June 2011
In This Issue:
Social Responsibility -- Working for a Better World
Social Responsibility Offers Opportunities
Milwaukee Companies Embrace Social Responsibility
What's Your Take on Social Responsibility?
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By Robert Deahl
Three years ago the College of Professional Studies at Marquette University embarked on a visioning and strategic planning process to clearly state the value proposition that the college brings to both the Jesuit university and the greater Milwaukee community. Founded 15 years ago, the college delivers undergraduate and masters’ degrees, as well as the Future Milwaukee Program to adults and working professionals throughout southeastern Wisconsin.
The college embraces the three core values of ethical leadership, civic engagement and social responsibility. All three of these values resonate deeply with the Jesuit tradition that seeks do justice and serve the common good in order to build a better world for us all.
Ethical leadership is embedded throughout our entire curriculum and is a central component in our bachelor’s degree in Leadership and Organizations and our master’s degree in Leadership Studies. The college actively practices civic engagement through course projects, internships and degree capstone courses, all of which engage the student with community service, as well as through the learning experiences that are part of the eight-month long Future Milwaukee Program that uses the “community as our classroom.” Social responsibility is at the very heart of the vision of the college that “seeks to create the conditions for the possibility of personal and community transformation.” We can only effectively transform this community of ours if we all, together, act and behave in ways that are socially responsible.
The American Society for Quality (ASQ) defines social responsibility as people and organizations behaving and conducting business ethically and with sensitivity toward social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues. Indeed, striving for social responsibility helps individuals, organizations and governments have a positive impact on development, business and society.
Now, there are critics who argue that corporate social responsibility distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses; others argue that it is nothing more than superficial window-dressing; others argue that it is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations though there is no systematic evidence to support these criticisms. However, a significant number of studies have shown no negative influence on shareholder results from transacting business in a socially responsible manner, but rather, a slightly positive correlation with improved shareholder returns.
The ASQ standard for social responsibility focuses on seven key aspects: organizational governance, community involvement and development, environment, fair operating practices, consumer issues, labor practices and human rights. Each of these is central to how an organization, a business, indeed a community transacts its business and purpose. Just how we transact our business and the ways in which we act and behave with one another clearly has an enormous impact on our quality of life and our ability to build a better world together.
Dr. Robert Deahl is dean of the College of Professional Studies at Marquette University.
By Donna Bembenek
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is commonly understood to be the obligations of an organization and its leadership to the interests of the society in which it operates. This can come in the form of social services, volunteerism and advocacy.
While traditional definitions focus on the “responsibility” of a business, they tend to miss the “opportunities” presented to the socially responsible organization. Social responsibility affects brand, corporate standing and ultimately sales as more consumers actively support those organizations most in line with their own values.
In a series of speeches, Amanda Bowman, director of Engage, quotes the Global CSR Monitor Survey conducted by Global Scan in 2001 which polled people in 20 countries on what they felt was the most important factor in forming an impression of a company; 21% said that a company’s “responsibility to broader society‟ was the most important factor; that ranked second only to “brand quality/reputation‟ with 35% of the votes.
Socially responsible companies also benefit from a competitive advantage when it comes to recruitment. According to a 2001 survey by the Cherenson Group (a New Jersey based PR firm), 78% of people polled said that they would rather work for a company with an excellent reputation even if a company with a less than desirable reputation offered more money.
Social Responsibility and the Y
The generosity of others is at the core of the Y’s existence as a nonprofit. It is only through the support of the organization’s hundreds of thousands of volunteers and public and private donors that it is able to support and give back to the communities it engages.
Giving Back and Providing Support to Our Neighbors
The Y has been listening and responding to its communities’ most critical social needs for more than 150 years. Whether developing skills or emotional well-being through education and training, welcoming and connecting diverse demographic populations through global services, or preventing chronic disease and building healthier communities through collaborations, the Y fosters the care and respect all people need and deserve. Through the Y, volunteers and thousands of donors, leaders and partners are empowering people to be healthy, confident, connected and secure.
To bring about meaningful change, individuals need ongoing encouragement and tools. This is one of the roles the Y has played for more than 150 years. It is a privilege to be part of a team of committed individuals and organizations working to find solutions to the community‟s greatest needs. An organization, as well as their employees can find great pride when they work to ensure every child, family and community has what they need to achieve their best.
Donna Bembenek is senior vice president, Philanthropy and Communication Strategy, for the Y of Metropolitan Milwaukee.
By Jim Milner
Last month I had breakfast with my good friend Dick Tillmar at a little place near downtown Milwaukee – Mykonos Gyro and Cafe. When you walk into the restaurant you can feel the presence of the Greek culture embracing you. You can also feel and see the connections between the wonderful food being served, those serving it, and the people feasting in an enjoyable atmosphere.
Over breakfast, Dick asked if I wouldn’t mind writing an article on “Social Responsibility.” My answer was not only I would I not mind — I would be delighted! As a practitioner in the field of organizational development and performance management, this is my baklava –and that’s no joke.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins describes some critical advice he received when he asked a Stanford colleague for advice about how to become a better teacher. “You spend too much time trying to be interesting. Why don’t you invest some more time being interested?” was the response. To me, social responsibility is all about creating connections — and, in doing so, investing more time in being interested than interesting.
I have consulted with numerous area organizations — Froedtert Hospital, We Energies, Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, and Marquette University, to name a few — on projects that incorporate the above concept of social responsibility. In addition, I am aware of other local companies that have created connections that demonstrate social responsibility in three primary ways. For example:
Supporting community programs and initiatives — Alterra Coffee is demonstrating social responsibility by partnering with Pick ’n Save to support a “cause-related” marketing strategy that has contributed more than $500,000 to Feeding America of Southeastern Wisconsin. Because of these companies, millions of pounds of food are available to feed individuals in our community.
Intentionally fostering partnerships with community businesses through supply chain strategies — Manpower, with world headquarters in Milwaukee, changed the way its business was operating to foster partnerships with local businesses in our community. As a result, one once-struggling startup company today has estimated annual revenues of $40 million, creating employment in central city Milwaukee and in turn investing in its own community projects.
Investing in the development of local communities’ human capital and creating space within in the company for the use of the new skills — Harley-Davidson Motor Co. supports the development of its future workforce through a foundation which funds job training pre-apprenticeship programs for disadvantaged workers. The foundation also provides leadership within the Milwaukee Area Workforce Funding Alliance, a collaboration of 25 public and private funders.
In the end, organizations that are interested in their employees, their suppliers, their future employees, their communities and the world, do well by creating these kinds of connections. In fact, we all do.
Jim Milner MBA-HRM, is president and CEO of Urban Strategies in Milwaukee.
What's your take on social responsibility? Are there benefits to the company? Does it matter to employees that a company is socially responsible? Does it matter to the community where the employer is located? E-mail me your thoughts to Tillmar@tillmarconnect.com.
"Do not depend on the hope of results.When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no worth at all, if not perhaps, results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself. And there, too, a great deal has to be gone through, as gradually you struggle less and less for an ideal, and more and more for specific people. The range tends to narrow down, and it gets more real. In the end, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything." — Thomas Merton
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