Reason for research

In today’s business landscape, organizations face increasing expectations to deliver
on social value goals. The finance function is under pressure to evolve from traditional reporting
to actively promoting social value creation initiatives that encompass environmental, social,
and governance (ESG), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Equality, Diversity, and
Inclusion (EDI). This study explores whether the finance function should limiting itself to
reporting on social value (the reporter role), or conversely take a leading role and transition
from a compliance-oriented focus to a more active role in social value creation (the promoter
role).

Research question

In our research we are looking for an answer to two questions:

1. How do finance professionals
see their role in social value creation: as a reporter or as an active promotor?, and

2. If the finance function wants to transition to an active promoter role, how can transition be shaped?
We obtain answers in a three-stage research approach.

Approach

We obtained answers in a three-stage research approach. Firstly, we identify what the literature
has to say about this issue. Secondly, we engage with finance experts who are known for having
a vision and opinion about the future of the finance function. Thirdly, we organize several round
table sessions with finance professionals to get their opinion on their role regarding the creation
of social value.

Result

The finance experts that are of the opinion that the finance function should focus on the reporter role. Their arguments for this were:

• The core task of the finance function is performance monitoring and reporting. Social value
  creation basically expands the scope of performance monitoring and reporting, and thus falls
  naturally within the domain and the role of the finance function. In addition, the finance
  function is the owner and quality controller of the data within the organization, and social
  value just generates another type of data to be managed by the finance function.
• Social value generation will increasingly be part of the compliance of the organization and
  of its planning & control cycle, and most often the finance function is the owner of the
  compliance process and the planning & control cycle.
• Social value creation is a specialist process incorporated in the organisation. Therefore
  operational management should take a leading role in social value creation. In addition, the
  finance function is often already pushed into the reporting and compliance role by the
  organisation.
• The finance function is (still) often less concerned with social relevance and already looks
  on social value reporting as a chore. The function will therefore not quickly want to take a
  leading role in the generation process.

The finance experts that does advocate the finance function taking the promoter role, with the following arguments:

• Because social value creation is a relatively new process for many organizations, a lot is still
  unknown (what to measure, how to measure, how to make social value quantifiable). The finance function, already used to dealing with many types of information and processes, has
  the experience to take the lead in answering the many questions still outstanding.
• Because of the (expected) large impact social value creation will have on the organisation
  (its processes, its value), the finance function has to take a leading role in developing social
  value policies, creating broader strategic management based on social value creation, and
  alignment with suppliers and customers on this topic
• The social value created will be monetized and will thus play a role in the competitiveness
  of the organisation, the finance function has to spot opportunities and develop alternative
  strategic and tactical scenario’s going forward based on this. This fits with the task of the
  finance function to match the creation of social value with the creation of financial value, as
  the former cannot be achieved without the latter.
• To create social value in an organization a lot of internal cooperation between the
  organizational silo’s is required. The finance function is in an excellent position, as the spider
  in the organizational web, to take the lead in this collaborative process.

The study results did not provide a unequivocal answer on research question 1, but did yield a proposal for a transitioning process thus answering research question 2. In this process the finance function goes
from a position where it mainly focuses on the reporting and monitoring of the social value created
in the organization; via an intermediate stage in which it starts to incorporate the topic of social
value in its business partnering role thereby actively promoting social value in the organizational
unit they work for; to a situation in which the finance function is the driver of social value creation
throughout the organization. This transitioning process can help finance functions in their
discussion, within the function and with the other organizational units and the management team,
to determine their position and role in the social value creation process, now and in the future.

While this study was conducted in the Netherlands, its findings resonate broadly with global trends.
Internationally, the finance function increasingly faces similar pressures from ESG and CSRrelated
regulatory frameworks, such as the EU’s CSRD or the SEC’s proposed climate disclosure
rules in the United States. Moreover, the identified transitioning process—from reporting and
compliance to a strategic promoter role—mirrors developments in jurisdictions such as Australia
and the UK, where CFOs are similarly becoming key players in sustainability strategy. However,
variations in organizational culture, regulatory intensity, and maturity of sustainability reporting
standards across countries may influence the speed and ease of this transition, highlighting an
important area for future comparative research.