If we have learnt one thing over the past year, it’s that when companies, investors and government put their heads together, change can happen very quickly. You only need to look at the development of the coronavirus vaccine for evidence, which is one of the most notable feats of technological innovation in modern history. It saw companies that would ordinarily view one another as competitors look beyond short-term profit and come together to solve an immediate threat to global health.
In this context, it’s clear that collaboration is a potent accelerator for progress, particularly when it comes to delivering change in solving other big global problems, such as hunger, mental health, literacy and climate change mitigation.
If anything, the pandemic has only increased the pressure on companies to collaborate for the greater good. “During the pandemic, we have seen businesses come together with a real sense of urgency to help those most impacted in their value chains and communities, from supporting cash-strapped suppliers to tackling the spike in gender-based violence,” says Zahid Torres-Rahman, co-founder and chief executive of Business Fights Poverty. “The pandemic has shown our interconnectedness and what we can achieve together.”