Forward Focused Thinking and CSR

I was struck by a recent article by Aman Singh that referenced the multi-modal skill set that today’s CSR manager must have. They must be focused on diversity, HR, communications, stakeholder engagement and to an extent, reputation management. The ability to manage a complex and shifting agenda often creates such large and varied challenges that the manager has to shift into firefighter mode, dousing the flames of a crisis before they get too big. This broad approach focuses on “after-the-fact” interventions rather than future oriented, planful and systemic thinking required by corporate leaders.

A study conducted by Ashbridge Business School in the UK and reported to the European Academy of Business in Society, indicates several interesting factors that can assist an organization be truly responsible. First, the study lays out the need for the need for integration of social and environmental issues in to the day-to-day decision making processes. While corporate culture can play a role in this, the study goes further and outlines five competencies or “reflexive abilities” of leaders which they believe can be taught and developed.

1. Systemic thinking
2. Embracing diversity and managing risk
3. Balancing global and local perspectives
4. Meaningful dialogue and developing a new language
5. Emotional awareness

An excerpt from the reports states that competencies “…describe the more fundamental features of an individual’s character and personality. Giving people the opportunity to question, explore and make meaning of the values and assumptions that inform their decision-making process requires a carefully structured process of analysis and reflection”

A second recommendation suggests that such learning has to be taken out of the classroom and should be the product of experiential learning, exposing people to a new experience and then allowing them the opportunity to reflect and adjust their behavior and thinking.

Finally, through cultural diversity and respect it is essential that the participant rid themselves (as best they can) of their cultural bias of their Anglo-American lens and the associated notions of “I have the solution” and replace this with an openness to understanding not only different ways of functioning but expanding their view of how businesses can be operated.

These competencies are a departure from the traditional content heavy emphasis of most MBA programs as they focus on process, discovery, and insight; and focus instead on the creation of leadership leading to transformative change. Managing the list of portfolios previously outlined is a big ask, so why don’t we focus on the creation of leaders who can convey the fundamental competencies outlined above, and who have character and personality that aligns with their mission?

Do organizations increasingly care less about what you know and more about problems are solved and information processed?

Are these the right competencies?

Which schools or programs are promoting this kind of thinking? – Let us know.

The Acacia Group provides services to organizations who are serious about growing their CSR and who recognize that leadership development is the lever to their success. For more information contact info@theacaciagroup.ca , call 1-877-313-8822 or join us at the end of November on our next international residency in Guatemala.

Gender Bias in CSR - Where Are All the Men?

Over the last several weeks our company has engaged in a series of social media notices leading up to a webinar on FAQs regarding our leadership development experience in Guatemala. Of those who showed an interest and signed up for the webinar - entirely 100% were women. Now, our numbers would certainly show a limiting and therefore non-valid sample size. But there is a reality that of the people that we have engaged with over the last several months the disproportionate majority are women. Leading me to ask….Where have all the men gone? – and, given the equally disproportionate number of men in the C-Suite –is the gender difference an issue to be reconciled in order to have corporate social responsibility move to the strategic front burner?

Aman Singh at Vault CSR did a nice job of summarizing the Boston College Centre for Corporate Citizenship report on the Profile of the Profession – In her blog Aman pointed out the ten leading characteristics/identifiers of a CSR professional – but for the purpose of this discussion let’s stick to the top four –

1. They hold a bachelors degree
2. They are a women
3. They are white
4. They are more than 35 years old.

I can safely say that these descriptors definitely correspond to those who showed an interest in our work. So of course we need to understand the Why?

A quick search discovered an intriguing diploma thesis argument by Elena Bueble that addresses CSR from a communications and consumer alignment perspective. She illustrates that the connectedness that consumers feel with a company’s CSR activities (and therefore contributing to their purchasing behavior) has a lot to do with the alignment of ethics between the individual and the company. She then cites references that illustrate that women are more ethically sensitive than men and in a philanthropic arena are more likely to donate money and their own time via volunteerism than men.

