The Social Piece by Catherine Fox (page 12 to 14) in The Australian’s supplement “Deal – April 2021” (behind the paywall but worth trying to get your hands on) is a great overview on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) over the last 20 years, the dramatic shifts in expectations, the evolution into mainstream thinking, and the transformation into understanding in intrinsic link to business value and reputation building.
As a practitioner operating through these changes in various organisations and now as a consultant, I am observing a stampede of statements and claims, glossy reporting and updated websites. An overuse of the claims across ESG/Sustainability and CSR. Tokenism, Virtue Signalling and Value Claiming. Ticking boxes in Sustainability and ESG Reports (understanding that for some businesses and industries there is increasing compliance).
Amid Board, CEO and Senior Management enthusiasm to get this sorted, there is an attempt to cover all fronts – with limited strategic planning and resources, and often across matrix and complex organisations. I suspect it has become too unwieldy in a rush to talk about success and claim progress before doing it.
Like all real change, CSR needs to be planned, thorough and deliberate. It takes time, resources and commitment. Most importantly it needs a clear, well understood and socialised strategy, adequate resourcing and a plan to monitor and measure outcomes.
My recommendation as a starting point is to really understand your organisation’s (public, private, government, for purpose, large, small) strengths, culture and context (competitive framework).
Look by starting from what you what do well. For example, is it employee volunteering, climate change action, supply chain management, diversity, supporting community programs in health, education, supporting economic development and microfinance? Is it in your local community, state-wide or on an international scale?
Authenticity and transparency will create real outcomes and social value.
If you want to find out more about contributing to an authentic and effective CSR program for your organisation contact us at Collage & Co and start a conversation.
*All credit to Nike for the catchy heading