Virginie Xhauflair: leading the revolution from within

After working for many years on corporate philanthropy, Virginie Xhauflair, Professor of Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility at HEC, decided to branch out. Today, she is convinced that she can change companies from within, by instilling in them values other than the pursuit of profits at all costs.

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Not far from HEC Liège, in the city center, stand the Greenhouses of the Botanical Gardens, a profusion of life where Virginie Xhauflair confides that she often takes refuge " to experience life. It's all the more important for me as I'm working on corporate social responsibility, and for too long companies have cut themselves off from it, seeing living things only as exploitable resources," she adds. Today, it' s vital to find new management mechanisms that take this into account in the purpose of companies. "

Today, many companies claim to offset their carbon footprint and plant trees. But behind the declarations of intent and posturing, the researcher wishes to question the practices these companies implement to change this relationship with biodiversity. To this end, she is studying the Belgian "Toward Sustainability" sustainable finance label, which enables the financial industry to invest in a socially responsible manner. these labels often fail to bring about real change," says Virginie Xhauflair. That's why this latest one comes as a real surprise, because it's currently the most demanding in Europe, and it's important to understand how this type of tool works. "

The meaning of work

In addition to her research activities, the anthropologist by training questions conventional companies on the meaning of their activities and their place in society, notably through her activities at the Centre d'Économie Sociale (CES)of HEC Liège. many of the business leaders I meet are aware that they need to change their practices," she says. But this change is terrifying for them. They often wonder where to start

Realizing that it is possible to do things differently is often the first step, and Virginie Xhauflair works with her colleagues at CES to show them that there are other models, such as social enterprises^[1]. these companies try to be aware of their influence on the social fabric by thinking about their entire mechanics," she explains. This involves everything from the distribution of power, to careful attention to the entire supply chain, to performance evaluation that is not based solely on financial criteria^[2]. " For Virginie Xhauflair is convinced that these are the companies of tomorrow, and that conventional businesses must draw inspiration from them to achieve a truly sustainable transition. social enterprises are victims of a cliché, which portrays them as dependent on public subsidies," she laments. Yet they are businesses like any others, seeking to ensure their economic sustainability. It 's not easy to follow their example, because it means rethinking the way the whole organization works

Taking the lead

As a business school, HEC's aim is to train future managers. Virginie Xhauflair sees this as an opportunity to " changestudents ' software ", with the aim of opening up future managers to other ways of doing things. a business school primarily trains students to respond to a problem with an appropriate tool," she explains. But I want to teach them to ask questions about meaning and purpose. Why do I do what I do, and above all, what consequences will my decision have for all stakeholders, and not just for my financial performance?

we don't teach them that there are limits other than those of money," she continues. But the resources companies need are not infinite. How can we produce in a limited world? And finally, does growth embody what is most desirable today? It' s imperative to get students, and indeed the whole school and its partners, to think in this way about their impact on the world. "

To this end, Virginie Xhauflair is involved in training students via two masters programs. The first aims to train participants in management rooted in social and sustainable practices, with courses on extra-financial performance, for example. And the results are paying off. " We feel that a change is taking place, as some students are now enrolling at HEC specifically to follow this master's program," she enthuses. The other, recently created, is aimed at anyone with another master's degree, whether biologist or engineer, to learn about other ways of managing and undertaking, inspired by the way social economy enterprises operate.

A force for change

As a professor of ethics, Virginie Xhauflair has set herself a mission: to be a force for transformation from within. " Part of the solution for me is to be at the heart of the system and work to change the paradigm," she says. To this end, she helped set up S'Lab, a platform that aims to support and accelerate the ecological and social transition, not only within HEC, but also among all its partners. a business school must conform to standards of excellence," she explains. But this contributes to conveying standards that are not compatible with an ecological and social transition. "

The researcher draws a great deal of hope from these numerous collaborations, as she is convinced of the power of collective action. my colleagues and I want to be heralds of strong, radical sustainability," she proclaims. And there are plenty of people who aspire to be a force for change! That 's what the Fabrique des Possibles is all about

[1] https://economiesociale.be

[2] https://www.w-alter.be