tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.comments2023-10-11T04:11:00.792-07:00The Acacia Group - Socially Responsible LeadershipPenny Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16972306145988504642noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-48884476328613021332018-08-02T06:48:32.000-07:002018-08-02T06:48:32.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Vishalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05894911994426728386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-59630988625352835762018-08-02T06:39:18.343-07:002018-08-02T06:39:18.343-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Vishalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05894911994426728386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-23863307891704206942010-07-14T15:44:02.345-07:002010-07-14T15:44:02.345-07:00Fabian, I think more men get it. From a system po...Fabian, I think more men get it. From a system point of view, Core Groups of Decision makers define how people are rewarded and what they are rewarded for. So that is a major driver in how people work and factor CSR.<br /><br />Right now in the US, companies are holding in reserves $1.8 trillion dollars that is being saved for a rainy day. Imagine if ever 25% of those monies went to creating new jobs, which are badly needed in the US and a nice portion of that money was set up into bonus systems that reward people for leading and mentoring work practices with regard for the triple bottom line and setting up teams to build the projects that are captured with integrated reporting methodology.<br /><br />When Art Kleiner and I first brainstormed my curriculum that I developed outlined at http://www.workecology.com; we viewed this an opportunity to work systemically with organizations to reshape the conversations of decision makers with regard for the innovations the wider social network wants within an organization and outside. We now call this stakeholder engagement.<br /><br />I think the work ahead now is prepare leaders to lead and mentor sustainability in companies and organizations to reflect this. This would result in a changes to compensation for people across the board that could also change compensation schemes to be less hierachical and more about results and outcomes.<br /><br />I have met with enormous resistance in companies to foster that conversation with leaders. HR usually does not have the mandate to foster this discussion.<br /><br />Most of my coaching clients who practice sustainability are under paid and find it difficult to move into a leadership role and be recognized by core group decision makers. Yet most of my clients have a peer and public respect and fan clubs that are global. <br /><br />This is a dilemma and I am interested to find clients and people I coach who will work with me to foster this kind of change in compensation linked to performance.<br /><br />The world of work is also changing. We are in a global recession and new jobs are hard to find. I find it interest that many consultants in this space have healthy practices as consultants and many of them I respect have the talent to be directors or board members. So maybe its time for some consultants to go internal (men and women).<br /><br />In the meantime, I am so blessed with a gender balance in my professional life, I feel spoiled. I actually have more men at the present time supporting my project on health than women. I do hope to keep it balanced over time and have begun working some ideas to follow through on my value for building a community balanced in participation between men and women.<br /><br />Dave, thanks for sparking such a wonderful conversation here. <br /><br />John Friedman, we need more of what you see and think about in these kind of discussions.Lavinia Weissmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420432372656455313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-19487533987232384272010-07-14T10:09:55.391-07:002010-07-14T10:09:55.391-07:00Great article Dave and thanks for the mention.
I ...Great article Dave and thanks for the mention.<br /><br />I to a certain degree agree with Rhonda and also Ben. The whole responsible business practice sector is a good example that women are actually able to think ahead and are the sex to best understand that we need to change our ways ie. promoting responsible business practice.<br /><br />Having worked in the 'normal' pure profit seeking mens corporate world I must say that gender plays an enormously important role in non CSR work in my opinion. Male territorial behaviour is the key to success. <br /><br />And this makes one of the differences I love about the CSR world; it is different and the male culture is not so strong. the cause is at the haert of the movement and this is where it needs to stay as well in the future. <br /><br />Maybe more men will get this as well as time moves on and more men will realize that the territorial behavior is not getting them to far anymore............. ;-)<br /><br />Regards,<br />FabianFabian Pattberghttp://www.fabianpattberg.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-31850099377414633922010-07-14T09:57:12.045-07:002010-07-14T09:57:12.045-07:00Andrea's remark is key to why women are not wo...Andrea's remark is key to why women are not working effectively on the scientific side and much more.