What we do
The Institute for Business Sustainability is an independent, forward-thinking, international research and education center dedicated to enabling business and its leaders to contribute positively to society and our planetary challenges.
We operate with purpose and based on shared values.
Our aspiration is to contribute to a better world through
relevant education and research insights.
We are generously supported through funds of independent donors.
The Institute is internationally recognized through its membership in the renowned global Network for Business Sustainability (NBS), which includes prestitious sustainability research centers around the world.
How we do it
Positive Impact
The Positive Impact Organization delivers significant value to society and the planet. Far beyond reducing its own negative footprint, it generates a massive positive handprint.
Learning from truly sustainable businesses, our research shows that positive impact requires an organization to have adopted an outside-in perspective. This means, that the organization has figured out that finding a match between the world’s environmental, societal and economic challenges and the often hidden core competencies and resources of the organization is an amazing source of innovation that results in new business models and revenue streams.
Such a shift from traditional inside-out to outside-in thinking requires a mindset shift.
A mindset the leader has to embrace and a mindset shift, the organization as a whole has to integrate. Triggering and scaling these mindset shifts and facilitating the strategic innovation that follows is what is at the heart of our business sustainability work.
Ultimately, this is what resilience is all about: adapting your organization to external challenges in such a way that these challenges are removed, while providing the organization a stronger basis for ist own future.
To know more about Positive Impact Organizations and how companies can contribute to a positive impact while becoming more resilient, watch this interview of Katrin Muff with Marteen Bouwhuis from Chubb Risk Insights.
Who we are
The Directors
Prof. Dr. Katrin Muff
Prof. Dr. Katrin Muff is Professor of Practice at the LUISS Business School in Rome (Italy) and former Dean of Business School Lausanne. She is an internationally recognized thought leader in the organizational transformation towards business sustainability.
Katrin holds a Ph.D. in Leadership from the University of Exeter and combines 15 years of academic experience with 15 years of strategic leadership experience in business around the globe.
Prof. (em) Dr. Thomas Dyllick
Prof. em. (HSG) Dr. Thomas Dyllick has contributed greatly to the development of the business sustainability field through highly cited publications as well as through institution building.
He developed the concept of “True Business Sustainability” together with Katrin Muff. He has co-created with Hans Christoph Binswanger in 1992 and led until 2019 the Institute for Economy and the Environment (IWÖ-HSG) at the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.
Prof. Dr. Tima Bansal
Prof. Dr. Tima Bansal holds the Canada Research Chair in Business Sustainability and is Professor of Sustainability & Strategy at Ivey Business School in Canada.
She is highly recognized and respected research and prominance in the business sustinability research field.
The 2017 Organizations and Natural Environment Distinguished Scholar Award by the Academy of Management honors her achievements to date.
The Advisory Board
Anton Affentranger
Former CEO, Implenia
Hubert Rhomberg
CEO, CREE & Rhomberg Group
Christoph Birkholz
Co-President andd Co-Founder, Impact Hub Switzerland
Heinz Buhofer
CEO a.i., V-ZUG and sustainable investor
Jacob Radloff
Publisher, oekom
The Individual Partners
Partnerships are in continuous development. New partners are added by invitation, recommendation or through a personal application.
The Organizational Partners
Partnerships and collaborations include the World Business Council of Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the United Nations Global Compact Switzerland (UNGC Network Switzerland). We actively collaborate with the Business Sustainability platform Sustainability-Today and the Sustainability Reporting Inititiave Focused Reporting.
The Institute is internationally recognized through its membership in the renowned global Network for Business Sustainability (NBS), which includes prestitious sustainability research centers around the world.
