climate-minded consumer. The cosmetics company’s CEO, Nicolas Hieronomus, said that while two-thirds of consumers “declare” that they will change brands or products in favor of something more sustainable, only about 10% follow through. “They do not want to pay more and more importantly, we've learned, they do not want to sacrifice anything in terms of product quality,” he said. “We are coming up with products that are as good as and sometimes even better than the state of the art and are more sustainable and that triggers real demand.”
But, as Polman argued, CEOs need to think—and act—on a much bigger scale to halve emissions by 2030. As this event ended, he challenged the attendees to work together to do more now, and lead by example.
“So what are the successful companies, the successful leaders?” he asked. “First of all, the ones that take responsibility for the total impact that they have in the world. We can take a lesson from Facebook and many others of how it can go wrong if you don't. The CEOs that think net positive—that means not any more net zero.
“We are way beyond the planetary boundaries. We are borrowing from future generations at a speed that is beyond normal, so you need to think regenerative, restorative, reparative, and that means you’re actually a part of the broader transformation. You're discovering you can only do so much as a CEO, but you cannot let yourself be dragged down by the ones that are not moving. You need create to these broader coalitions to really drive these broader systems.”
