The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) can serve as powerful enablers for the B Corp movement. The IDGs, an open-source framework co-created by over 1,000 experts, scientists, and practitioners, outline 23 science-based skills and qualities across five dimensions (Being, Thinking, Relating, Collaborating, and Acting) designed to promote inner growth for addressing complex global challenges like those in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The B Corp movement, led by B Lab, certifies companies that meet rigorous standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency, aiming to redefine business success beyond profit to include stakeholder impact.
While the two initiatives are distinct – the IDGs focus on personal and collective inner capacities, and B Corps emphasize external business practices and certification – they intersect meaningfully. The IDGs address a key “blind spot” in sustainability efforts: the underdeveloped inner abilities needed to navigate complexity, which can hinder even well-intentioned B Corps from achieving lasting impact. By cultivating these inner skills, IDGs enable B Corps to implement their commitments more effectively, scale their influence, and inspire broader systemic change. Below, I’ll outline specific ways this enabling relationship manifests, drawing on examples from corporate partnerships, leadership development, and community initiatives.
Enhancing Leadership and Decision-Making for Purpose-Driven Business
B Corps require leaders to balance profit with people and planet, often involving adaptive challenges like supply chain ethics or regenerative practices. The IDGs’ “Thinking” dimension (e.g., systems thinking, long-term perspective, critical thinking) equips leaders with cognitive tools to evaluate interconnected impacts and make wiser, more holistic decisions. Similarly, the “Being” dimension (e.g., self-awareness, presence) helps leaders stay grounded amid uncertainty, reducing reactive behaviors that could undermine B Corp goals.
- Enabling Impact: Companies like IKEA, a B Corp partner, have integrated IDGs into their flagship leadership programs to align inner skills with sustainability strategies, resulting in more intentional pursuit of B Corp-like standards such as stakeholder governance and environmental regeneration. Ericsson and Google, also IDG collaborators, use the framework to build inner capacities for sustainable innovation, which directly supports B Corp certification criteria around mission alignment and impact measurement.
- Broader Movement Benefit: This inner focus accelerates B Corp recertification (requiring ongoing improvement) by developing leaders who can drive “beyond-profit” transformations, as seen in BCG research where purpose-aligned companies outperform peers in long-term value creation.
Building Relational and Collaborative Capacities for Stakeholder Engagement
B Corps must demonstrate accountability to all stakeholders (employees, communities, suppliers), often through transparent governance and inclusive practices. IDGs’ “Relating” (e.g., empathy, connectedness) and “Collaborating” (e.g., co-creation, trust-building) dimensions enable deeper, more authentic relationships, turning compliance into genuine partnership.
- Enabling Impact: In professional services firms pursuing B Corp status, IDGs have improved talent retention and cross-functional collaboration, addressing silos that impede social impact goals. For instance, a Swedish case study with Icebug (a sustainability-focused company akin to B Corps) showed that IDG programs led to 88% of employees reporting stronger team dynamics and 91% noting improved relationships, doubling turnover and tripling profits while advancing environmental commitments.
- Broader Movement Benefit: B Lab Benelux hosted an IDG workshop during B Corp Month 2023, led by B Corps like THNK School of Creative Leadership, to activate sustainable change leadership. This directly supports the movement’s growth by helping aspiring B Corps embed skills like compassion and dialogue, essential for navigating diverse stakeholder needs and achieving high B Impact Assessment scores.
Driving Bold Action and Systemic Change
The “Acting” dimension of IDGs (e.g., courage, agency, resilience) empowers individuals and teams to translate B Corp values into tangible actions, such as advocating for policy changes or innovating regenerative models. Without these inner drivers, external commitments can falter under pressure.
- Enabling Impact: IDGs complement B Corp’s emphasis on the SDGs by addressing the “inner-outer” transformation gap. Research from IMD Business School highlights how IDGs help leaders tackle adaptive challenges (e.g., climate crises), with partners like Novartis using the framework for health systems resilience, mirroring B Corp’s focus on equitable economies. In pilot countries like Costa Rica, IDG Hubs integrate inner skills into public-private partnerships, strengthening B Corp-aligned efforts in policy and community impact.
- Broader Movement Benefit: As B Corps scale (over 8,000 certified globally), IDGs provide a “field kit” of tools (e.g., workshops on psychological safety and compassion training) to sustain momentum. This is evident in the B Corp Way platform, where certified consultants help non-B Corps align with SDGs using IDG-inspired approaches, creating a ripple effect for the movement.
Scaling the Movement Through Cultural and Organizational Transformation
B Corps aim for an inclusive, regenerative economy, but cultural resistance can slow adoption. IDGs enable this by promoting collective inner development, creating organizations where purpose thrives internally which is essential for attracting talent and investors aligned with B Corp values.
- Enabling Impact: Over 50 corporate IDG partners (including B Corp-adjacent firms like Spotify) report enhanced innovation and employee engagement, with measurable outcomes like increased reflection (80% in Icebug’s program) that support B Corp governance requirements. Academic adaptations, such as IDG for climate action, show how inner skills boost pro-environmental behaviors, aiding B Corps in areas like supply chain sustainability.
- Broader Movement Benefit: The IDG network, spanning 700+ hubs in 80+ countries, amplifies this cultural transformation, providing a robust foundation for B Corps to extend their influence and drive meaningful change across diverse communities.
In summary, IDGs don’t replace B Corp certification but supercharge it by building the human foundation for sustained impact. As global challenges intensify, this synergy could propel the B Corp movement toward its vision of business as a force for good, with inner transformation unlocking outer results. For practical integration, resources like the IDG Toolkit offer free exercises tailored to organizational contexts.