<br /><br />I to am enjoying the comments and will check in here on a regular basis.Lavinia Weissmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420432372656455313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-62400568200453741522010-07-14T09:07:43.013-07:002010-07-14T09:07:43.013-07:00I believe that women have the most to lose, and ga...I believe that women have the most to lose, and gain, in the future of sustainability efforts. <br /><br />Ensuring that the needs of the next generation are protected fits into the traditional role of women in most societies as the primary caretakers. If we continue to exploit natural and human resources at an unsustainable rate, it will disproporationally be the mothers of the world who will feel the heartbreak of knowing - and telling - their children will not live as well as they themselves have.<br /><br />They also have the most to gain from a continuation of capitalism into the 21st century and beyond because the individual accumulation of wealth has historically had a direct correlation to personal independence and therefore freedom. Whenever a group is allowed to enter the work force and provide for themselves, empowerment - the ability to no longer be beholden to a society or structure (or even a family) because of a lack of independent means is removed.@JohnFriedmanhttp://www.sbnow.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-67973657856796460782010-07-14T08:42:42.886-07:002010-07-14T08:42:42.886-07:00Many thanks for the great comments, and I hope we ...Many thanks for the great comments, and I hope we have more. <br /><br />This issue has clearly sparked a great deal of interest and I am struck by 1. The absence of clear answers 2. The commonality of the responses around leadership.<br /><br />Like all of you I think that leadership can be taught and that the lens for learning can actually be CSR. On Twitter it was suggested that the answer to the question "Where are the Men?" Could be, "...out creating the next economic crisis". Stereotypes would have us believe that men are more goal focused and that women can work better with process and systems of interchange. If one holds that as a truth - then perhaps the challenge is to focus learning on merging the two styles in a complementary fashion - supporting more women in the C-suite and men using CSR and sustainability thinking to achieve community and corporate goals.<br /><br />Andrea Learned has just written a great post that takes this a step deeper. She quotes John Marshall Roberts.."Women displayed a significantly higher level of systemic thinking in relation to leadership and communication preferences (70th percentile nationally for women, vs. 56th percentile for men). Women were also more likely to be socially optimistic and to filter data based upon authenticity than men"<br /><br />You can read the entire post at http://t.co/6AycpYq - <br /><br />If this is the case, then do we have two issues to acknowledge. One is that men and women process information and think differently AND, we still have to overcome a bias that is associated with this thinking that creates a glass ceiling?<br /><br />Love to hear more.Dave Harrhyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02114215533546194950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-46421152339078232422010-07-14T05:44:57.105-07:002010-07-14T05:44:57.105-07:00Really interesting article, though I have to say i...Really interesting article, though I have to say it's a little surprising to me. As a man working in CSR I certainly haven't noticed an imbalance where gender is concerned; if anything, having studied ethics at uni in a year that was exactly half and half, the only imbalance that I have seen has been one of age, not gender. Having said that, the age imbalance is one that might be better attributed to a generally ageing workforce and isn't in my experience limited to CSR.<br /><br />Aman, <br />I don't think that ethics is solely the realm of women, but I do think that there is a substantial difference in the way women and men 'do' ethics. <br />My understanding is that women generally have an ethic of 'care' and men generally work from an ethic of 'justice'. In CSR there is room for both, but it makes sense that CSR would be more likely to attract people working from an ethic of care.Ben@LeapCRhttp://www.leapcr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-31866180163547288302010-07-13T22:40:30.407-07:002010-07-13T22:40:30.407-07:00If more men were doing CSR, would we even be havin...If more men were doing CSR, would we even be having this conversation?<br /><br />I think not. Fact is, more women are in the workforce now. Shift is happening. Leadership is changing and it will continue. Why not simply embrace the rise of consciousness in general. We should be bringing everyone along for the ride. It's an important one.Rhonda Bannardhttp://www.inspiredconnections.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-41082711913149601082010-07-13T19:10:12.164-07:002010-07-13T19:10:12.164-07:00Andrea and Aman, I thought about what you both wro...Andrea and Aman, I thought about what you both wrote and I wonder what you both think if women chose education tracks and internships more aligned with CSR? <br /><br />The number of women seeking science related careers is still low while growing, e.g. engineering, technology and biopharm because those jobs and the job environments are not culturally based on encouragement and structured to support challenging on the job learning. So men may track themselves for green careers that are more scientific? Maybe more women select communication, HR and leadership?