The Guatemala experience focuses on development of insight related to leadership skills, intense application of those insights and skills and in social enterprise in a small village and then with accredited coaching support, taking away those lessons and applying them to various components such as career, community and family over a period of several months.
This combination of learning, leadership development and “hands-on” CSR – would of course appeal to those with a strong ethical base, and those who are curious about the world and their place in it. But I do not believe that this is the sole (or soul) domain of women. Gender differences are rarely black and white, so I do imagine that CSR, leadership and learning are of interest to many men too – yet there is clearly a difference in how this is pursued by men.
So…some questions.

1. Is social and environmental good still seen as a “soft” benefit versus that resides outside the traditional profit and loss statement that is “hard” evidence of success pursued by men?

2. Is CSR seen as a skill of nurturance – that can be performed by men, but more comfortably by women?

3. Our program focuses on leadership development alongside CSR – would more men consider leadership innate whereas women would place value on the introspection, and analysis required to be more effective?

4. These questions lead to a black and white orientation that is overly simplistic to say the least and only supports the maintenance of stereotypes. However, they do play at the corners of a more troubling scenario. If one assumes that promoting a CSR/leadership agenda is a good thing, then it should be of equal importance to both men and women. Women are the typical CSR practitioner but are underrepresented at the most senior levels – aside from trying to achieve parity in this regard; does it also make sense for us to rethink the communications context to engage men at a senior level in this dialogue. Or…..

5. Is this all nonsense and can concerns be safely dismissed simply by what we see in the relatively egalitarian social media world, i.e. witness the work and ideas of Fabian Pattberg, Elaine Cohen, Aman Singh, David Connor, Chris Jarvis, Christine Arena, Julie Urlaub, Jeffrey Hollender, or Lavinia Weissman and many others.

What do you think? Do you have answers or opinions on the above questions? Is this all a red herring? Let us know your thoughts.

The Acacia Group’s mission is to offer transformative and unique leadership development for organizations and individuals seeking to live out their global citizenship. To do this we blend knowledge from Corporate Social Responsibility, Community Development and Leadership Development and Learning to emerge new opportunities for excellence for our clients.

Smart Business - “Baskets of Solutions” and the Millennium Development Goals

This blog is the second in a series that captures a conversation I had with Greg Van Kirk, Ashoka-Lemolson Fellow and author of “The Microconsignment Model – Bridging the “Last Mile” of Access to Products and Services for the Rural Poor. You are encouraged to click the previous hyperlink to get a sense of the profound difference Greg makes in his work. As a teaser, consider the following excerpt that begins to portray the value of the MicroConsignment model.

Until recently, Carolina Amesquita, the principal at La Escuela Ramona Jil primary school in Chimeltenango, Guatemala lamented daily the her students were drinking contaminated water directly from the tap, often contracting gastrointestinal illnesses that kept them out of school. Others in the community were suffering too. Juana Ramirez, an expert weaver in the village of San Mateo, could no longer see well enough to sort her threads by color. Her productivity had plummeted, further stressing her already struggling family. While preparing meals over an open-pit fire in her home, as Guatemalan women had done for generations, Alva Rios was inhaling harmful smoke for hours each day. Julia Garcia was spending more and more of her family income on electricity bills, while Benito Ramirez had no electricity in his home and at night had to study by candlelight.

These and similar problems confronting thousands of rural Guatemalans have now been solved through the hard work of two Guatemalan women. Yoly Acajabon and Clara Luz de Montezuma, local homemakers in their mid-40’s, started their own enterprises in 2004 with no entrepreneurial experience of start-up capital. Working within the MicroConsignment Model (MCM), these extraordinary women are providing low –income villagers with essential products and services that help improve their health, nutrition and economic situations – and they are earning incomes for their own families while they doing so.

La Escuela Ramona now owns a water-purification device. Juan Ramirez got a free eye-exam and bought low-cost reading glasses. Alva Rios now cooks on fuel-efficient stove with a chimney. Julia Garcia has installed energy-efficient light bulbs in her home, and Benito Ramirez owns a solar panel and LED light that brightens and entire room.

By providing access to needed but previously unavailable products, Yoly and Clara are “bridging the last mile” in the supply chain of products needed by the rural poor in an appropriate and sustainable way. In the beginning they simply sold reading glasses, but over time their “basket of solutions” has become a growing enterprise…….

