The business world has undergone many changes, some of them accelerated by crises and opportunities such as the pandemic and geopolitical movements. Part of this change has led companies to measure success not only by how much they grow or earn, but by how they impact their surroundings, how they make decisions, and most importantly, why they do what they do.
In times when social, environmental, and ethical crises are impossible to ignore, talking about governance becomes more than relevant. But not just any kind; what’s needed is governance that faces the present head-on, that acts with purpose, coherence, and above all, with consciousness.
So-called Conscious Governance is neither a technicality nor a passing trend, but a different way of understanding the company—one that questions who decides, how decisions are made, and what consequences those decisions have, both within and outside the organization.
It’s not just about ticking boxes of good intentions or hanging a “responsible company” plaque on the wall; rather, it’s about rethinking power, redistributing responsibility, and building a shared purpose through everyday actions.
This vision, as explained by Alma Yadira Bayona, research leader at the Center for Conscious Enterprises at Tecnológico de Monterrey (CEC), has stopped being theory and has become an urgent and deeply human practice.
When a company chooses to govern with consciousness, it is essentially saying it understands its power, its influence, and its responsibility to contribute to a more just, more sustainable, and more connected world.
From compliance to conviction: decisions that leave a mark
A key difference between traditional governance and conscious governance lies in their starting point. The first responds to compliance; the second, to conviction.
It’s not enough to implement a code of ethics or replicate hierarchical structures just because “it’s always been done that way.” The real question is: what kinds of decisions bring us closer to being a more inclusive, more just, more open company?
Conscious governance isn’t something to hang like an ornament within the company—it permeates the entire operation.
It doesn’t stay at a surface level; it is a living culture expressed in every process, behavior, and relationship. From how internal resources are used to how the company engages with neighboring communities, everything communicates, and every gesture can either strengthen or erode the commitment to people and the environment.
Of course, this requires a change in mindset, not just from upper management or leadership areas, but across all levels.
It’s essential to move from controlling leadership to leadership that listens, that incorporates diverse voices and acts with the genuine intent to create shared value for all stakeholders, not just for a few shareholders.
Governing from the system: collaboration and common purpose
One of the greatest insights of this practice has been understanding that governance is not an isolated pillar; it is the thread that stitches together all actors within a company and its ecosystem. The organization is no longer seen as an island, but as part of a dynamic network of suppliers, customers, communities, governments, and strategic partners.
When a company begins to govern consciously, it finds that not only does its social and environmental impact improve, but the quality of its relationships and its ability to adapt to change improve as well. Trust replaces contracts as the foundation of collaboration, and resilience is no longer improvised—it is cultivated through coherence.
This kind of approach has special value in contexts like Mexico, where shared challenges in mobility, decent employment, safety, and the environment require solutions that transcend organizational boundaries.
With this in mind, the Center for Conscious Enterprises seeks to promote a multisectoral meeting, based on the idea that conscious governance can help align the diverse purposes of different companies toward a common direction.
The challenges of transforming how we decide
Nonetheless, many organizations still operate from logic inherited from the last century. With rigid structures and metrics focused solely on financial performance, breaking away from this not only requires willpower but also training and support.
One of the biggest challenges is that, although interest exists, there’s still a lack of competencies to carry out this transformation. New skills are needed, more integrated frameworks, and methodologies that bring strategy closer to empathy and knowledge closer to purpose.
Fortunately, there are already tools available, such as training programs and tailored workshops for executive teams. The CEC has developed concrete tools to take the first step.
What’s most important is that there are committed people; in a pilot course, more than 80 participants from various sectors committed to building, from their realities, a different way of governing within their companies.
Conscious governance is a practice under construction, born from experience, from trial and error, and from the urgent need to do things differently. More and more companies are realizing they cannot move forward alone and that their decisions affect lives, territories, dreams, and futures.
Those organizations that learn to govern with consciousness will also be the best prepared to adapt, generate trust, create well-being and fair wealth, and build a shared future for all people and the environment.