How CEOs Can Fix Capitalism

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Introduction

by Raymond V. Gilmartin and Steven E. Prokesch

In the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 and the Great Recession, there has been a growing backlash against the corporate focus on maximizing shareholder value that has prevailed for 25 to 30 years. People from all walks of life—including a number of prominent CEOs—have insisted that business leaders should take a broader perspective and place a greater emphasis on creating value for society. But that has raised a major question: How, exactly, can companies change the way they are managed and governed to bring this about? 

To try to answer that question, Harvard Business Review hosted an online forum called “The CEO’s Role in Fixing the System.” We organized it and invited CEOs, ...