<br /><br />Curious to know what you think and welcome input from others.Lavinia Weissmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420432372656455313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-23300532402458729562010-07-13T13:24:39.508-07:002010-07-13T13:24:39.508-07:00Dave, the fact that so many women have joined the ...Dave, the fact that so many women have joined the conversation related to CSR is absolutely no surprise. This also fits with the gender studies and reports on jobs. In the Fortune 2000, 7% of women are appointed to leadership positions and the CSR agenda as Aman reports it on her blog, has only recently got the attention of the Director and Leadership level.<br /><br />Indra Nooyi is a minority in large cap investment circles and she found the ground to become aggressive with her agenda at last years World Economic Forum.<br /><br />Most of the jobs in the Fortune 2000 are in middle management where women work. When women cannot work any longer they leave the Fortune 2000 to found or work the mid cap and small cap business structure or social enterprise where there is a growth in jobs. This growth I believe relates to the fact that enterprise is a pay for performance environment or organized based on the rules of self-employment.<br /><br />CSR is an intersection of numerous sectors where we are striving to learn how employment and livelihood can be based on sustainable economic and investment models that give people (men and women) the opportunity to earn liveable wages and develop a portfolio of investments that can serve them for times of retirement, career transition, professional development and extraordinary times of demand to heal a illness or learn to sustain with chronic illness. This is an emerging model I describe as WorkEcology and write about in this context http://www.workecology.com.<br /><br />Women are also health consciouos and the societal demands at this time have not developed a system and infrastructure that surrounds work that supports well being beyond how we now calculate the GDP. This is the basis for my new project, WeCare Global Health where I am convening an inquiry and institute modeled after the UN Global Compact and Global Reporting Initiative where we can redefine all aspects of health to be served by how we sustain ourselves, the environment and build an economic proposition for health that currently does not exist.<br /><br />Thank you for highlighting me as someone to read. I am very grateful every day to be included in this group of composers and creative artists that are creating a new format for culture and change based on the values we all stand behind in our work and with our voice.Lavinia Weissmanhttp://www.laviniaweissman.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-62199314972999979642010-07-13T11:29:57.619-07:002010-07-13T11:29:57.619-07:00Thanks Andrea, it is unfortunate that a "wome...Thanks Andrea, it is unfortunate that a "women's job" is seen as a limiting descriptor, but as you describe it, that is the kiss of death as men would shift away from it. True systemic shifts across cultures should be gender neutral and capture the interests of all.Dave Harrhyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02114215533546194950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-17092167007501320512010-07-13T11:29:34.145-07:002010-07-13T11:29:34.145-07:00Totally agree with Andrea: What makes for leadersh...Totally agree with Andrea: What makes for leadership in CSR can be taught. Although there just aren't enough examples to tout in support of that sentiment except for Jeffrey Hollender and Jeff Swartz.<br /><br />Does it have anything to do with their gender? Maybe not. But is their command and following in the CSR world related to their gender? How many female speakers and keynotes do you see at the plethora of CSR conferences and panels being held all the time these days?<br /><br />What about PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi?<br /><br />Regardless, can we truly say ethics are distinctly a woman's prerogative without cringing?<br /><br />Would love to hear from more people. And thanks for the mention Dave!Aman Singhhttp://twitter.com/VaultCSRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-1291654784055159752010-07-13T11:11:31.971-07:002010-07-13T11:11:31.971-07:00CSR may naturally attract more women because they ...CSR may naturally attract more women because they tend to be more comfortable/more practiced with empathy (and perhaps more allowed to express it). Before it's too late, we should educate and develop integrated CSR leadership programs (not alongside), so CSR doesn't start to be seen, culturally, as some sort of "women's job." That could be the kiss of death if the idea is to pursue social responsibility in sustainable way. What makes for leadership in CSR CAN be taught. No gender about it.Andrea Learnedhttp://learnedon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-27411957887980838962010-07-12T17:54:03.736-07:002010-07-12T17:54:03.736-07:00Seeing an effective leader at work can be