What is a Chief Philosophy Officer, and Can Your Business Benefit From One?

We are starting to see a shift in business towards more purposeful practices as the push for economic, social and environmental sustainability gains traction.

In this shift towards more purposeful practices and decision making when it comes to ethical questions, many organisations are looking to hire Chief Philosophy Officers.

A Chief Philosophy Officer (CPO) of an organisation operates in a capacity of making ethical decisions in the operations of the company including day-to-day operations, management of staff and the actual business’ core operations.

The value of CPOs can be seen when examining a business’ commitment to sustainability. Sustainability cannot just be lip service as customers are looking for evidence of commitments to sustainable practices, and a CPO can assist in ensuring that the written and verbal commitments transfer across to practices. CPOs can also evaluate a holistic approach to sustainability and ensure all the pieces of the puzzle are working together.

But does your business need a Chief Philosophy Officer?

For larger businesses, it can be beneficial to have a philosopher or business philosopher on your board or advisory board in order to guide ethical decision-making. The hiring of CPOs is only a new trend that is starting in more innovative and trailblazing corporates such as Google and Skype. For smaller businesses, it is an important trend of which to be aware in case a resume comes across your desk for an applicant who has studied philosophy.

At Strategic Sustainability Consultants, we take a triple bottom line approach to sustainability — economic, social and environmental. Our consulting services ensure that your business is working across all three major areas of sustainability and is making ethical decisions, which are also in the best interest of your company. If you think your organisation would benefit from a Chief Philosophy Officer to undertake the operations outlined above but may not be able to afford hiring a member of staff to do this, contact us today to ask about our affordable consulting fees!

This article was originally published on the Strategic Sustainability Consultants website.