Is Your Impact Built In or Bolt On?
To make real change, your CSR should be woven into the fabric of your company.
By Caroline Barlerin
Your company is like a fabric, and there is a big difference between pinning something to that fabric and weaving new thread through it.
That’s how you can look at corporate responsibility programs: In one instance, the whole textile is impacted by the addition of a new thread; in the other, the pin is more of an afterthought.
Is your CSR woven into the fabric of your company, or simply added onto it?
Like I always say, any impact program is better than none. However, companies should be striving to embed their impact into their fibers. It should be built in, not bolt on.
What’s the Difference?
Here’s an example to illustrate the point: Starbucks could simply donate money to a charity once a year and end its impact there. That would be a tacked-on program; it is unrelated to the company’s product and operations, and it could be part of any organization’s efforts.
Again, this does hold value. Don’t stop donating to worthy causes! However, implementing one program and leaving the rest of your company the same will never lead to real change in the world. What makes Starbucks’ work effective is that it embeds impact into everything it does. It almost ceases to be an issue of CSR at that point, as the coffee retailer becomes just a conscious company.
From ethical sourcing to minimizing their environmental footprint to helping develop and educate their retail workers, every department at Starbucks thinks about social impact every day. See the difference?
“Implementing one program and leaving the rest of your company the same will never lead to real change in the world.”
How to Build In, Not On
You don’t have to be starting a new company; impact can be introduced into the fabric of any existing company.
Get Down to the Nuts and Bolts of Your Business
Break down your business operations on paper until you’re looking at each cog in the machine individually. Now think about how they can all be improved.
In the Starbucks example, they have the coffee bean growers; the vehicles that transport products; their employees; the materials with which their cups are made; placement of trash, recycling, and compost bins in retail locations…the list goes on.
Don’t get overwhelmed by your list. This is a process, and you don’t have to implement all initiatives at once.
Enroll All Teams
Impact can’t be woven into your organization unless all departments and teams are on board and actively involved. Engage your employees as soon as possible. Consider as a first step asking them to explore the nuts and bolts of each of their own roles themselves. Where do they see opportunities to improve and add impact?
Gaining early buy-in will help ensure everyone feels invested in the effort, and they’ll be more likely to stick with it for the long term.
Commit
Speaking of sticking with it…The example starts in the C-suite. Do all of your executives share your vision for a socially impactful company? It needs to be a team effort.
Also, if you have a straightforward mission statement, consider editing it to include topics like ethics and responsibility. You need to send a message that you’re serious and committed. Making an impact isn’t about being trendy, and it’s not a pin you just add to your fabric as an afterthought.