pretty e...Seeing an effective leader at work can be pretty exciting for those that are interested in finding out what the leader has and sprinkling a little on themselves.executive coachinghttp://www.selfleadership.com/services/executive_coaching/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-45537688323482134632010-06-02T10:45:21.407-07:002010-06-02T10:45:21.407-07:00David-- I completely agree with your comment about...David-- I completely agree with your comment about the triple bottom line. Some people may even go far enough to call strategic community investment a luxury. While yes, there is a big cost attached to CSR, if you are strategic then the ROI may offset initial costs. Unfortunately, I do think that in this economy people are probably facing tougher ethical dilemmas. While they may not believe in the organization they work for, they would rather sacrifice their morals than be unemployed. I have not seen any literature on this idea of "turning a blind eye" but based on anecdotal evidence, I'd say yes--it probably happens more often than not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-52339868956831692152010-06-02T09:39:13.602-07:002010-06-02T09:39:13.602-07:00Jane, thanks so much for the comment. The whole no...Jane, thanks so much for the comment. The whole notion of doing good, and relating that behavior to a profit motive is rife with ethical trapdoors. In my rush to judge I do try to be mindful of the balance of the triple bottom line too, and that investment in people and planet cannot happen if profits do not occur. I agree with you that most people seek to be good corporate citizens - as employees, but this also speaks to the tension in the equation above, i.e. while most people would prefer to work for an socially responsible organization, the immediate need is to collect a paycheck. In tough economic times, does that reality contribute to them having to a turn a blind eye to less than desirable practices? Have you, or others, seen any literature on this?Dave Harrhyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02114215533546194950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-68866551138354461192010-06-02T08:08:17.517-07:002010-06-02T08:08:17.517-07:00I think it is interesting, yet not surprising, tha...I think it is interesting, yet not surprising, that people have different ways of defining CSR. I think that most people will agree CSR is a good thing--although people sometimes question whether or not a company has the best intentions for implementing a CSR plan. We have heard the debate about whether or not it is appropriate for a company to be motivated to do good simply to increase profit. While yes, that should be one motivation, I think more companies are motivated because they want to enhance their reputational capital. If you get down to it, every company is made up of individuals that want to be known as good corporate citizens. Yes they want to provide a good product and/or service, but they also want to know they are making a positive social impact. We posed a similar question on our blog; What does CSR Mean to you? http://gallowaygroup.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/what-does-csr-mean-to-you/<br />I'd love to hear your thoughts.Jane at Galloway Grouphttp://www.gallowaygroup.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-50495076466676260042010-05-14T12:36:15.320-07:002010-05-14T12:36:15.320-07:00Dave, you raise some great questions here. I'...Dave, you raise some great questions here. I'm all for collaboration and creative ways for various sectors to work together (that's ultimately the only way to tackle the big problems), but as nonprofit funding shifts toward more toward corporations and less from foundations, we will/do need more precedent and guidance about what can demanded of the nonprofit sector.<br /><br />Better World Books has an interesting model that they developed to protect their 5 nonprofit partners in the event that the company is sold. The nonprofit partners are allocated equity shares but they must reach certain performance indicators decided on by the company each year to receive them. It's supportive rather than exploitative, but still the 'company' has a strong influence on nonprofit funding. <br /><br />-Olivia Khalili<br />CauseCapitalism.comOliviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00707381833152601256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-84640851671691913342010-05-14T11:41:46.145-07:002010-05-14T11:41:46.145-07:00Hi Sean,
Thank-you for the thoughtful posting. It...Hi Sean,<br />Thank-you for the thoughtful posting. It really shows the depth of your experience with Interculturalism. Your example of the American working with an Indian team highlighted the complexity of interaction and underlined the need for a deep understanding of different cultural paradigms in addition to leadership skills. <br />Response from Christine Bonney - posted by Penny LanePenny Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16972306145988504642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-27940812382417343792010-05-11T09:58:48.767-07:002010-05-11T09:58:48.767-07:00Of course it's not possible (or advisable) to ...Of course it's not possible (or advisable) to forget your own values; and you're correct, there is little use in trying to advance in an American company by