Collective Action & Ecosystem Benchmarking Planner

Part 1: Tool Blueprint & Overview

This section outlines the foundational design, philosophy, and components of the toolkit.

1.1. Primary Objective

• To provide a structured process for a leadership team to move from internal integrity to external influence. The goal is to identify a systemic, industry-wide challenge and to design a credible, collaborative, multi-stakeholder initiative to address it, thereby creating value for the entire ecosystem and positioning the company as a true industry leader.

1.2. Key Components

• A. The Ecosystem Mapping & Benchmarking Guide: A guide to help a leadership team map their industry ecosystem and benchmark their own integrity performance against emerging global standards.

• B. The Collective Action Strategy Canvas: A one-page canvas to help a team design a specific, multi-stakeholder initiative.

1.3. Core Concepts of the Toolkit

• 1. Moving from "My Company" to "My Industry": The core concept is that the most complex challenges (like climate change or supply chain ethics) cannot be solved by any single company alone and require collaborative, "pre-competitive" action.

• 2. Leadership as Convening Power: This toolkit is based on the idea that a trusted company can use its brand and influence as a "convening power" to bring together competitors, suppliers, and even critics to work together on shared problems.

1.4. A Critical Warning: Navigating Competition Law

Disclaimer: This guide provides a strategic framework, not legal advice. Before engaging in any collaboration with competitors, you must consult with qualified legal counsel.

While collaboration on systemic issues is powerful, it must be carefully managed to avoid any behavior that could be construed as anti-competitive collusion. The line between legitimate "pre-competitive" collaboration and illegal collusion is critical.

"Red Line" Topics (NEVER Discuss with Competitors):

These topics are almost always illegal to discuss with competitors and must be strictly avoided.

• Prices: Never discuss your company's prices, pricing strategies, discounts, promotions, or credit terms.

• Markets or Customers: Never agree to divide up markets, territories, or customers.

• Bids or Tenders: Never discuss your bidding strategy, whether you will bid, or the terms of a bid.

• Suppliers: Never agree to boycott or refuse to do business with a specific supplier or customer.

• Wages & Salaries: Never discuss specific wages, benefits, or terms of employment for your employees.

"Safe Zone" Topics (Generally Permissible for Pre-Competitive Collaboration):

These topics are typically focused on improving the entire industry ecosystem, not on disadvantaging competitors or customers.

• Shared Standards: Developing common, voluntary standards for environmental performance, worker safety, or product quality.

• Pre-Competitive R&D: Jointly funding basic, early-stage research into new sustainable technologies that will be available to all.

• Systemic Risk Mitigation: Collaborating to address shared risks, such as creating a shared system for supply chain auditing to improve labor standards for everyone.

• Policy Advocacy: Jointly advocating for responsible government regulation that would apply to the entire industry.

Rules of Engagement for Any Meeting with Competitors:

1. Always have legal counsel present, especially in the early stages of forming a consortium.

2. Always have a clear, written agenda that has been reviewed by legal counsel.

3. Always keep detailed and accurate minutes of the meeting.

4. Stop any conversation immediately if it begins to stray into "Red Line" topics.

5. Focus on what is good for the industry, the environment, and society, not on what might harm other competitors or limit customer choice.

1.5. Are You Ready to Lead? A Readiness Assessment

Before embarking on this journey, the leadership team must conduct an honest self-assessment.

• Credibility: Based on our benchmarking, are we a recognized leader on this issue?

• Commitment: Is our CEO personally and passionately committed to championing this initiative publicly?

• Humility: Are we prepared to share the spotlight and potentially let a neutral third party lead?

If the answer to any of these questions is "no," the first step is to focus on your own internal performance to build the necessary credibility.

Part 2: The Ecosystem Mapping & Benchmarking Guide

This guide provides a two-step process for a leadership team to (1) understand their industry landscape and (2) assess their own performance. This analysis is the foundation for identifying a credible opportunity for collective action.

2.1. Facilitator's Guide for the Analysis Phase

• Create a Safe Space: This conversation can be sensitive, as it involves an honest assessment of your company's weaknesses and your competitors' strengths. The facilitator should establish a "cone of silence" and ensure the discussion is focused on objective analysis, not blame.

• Focus on "Influence," Not Just "Power": During the ecosystem mapping, encourage the team to think about which actors have the most influence on the issue, which may not be the same as those with the most market power. A small but respected NGO or an influential academic can often be a more critical partner than a large, apathetic competitor.

• Be Brutally Honest in Benchmarking: The value of the benchmarking exercise is directly proportional to its honesty. The facilitator should challenge the team to provide specific evidence for their self-assessments and to avoid "corporate spin."

Step 1: Map Your Industry Ecosystem

Objective: To create a visual map of all the key actors in your industry who have a stake in or influence over a specific systemic challenge.

Action: On a large whiteboard, place your company at the center. Then, brainstorm and map out the key organizations in the following categories.

• Competitors: Who are the other key players in our market? Who are the market leaders? The innovators? The laggards?

• Supply Chain Partners: Who are our most critical suppliers? Who are the major raw material providers for the entire industry?

• Customers & End-Users: Who are our most influential customers? Are there organized consumer groups or advocates?

• Regulators & Government Bodies: Which government agencies set the rules for our industry? Are there influential legislators or policymakers?

• Industry Associations: What are the main trade groups or associations that represent our industry?

• NGOs & Critics: Which non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, or activist groups are focused on our industry's impact? Who are our most vocal critics?

• Investors & Financial Institutions: Which large investors or banks have a significant stake in our industry and a stated focus on ethical or ESG performance?

Analysis: Once the map is complete, discuss: "Where does the power to create change reside in this ecosystem? Who are the most influential actors? Who would be the essential partners for any meaningful collective action initiative?"

Step 2: Benchmark Your Integrity Performance

Objective: To conduct an honest, evidence-based assessment of your company's performance on a key systemic issue against recognized global standards.

Action: Choose one major systemic issue relevant to your industry (e.g., "Supply Chain Labor Practices," "Carbon Emissions," "Data Privacy"). Then, use the table below to benchmark your company's performance.

Benchmarking Table: [Systemic Issue, e.g., Supply Chain Labor Practices]

Analysis & Conclusion:

After completing the benchmark, the leadership team should be able to answer:

• "On this critical issue, are we a Leader, a Follower, or a Laggard in our industry?"

• "Based on our performance, do we have the credibility to lead a collective action initiative in this area?"

If the answer to the second question is "no," then the first strategic priority is to close your own performance gaps. If the answer is "yes," you are ready to proceed to the Collective Action Strategy Canvas (Part 3).

Part 3: The Collective Action Strategy Canvas

This canvas is a strategic planning tool for designing a multi-stakeholder initiative. It is designed to be completed by a leadership team that has already benchmarked its performance and confirmed it has the credibility to lead.

3.1. The Canvas Template

3.2. How to Use the Canvas: Examples

Example 1: An Apparel Company Tackling Supply Chain Labor Practices

Example 2: An Electronics Manufacturer Tackling E-Waste

Example 3: A Grocery Retailer Tackling Food Waste

3.3. Other examples

You will find here a library of diverse, fictional but realistic examples of the Collective Action Strategy Canvas. Each case study illustrates how the canvas can be applied to a different industry to tackle a complex, systemic challenge. These examples are designed to serve as inspiration for leadership teams as they begin to think about their own potential for ecosystem leadership.