With support from university students, recent graduates and a permanent field staff, Social Entrepreneur Corps ( SEC) provides training in business skills, access to products and seed funding. To date they have provided training to over 200 women entrepreneurs and broker organizations such as community libraries who can also then provide business support and skills to the ranks of entrepreneurs.

DH - Greg, you have indicated that you don’t see yourself as a volunteer program per se, but as a development program.

GVK – That’s right. We see our role as creating something that is sustainable, that creates a scenario whereby if Social Entrepreneur Corps were to disappear overnight that the program could still run. Skills and resources are created that we contribute to but we don’t own them. They would still survive. It is just smart business to create sustainable infrastructure – to create strong development work.

DH – I know we are all guarding against the creation of dependency and a neo-colonial approach to development, how do you avoid this?

GVK - We work best when we all work together – we bring strengths and weaknesses, and we are constantly curious about our role and we interact with beneficiaries. Ultimately we will leave when we don’t add value anymore. We want to create self-sustainability, we are constantly looking at driving costs out of the equation, but having said that we need to do everything from development to departure at the right pace, a timing agenda creates an urgency and – velocity of our interaction should introduced as a factor. We build trust – this takes time, but creates a sense of cooperation and achievement. If we insist on a transactional relationship only, then there will be no trust and true sustainability becomes elusive if not impossible.

The final section of the interview will run next week and Greg will discuss how young learners experience the program as interns, and what the future holds for him and this model.

As the subtitle of this blog indicates, there is a real connection to Greg’s work, the work of Yoly and Clara and the Millennium Development Goals. This week and next the G8 and G20 will meet in Ontario, Canada to discuss their way in the world and featured on the agenda are the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). While leaders and bureaucrats pontificate and navel gaze about actions to support already agreed upon commitments, now and again in September in New York, Greg, his team of interns and Yoly and Clara using their “basket of solutions” are already taking a bite out the MDG. Moving to eliminate poverty, creating a better, cleaner and sustainable environment, achieving primary universal education, and promoting gender equality and empowering women are tangible products of the work being done in Guatemala. One can assume that success in these goals will also impact the remaining goals through true systemic shifts. It is curious to note that this is not being done via aid or hand outs but rather smart and effective business leadership built upon the back bone of trust, leading to sustainability.

The Acacia Group is proud to be working with Greg and Social Entrepreneur Corps in Nebaj, and is offering an opportunity for individuals or groups to participate in, observe and learn from SEC and the citizens of Nebaj. This experience is combined with personal and group leadership development coaching before, during and after the trip for up to three months. Interest is building, so book soon at www.theacaciagroup.ca or join us on one of our upcoming webinars to get more information.

Webinar: Months of Leadership and Development Coaching + 1 Week in Nebaj, Guatemala = 1 Golden Opportunity

The Acacia Group will be hosting a second webinar to provide information regarding their transformative learning opportunity in Guatemala –departing in late November, where special pricing is in effect.

The call and the experience are intended for:
• Individuals who wish to move out of their comfort zone and be different in the world they see
• Individuals and organizations who recognize the value of experiential learning and who want to take their learning outside of the office or classroom
• Individuals and organizations who have tasted success, and are now seeking a way to “make a difference” in the world around them.
• Organizations that are looking for distinct ways to engage in meaningful, longer-term corporate social responsibility and see that growing leadership is the way to truly embed sustainablity into their corporate DNA.

Discover, Experience, Grow – these are the core elements of The Acacia Group and their socially responsible leadership experiences. Join us on this week's webinar to understand how you or your company can access a unique experience in social responsibility and an investment in learning.


July 7th at 12:00 noon Pacific

The webinar is free – just send an email to info@theacaciagroup.ca indicating which date you would like to attend and we will send you personal dial in info. For more information visit www.theacaciagroup.ca and click the link for Guatemala.

WARNING! --TRUST IN CSR - CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

In light of the BP spill, the bank meltdown, sub-prime fiasco and other associated mismanagement debacles a quote from the often cheery Nietzsche seems appropriate. “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you”. A great deal of corporate trust has evaporated, and despite many good efforts by many good organizations, it will take a long time for it to return.

