For some time now, a parameter has been added to our management that has not been given too much attention, which has been called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as a vital element in the definition of the mission, vision, values and objectives of the companies, and as an essential issue related with the management of the company.
Due to the vertiginous advance that the economy and the industrialization have experienced since the Second Industrial Revolution, and, especially during the Cold War period and later (since the end of the 20th century to the present) all the effort has been put into productivity , the efficiency of the processes and in a competitiveness to achieve the result without paying attention to the collateral effects that it had.
The different legislations, logically always went a step behind since it is impossible to propose a correction to an event that has not occurred, and, moreover, there was not enough experience to be able to anticipate it, with which, the present was regulated, with all consequences of the past already done, and with the uncertainty of unpredictable future damages.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
According to the Observatory of Corporate Social Responsibility, it is defined as “a way of managing companies based on the management of the impacts that their activity generates on their customers, employees, shareholders, local communities, the environment and society in general.”
This definition, although it is brief and concise, explains crystal clear that CSR is something that goes beyond environmental or eco-friendly concepts, to be a fundamental part in the DNA of companies, something that has to soak up the identity and the personality of the organizations, that all the staff must know, assume and apply, and that the entity must communicate so that it is a valuable element for which our customers, suppliers, and everyone who wants to can evaluate and qualify us.
Corporate Social Responsibility is everyone’s business
This issue of Corporate Social Responsibility is not exclusive of large corporations or those listed on the stock market; it is something that must be incorporated whatever the size of our company or business, because, otherwise, we will lose adaptability and competitive position and our results will reflect that disadvantage.
The day to day has taken us to assume communications, internet, new technologies, etc. as something that defines whether we are inside or outside the market and the current environment, and Corporate Social Responsibility will not be less.
Today I still find myself with managers and CEOs who give less importance to this issue, without being aware of the consequences that this will bring, and there is something worse, and that is, since it is a “silent” issue since it does not uncover any negative parameter or ratio in the financial statements, when the symptoms appear, it may be too late to implement the necessary solutions.
Transparency and communication in corporate social responsibility
Fortunately, more and more companies publish their CSR report or some similar denomination in which they show and demonstrate the actions they carry out, the results obtained and the commitments they assume in the short, medium and long term, thereby facilitating a tangible tool by which to value them and know what we can expect from them.
It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute to society actions of improvement and commitment, and be willing to be audited for it, which will result in greater sustainability of our organizations and an improved legacy for future generations.
Arturo Gálvez.
http://ajgalvez.com/