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Commitment in the unknown: An innovative use of the Profit-with-Purpose corporate framework to ensure responsible innovation

Author

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  • Kevin Levillain

    (CGS i3 - Centre de Gestion Scientifique i3 - Mines Paris - PSL (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris) - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Blanche Segrestin

    (CGS i3 - Centre de Gestion Scientifique i3 - Mines Paris - PSL (École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris) - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

On attend de plus en plus des entreprises qu'elles mobilisent leur pouvoir d'action et leur capacité d'innovation pour faire face aux « grands défis » sociaux, environnementaux et économiques actuels. Cependant, on manque encore de cadres de « gouvernance responsable » permettant de s'assurer que les entreprises protègent leurs capacités d'innovation et les utilisent de manière responsable. A cet effet, de nouveaux outils juridiques sont régulièrement expérimentés. Récemment, des formes d'entreprise dites « Profit-with-Purpose » ou « à mission » telles que la Benefit Corporation aux États-Unis ont été introduites dans le droit des sociétés de plusieurs pays dans l'espoir de fournir un dispositif de gouvernance favorisant les comportements responsables des entreprises. Il reste cependant à étudier dans quelle mesure ces nouvelles formes juridiques peuvent effectivement contribuer à une « innovation responsable ». Cet article vise à explorer les mécanismes de gouvernance originaux déployés par une entreprise à mission pour faire face aux défis de l'innovation responsable. Il s'appuie sur une étude de cas longitudinale d'une entreprise française qui a expérimenté ce statut depuis 2015. Nous montrons que les entreprises à mission fournissent un cadre utile pour l'innovation responsable si certains outils spécifiques sont ajoutées aux exigences juridiques telles que la formulation de la mission sous la forme d'un « engagement dans l'inconnu », qui vise à protéger les capacités d'innovation de l'entreprise et à susciter un avenir souhaitable auquel l'entreprise s'engage dans son développement; et la création d'un comité de gouvernance chargé non seulement d'évaluer cet objectif, mais aussi d'évaluer la qualité de l'exploration par l'entreprise de diverses stratégies novatrices pour assumer ses responsabilités futures. Nous discutons enfin de certaines implications pour le management et les législateurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Levillain & Blanche Segrestin, 2019. "Commitment in the unknown: An innovative use of the Profit-with-Purpose corporate framework to ensure responsible innovation," Post-Print hal-02171252, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02171252
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://minesparis-psl.hal.science/hal-02171252v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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