This past weekend The Acacia Group had an opportunity to present at a conference for the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants on the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility and the embedding of the triple bottom line into an organization. A number of thought provoking conversations emerged throughout the presentation as people shared what they are thinking about in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility.

The audience was comprised of consultants with a wide variety of backgrounds and levels of experience, but the common thread seemed to focus on the need for truthfulness and integrity of behavior aligning with stated values. In sum, there is a strong felt need for CSR to be seen as the real thing, and not a trend or superficial exercise.

To introduce the session we asked each of the participants to respond to the question: `what do you think about when you hear the phrase Corporate Social Responsibility?’ The responses were thoughtful and reflective of an interest and curiosity about Corporate Social Responsibility.

· I think about trust and truth…

· I think about the social aspects of a company’s impact

· I think about whether or not CSR is only about the social impact or if it includes the environmental impact as well

· I think about whether or not it is ok for a company to make money when the expense socially or environmentally is high

· I think about whether or not this is a generational movement or does it cross generations

· I think about the alignment or lack of alignment between an organization’s stated values and expressed values

· I think about how important it is to be talking about this and how my own consumption choices are more and more being influenced by the social and environmental reputation of a company

· I am looking for confirmation that there is a depth of understanding generally about what CSR means

These are people who know and who work with organizations and their conversation reflected `a need to be convinced’ that a company’s CSR story is genuine. As part of our presentation we provided three case studies and asked them to discuss where on the CSR pyramid (from Kelly McElhaney) they would place the company and the industry, and what they felt the leadership challenge to be for the organization in terms of their CSR. (For another angle on the CSR pyramid see our earlier blog on CSR and & Stakeholder Engagement – What’s your metaphor). Few were ready to accept that any of the examples including Marks and Spencer, were functioning above the managerial model of CSR. Tough audience maybe, but perhaps indicative of a mismatch between expectations, delivery by large corp, and trust.

It would seem that there is another evolutionary model of CSR at play here, one that has an inescapable interdependence with the establishment of trust. First of all, fundamentally, corporations are waking up to the idea that the absence of a CSR strategy is a liability and that poor environmental or social performance minimizes stakeholder support and investment. So, they dutifully meet the demands of stakeholders and provide some surface level reporting or social engagement. Next, increased transparency and the viral nature of e-communications propels them down the line to make their CSR activities more public. But as evidenced by our experience this weekend, not everyone understands their efforts, and of those that do, fewer still trust the efforts. In sum, consumers expect more. The final stage of evolution then would be the internalized process of engaging in CSR strategically via enlightened and empowered leadership. As long as CSR is an external add-on or cost to the system and not actually a fundamental part of the leadership doctrine of the organization, cynicism and mistrust will prevail. The standards for performance are becoming better understood, and are getting tougher. Progressive organizations will get this and make sure they put the right people in place at the right time. .

The Acacia Group’s mission is to offer transformative and unique leadership development for organizations seeking to live out their global citizenship. To do this we blend knowledge from Corporate Social Responsibility, Community Development and Leadership Development and Learning to create new opportunities for excellence for our clients. For more information, visit www.theacaciagroup.ca

Standing at the CSR Crossroads

Business in the 21^st century is now full of catch phrases such as employee engagement, embedding CSR into the DNA, alignment of values and behavior, integrity, core values, going green, sustainability, corporate survival and respect.

Companies that are stumbling into this cry for transparency (another positive trend) may be overwhelmed or even intimidated by both the pressure to perform an unfamiliar set of behaviors, and by the variety and complexity of the types of CSR activities – with the added catch that those that are too tentative about the process and chose to stay with familiar and true behaviors run the risk of watching their companies fade into the background or cease to exist all together. No pressure.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by David Suzuki the renowned environmentalist, documentarian and activist. He was speaking passionately and at times angrily about the stupidity and selfishness of man and big corp as we systemically create irreversible harm to the ecosystem that we depend on for our survival as a species. And then…he paused. He recounted a conversation he had had with his twenty-something daughter. As I recall it went something like this. He asked his daughter how she felt about the future, her future. Her reply was that she was excited. Suzuki senior was incredulous, “Excited?....Excited? How the hell can you be excited? Don’t you know what is happening to our planet? To the food we eat, the oceans we harvest, the air we breathe?”….”Dad”, she replied…”We are standing at the crossroads of choice. If we continue on the path we are on we will destroy ourselves, but if we take the other road we have an opportunity to truly change the future of humanity – what an opportunity, to be part of taking the right road”.

