Social responsibility isn’t something only large corporations are involved in these days.  Small businesses are signing up and implementing CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) efforts in record numbers.  Socially responsible businesses, sustainable businesses, ethical business practices… while they all differ slightly, the catagor of business responsibility is hot.  

Increased attention on the social responsibility of businesses hasn’t been entirely voluntary, unfortunately.  However, it is a topic that has evolved from damage mitigation to primarily a proactive effort to impact society in a positive and profound way. Do you (or your employer) participate in CSR efforts? Is there a CSR strategy? How are your CSR efforts aligned with your business? 

Successful businesses need a healthy society to survive.  A healthy society needs successful businesses to survive.  There's no question, the moral obligation of business to support the communities in which it does business is one felt by many. 

There are also unlimited worthy causes with which a business can align. How do you choose? Businesses can’t solve all of society’s problems, nor can business bear the costs.  So how can you determine which cause to support?

As a business owner you have a responsibility to society, your employees, your clients and the business (or shareholders) itself. It’s important to select issues that intersect with your business.  The guide is not whether a cause is worthy but whether it presents an opportunity to generate shared value that is meaningful and benefits society and is valuable to your business.

No matter how beneficial a social effort / program is, unless you align your CSR efforts with your business efforts; unless it is integrated into the overall strategy of your business plan, the direct impact of these efforts on your business will likely be modest at very best; negative from an ROI perspective at worst.  There are explicit and implicit costs of CSR programs, sometimes significant.

There’s a very good, albeit lengthy article in December, 2006 issue of the Harvard Business Review: “Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility”.  As the article says, it is important that a business social agenda look beyond community expectations to opportunities to achieve social AND economic benefits simultaneously. 

Do good work while doing good.  It's takes a BOLD move and it starts with a vision. 

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