Exploring a Culture of Health in the Auto Industry

Wendy M Purcell,John D Spengler,Brian S Feldman,Molly Finn

doi:10.3390/su13073924

Wendy M Purcell, John D Spengler + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073924

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Apr 1, 2021
Citations: 1	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Harvard University, Harvard University Press

Abstract

The Culture of Health framework includes four pillars of societal health and well-being influenced by business, namely: consumers; employees and workers in the supply chain; the community, and the environment. The Auto industry was an ideal crucible in which to explore the interface of public health with business given the confluence of the different domains in this sector. The substantial benefits of mobility, especially for the under-resourced, sit alongside negative impacts from emissions, accidents, products and services. Through interviews with 65 senior executives from seven major automakers, corporate actions reflecting health as a strategic agenda were mapped to the Culture of Health model. While most of the companies did not use the language of health explicitly in their strategy, key examples were present across all four pillars. Given the future of mobility relies on the interface of human experience with technology, it is a population-level challenge demanding system-level changes. Ostensibly, a framework for sustainability, the Culture of Health model could help the Auto industry navigate the disruption caused by the global megatrends and changing societal expectations of business in society and transition successfully to a new mobility economy.

Highlights

In 2016, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard T.H
This study explored for the first time the Culture of Health (COH) within the Auto industry, examining the inter-dependence of health and business
It sought to illustrate where initiatives of the Auto industry could be connected to the COH framework

Summary

Introduction

In 2016, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of PublicHealth embarked on a joint research venture to investigate whether companies embraced the concepts imbued in the vision of a Culture of Health (COH) that, “Every company, knowingly or unknowingly, impacts public health . . . ” [1]. In 2016, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public. Health embarked on a joint research venture to investigate whether companies embraced the concepts imbued in the vision of a Culture of Health (COH) that, “Every company, knowingly or unknowingly, impacts public health . The COH framework includes four main ways that business influences society’s health and well-being: . Through the products/services business delivers to consumers (Consumer Health). In how it treats its employees and supply chain workers (Employee Health). By how much it invests in the health of its communities (Community Health). Through its impacts on the environment (Environmental Health)

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Conclusion