Companies that choose to see themselves as part of the fabric of the communities in which they operate and in which their employees live, or where they outsource….are facing this wonderful choice. They too have a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the future of humanity. They get to use their innovative skills that differentiate them from their competitors to create a method of practice that sets them firmly on the course of sustainability.

In the brilliant book The Responsibility Revolution – Jeffrey Hollender outlines the notion that corporate consciousness is the latest horizon in the competitive landscape. Those corporations that are seriously engaged in CSR strategies understand that true transformative change can have its genesis today but that the benefits of this change may be a generation or more away. These corporations acknowledge and then act upon effective environmental and social agendas that are integrated with the value proposition of the company and give back to the communities in which they do business. They have moved beyond measurement of ROI in the next quarter to understanding that investment today has to be for the long term. Fundamentally they understand two principles, first of all. Do something of substance. Second of all – Commit to see it through.

Hollender outlines key steps of developing a CSR strategy, including and not limited to; keeping mission and legacy front and center, elevating sustainability to the top of the corporate agenda and supporting authenticity by allowing individuals to “own” sustainability ……. Are these activities easy? No. The tendency to go toward the bright light of short term gains to meet the hungry and perceived needs of shareholders is still compelling. But progressive companies make the hard choices anyway. To pull from a previous blog, they see that they need to do the right thing not just when it is convenient for them, but as a standing method of practice. They have reached the crossroad and are choosing to make their journey longer by making the right choice.

The Acacia Group’s mission is to offer transformative and unique leadership development for organizations seeking to live out their global citizenship. To do this we blend knowledge from Corporate Social Responsibility, Community Development and Leadership Development and Learning to create new opportunities for excellence for our clients. For more information, visit www.theacaciagroup.ca

Focusing on The Why? Not the What? …of CSR

We’ve all done it….asked the question at a social event…”What do you do?”- But how often do we ask “Why do you do that?”

In the rush to get on the social responsibility bandwagon, corporations may be happy to tout the –what they do answer without much real understanding of the why.

Whether on an individual or corporate level this “why” - speaks to a simple values clarification model I learned years ago. In order for something to be considered a value it has to be; chosen freely, from alternatives, prized and honored, and finally – acted upon. Often, someone who can answer the “why” comes from a deep based value system.

If a company’s response to the “why” question cannot stretch beyond –“because our customers expect it” or the more generic “because it is the right thing to do” – chances are they have not adopted the value of CSR as a strategic priority.

In a great discussion paper on the value of International Corporate Volunteer Programs FSG – Social Impact Advisors suggested that companies that “get it” will ask… What strategic benefit is the company accruing and how effective have employees been at adding value to society? and as such, will focus on counting both the outputs and outcomes of their efforts. The outputs are to be used for the CSR report, brand marketing and other public relations processes. They can count the number of hours volunteered, the number of meals served at a food program or the number of dollars raised for a cause.

The outcomes are more challenging – but can be focused on enhanced employee morale, engagement, recruitment and new skill acquisition or, even as The Acacia Group proposes, new leadership skills. The FSG paper provides a model that distinguishes between the generic traditional volunteer efforts, programs that are strategically aligned to assist development in the value chain or to be high-impact skills based service that leverage corporate resources. The point here is that the corporation needs to consider in advance what they wish to achieve for themselves and how they will contribute to a better society. This requires strategic thinking and longer term planning and measurement that could occur over years of engagement.

The buzz of whether CSR is a PR shell game and has a short life or is a true strategic business imperative- can be addressed by these value based decisions. If a company does not choose their CSR activities wisely, does not contemplate the value, does not allocate the resources to support the activity, and does not act upon them consistently or over time –the initiative will fail. The volunteers will feel their efforts are shallow, the executive will be tainted by the failure and will be less likely to sponsor the next CSR project and the NGO will be wary about the next “great idea”. Frankly – those organizations who want to just “test the waters” of CSR and only skim the surface without understanding their “why” are better off staying out of the water.