not trying to come in under budget, on time, etc. However, the key is to be able to communicate, motivate, and understand those who come from other cultures, and how best to work with them so that projects do come in under budget and on time. <br /><br />*Example: An American manager working with a team of IT workers in Mumbai. There is an agreed upon timeline, and project plan with which the Indian team leader and all other stakeholders are on the same page. The American manager calls one day and asks one of the programmers to make some small changes to the project plan, and asks if that will be doable. The response he gets is "Probably. I'll try my best to get that done." From an American standpoint (direct communication), what the Indian gentleman has just said was "yes", from an Indian standpoint (indirect communication) what he said was a definitive "no." (and keep in mind that English is most often the language of business in both countries!) For a cross-culturally competent manager, the next steps would probably be to call the Indian manager directly (high power distance), and perhaps the other stakeholders to agree to concrete changes in the project plan, and then to call back frequently... daily if necessary, as "first come first served" is not the typical way of getting work done in India... time tends to be more synchronic (rather than linear) there. He could also ask open-ended quetions of the IT worker: "So what would be the best way to make changes to the project plan?" etc.<br /><br />So you can see in this example, how the American manager can benefit from a cross-cultural mindset, to get work done in a manner that is acceptable to their American superiors, and will likely help to advance their career. Cross-cultural mindsets help you manage your own cultural expectations, and to develop more efficient ways of getting work done. It's not about changing your own values, it's about being aware of your own values, how those differ from others, and how to best navigate those differences.<br /><br />*Keeping in mind, of course, that the actors in the above example are behaving archetypically. Cultural dimensions are cultural tendencies only, and do not apply to every member of every culture group equally, or in the same ways. It’s important not to apply them as stereotypes.<br /><br />-Sean Oliver<br />Language & Culture WorldwideAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-20976711345156749672010-04-23T07:58:27.465-07:002010-04-23T07:58:27.465-07:00Thanks for your thoughts on the outcomes for volun...Thanks for your thoughts on the outcomes for voluntourism - it speaks to the need to be sensitive to the communities we are visiting and to the importance of understanding the `possibilities' that they want to create for themselves - and also to be explicit about our own assumptions about what autonomy, independence and sustainability means (to them and to us).Pennyhttp://www.theacaciagroup.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-90529154440080692892010-04-21T11:05:57.686-07:002010-04-21T11:05:57.686-07:00Thanks Penny for a superb, thought provoking artic...Thanks Penny for a superb, thought provoking article.<br />As a quick reply to your concluding questions:<br />I am the founder of Hands Up Holidays (www.handsupholidays.com) and the outcome I would like to see is the point where there is no need for organizations like us to exist:<br />- communities will have become sufficiently empowered to be autonomous, independent and self-sustaining...still welcoming to foreigners wanting to engage in meaningful cultural exchange and interaction, but not reliant on them for skills or resources.<br />Now of course this is a big, optimistic dream, but it is the outcome I would like to see.<br /><br />To my mind, the primary purpose of voluntourism is for the visitors to be of benefit to their host community, and be so transformed by their experience that their lives change in positive ways as a result, which have direct and indirect benefits in the long term to the host community.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-12530526768361144652010-04-17T10:58:56.576-07:002010-04-17T10:58:56.576-07:00I can appreciate the need to change from "We ...I can appreciate the need to change from "We are experts" to "I have something to learn from you". That was a change we have made at PEPY, and it took us some time realize how ethnocentric we were to think we could come in and "help". There are still very often conversations I have with colleagues where we are debating the potential effects of our decisions, and when we have to remind ourselves to include the people who would be effected by the decisions in the conversation. With "aid" being such a debated academic topic, it is sometimes easy to get wrapped up in the philosophical arguments and forget that the philosophies and theories are a lot less important than the realities. We offer educational tours, which used to be more "volunteer tours" and we wrote more about our change in perspectives here, which relates to your post. http://bit.ly/c76oxUDaniela Papihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05907868361522734950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6930429171702231097.post-88679773787635495442010-01-08T21:55:43.268-08:002010-01-08T21:55:43.268-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com