Companies are no longer focused exclusively on profits: a study by the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Bologna analyses hybrid organisations, companies that integrate sustainability and economic logics. Focus on B Corporations, with two key approaches: internal social mission or market strategy. A model for the future of sustainable business.

In today’s economic landscape of growing environmental and social crises, companies can no longer limit themselves to maximising profits. There is a growing awareness that business success should be measured not only in financial terms, but also in terms of the social and environmental impact generated. This is the context for hybrid organisations, or those companies that integrate both social and economic logic into the way they do business.

But what does it really mean to be a hybrid organisation? The study carried out by Leonardo Boni, Assistant Professor at the POLIMI School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano and afferent of the TIRESIA research centre, together with Riccardo Fini and Laura Toschi of the University of Bologna, analyses the nature and measures the various facets of the hybrid condition within a sample of Italian companies that have B Corp certification, a standard obtained by for-profit companies that have a high level of social and environmental performance.

The study proposes a scale for measuring hybridisation that has three main levels:

• The emergence of the hybrid condition – Why does a company decide to pursue social objectives alongside economic ones? Motivations can be strategic (improving reputation, attracting new customers sensitive to sustainability) or deeper, linked to the ethical vision of the company and the influence of external stakeholders.
• Integrating the social dimension – It is not enough to declare a commitment to sustainability, it must be translated into concrete actions. Hybrid companies must be able to develop specific skills to better manage the dual economic and social objectives, adopt internal processes to align governance and business strategy, and create incentive mechanisms for employees.
• Developing an impact thesis – Hybrid companies should not only mitigate the negative impacts of their activities, but also aim to create a lasting positive impact. This approach requires the development of a clear impact thesis: what social and environmental goals do you want to achieve? How will they be measured?

From the analysis of 101 Italian B Corporations, the study identified and validated a measurement scale with four factors: (i) strategic interpretation of social impact; (ii) individual and entrepreneurial dynamism; (iii) diffusion of organisational capabilities; and (iv) influence of external actors.

From this scale, the study identified two macro-types of hybrid companies:

• Internally identity-oriented B Corporations – companies that are born with a strong social mission and integrate it into every aspect of their strategy. For them, profit is a means to amplify positive impact.
• Market-driven B Corp – companies that adopt the B Corp model to differentiate themselves, attract investment and respond to external pressures (customers, suppliers, institutions).

This study contributes to the understanding of how and to what extent a company embraces a hybrid state, supporting the path of innovation and adaptation of practices and processes fundamental to the generation of positive social impact. From this paper, it is suggested that the divide between for-profit and non-profit is overcome, but that the two souls can coexist in organisational models that can be measured and implemented.