Boundaries of the social and the planetary

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In 2017, Kate Raworth released a monograph entitled Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a 21st-Century Economist, in which she outlined two sets of boundaries that can act as a compass for humanity to prosper in an ecologically friendly and socially fair manner. In our chapter, we address Kate Raworth's idea by focusing on its application to management. The chapter defines a safe and fair space for humanity between two sets of boundaries – an ecological ceiling and a social foundation. By following this path, we try to identify approaches to management in the 21st century that allow for the possibility of improving living conditions without violating the boundaries of the social foundation and the ecological ceiling. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, we need to consider soft management factors in management to a greater extent than we have in the past. In the chapter, we discuss the results of research conducted on enterprises in selected countries, which indicate an increase in the role and importance of such soft factors in management. Thanks to these methods, the social foundation (providing all people with the necessities of life) will not be affected and the ecological ceiling (limiting the exploitation of the environment to reduce the greenhouse effect and other consequences) will be safeguarded. We also point out the role and importance of shaping management environments conducive to innovation, i.e. creating cooperation between organizations that turbocharge innovation with the help of the following management tools: (1) knowledge, (2) human capital, (3) social capital, (4) relational capital, (5) intra-organizational capital, (6) trust, and (7) intercultural conditions.