Whether
you know it or not, your actions and motivations are more transparent today
than ever before. Those around you
observe and note, not just how you respond to things you are directly
responsible for, but for those you have a less defined but still important
relationship to as well. Stakeholders, both
internal and external are observing, forming perceptions and opinions, and acting.
In
today’s era of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) we are held to a different
standard of engagement. Co-workers,
leadership, and customers expect us to take a broader view of our
responsibilities and the wider reach of decisions and actions. They expect us to be accountable not just for
the details and bottom line of our job, but for the effect of our efforts
beyond the parameters of this year’s performance goals. They expect us to care about the effects of
what we do. This is not a new phenomenon. None other than Peter Drucker connected the
dots between our actions and our responsibility for them on a broader scale.
“One is responsible
for one’s impacts, whether they are intended or not. This is the first rule. There is no doubt regarding management’s
responsibility for the social impacts of its organization.”
Sometimes
knowing what we should feel responsible for and how to act are not always
easy. The old adage “do the right thing,
the right way, for the right reasons” is a good place to start. Adopting that principle as a foundation
simplifies what can become a complicated equation at times. When individuals and organizations operate
from this perspective transparency illuminates motivations and increases
acceptance and support for good efforts.
In
today’s world increased visibility and instant communication platforms foster
instant judgment making and perception decisions, often without the benefit of
the full story or proper diligence.
Society generally expects us to be aware and accountable. The degree to which we are perceived as being
good or bad actors on the societal stage is important to us as individuals and
organizations.
Parallel
development of increased awareness of actions, improved access to large amounts
of data and the ability to analyze it, and enhanced sensitivity of stakeholder
communities combine to increase transparency.
The question is not “Am I transparent?”
The real question is, “How will I act to assure my transparency is a
positive force?”
Many
companies today are actively engaged in CSR efforts. Some are large scale and visible, and get
press because of the corporate logo they are associated with. Some are small but no less important,
undertaken in a “everyone do what they can” spirit. Some of these are important
and beneficial, changing the lives and future of workers in distant parts of
the world we never thought of or cared about before. I wonder, however, how many CSR programs
amount to little more than “CSR-washing” (to borrow a phrase from the Green
world). As is often the case in life, I
suspect that the difference between substantive programs and those which seek
primarily to bolster marketing efforts is one of motivation.
In
the HBR article “Leadership in the Age of Transparency,” Christopher Meyer and
Julia Kirby set out guiding principles for acting responsibly.
Take ownership of the things you
are directly responsible for. With
increased communication, measurement and analytic systems we can today
understand the effects of our decisions and actions in ways we could not
before. That fact alone brings
accountability for the extended impacts we create.
Take action even when the impact
cannot be precisely measured. When we
understand or learn that harm is occurring on our behalf we have a
responsibility to act even if we are not directly causing the harm. A good example of this would be taking the
initiative to train supply chain partners producing products in a way that is
detrimental to workers or the environment.
Take interest in those things that
we may not be directly or indirectly involved in but which have a connection to
our activities. In the article Meyer and
Kirby use the example of an oil company that is helping to develop an
affordable and clean-burning alternative to cookstoves uses widely in
undeveloped regions of the world.
The
issue of responsibility, whether corporate or personal, is really an issue of
integrity. I am not suggesting that each
of us is responsible for everything we see and know. I am suggesting that we are responsible for
those things that we are involved in and for which we have the capability to
affect or influence.
Transparency,
responsibility, and integrity are linked in a way that cannot be broken. It is not about an agenda or cause. It is not about a current trend or market
share. It is about....
Doing the right thing The
right way For the
right reasons
