Noun vs Verb
Why the Verb Matters
Overview
We tend to speak about organisations, communities and systems as nouns — fixed things to be managed. This piece argues for a verb-based reframing: as ongoing practices, continually being made and remade by the people within them.
The Danger of Turning Shared Value Into a Noun
When shared value is treated as a thing, it becomes easier to package, measure, report and claim. But this tendency can reduce its transformative potential.
In my research, I demonstrated that the concept becomes diluted when it is conflated with CSR, sustainability reporting, reputational strategy, and risk mitigation initiatives.
Creating is a Continuous Practice, Not a One-off
The shift from 'shared value creation' to 'creating shared value' is not only semantic. It foregrounds action, emergence, and process. Value is not to be considered simplistically as homogeneous; it is an amalgamation of various formal and informal sources, tangible and intangible resources, curated and created at inception.
Metrics matter, but they cannot carry the full meaning of shared value. In my research, I show how lived experience, narrative and reciprocity become fundamental components to the emergence of value.
The shift from shared value as a noun to a verb forces us to shift from trait to action and ownership to accountability.
Dialogue as the Site Where Value Becomes Visible
Creating shared value necessitates dialogue, because value is not self-evident. Different actors understand value in different ways. A community member, funder, business leader, farmer, entrepreneur, or researcher may each have a different perception of value.
Dialogue is the enabler that allows these disparities to meet, assimilate, and collectively merge into a mutual value consensus.
Conclusion
To speak of creating shared value is to remain attentive to process. It keeps the concept alive, intentional and accountable to contextual needs.
It resists the temptation to declare transformation superficially and instead demands a deep intentionality of what value is and who it is being created for. Creating shared value is not a strategic act or initiative, it is an imperative towards dialogical, ethical and relational practice.