A CSR blueprint that is worth a look

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is playing an increasingly large role in the profile and strategies of many large companies, not least of all the retailing sector where many customers will scrutinize the source and methodology behind the products that you sell. In the UK for many years one of the largest retailers has been Marks & Spencer and it’s surely more than a coincidence that they have been one of the leaders in adopting and administering a comprehensive CSR program throughout their operations. Thus I was very interested to read what John Nuttall (M&S executive) laid out as the blueprint for successful CSR integration for a consumer driven company on such a large scale. I thought I would highlight and then comment upon five key components that he has delivered in recent interviews. What brings added interest is the fact that his strategy is very much consumer driven.

1. Ensure that senior leadership is engaged to help address the issue of responsibility

This is a very key point as I see so many companies develop a CSR team or a CSR division and leave the responsibility of managing such a program squarely on the shoulders of that department or the individuals within it. While an overall process must be developed and integrated there is a risk that the responsibility is falling within a limited scope. Key directors and senior management must be involved and actively supporting a CSR program for it to work effectively. It impacts all departments within the company from purchasing to marketing, accounting to customer service. Finding that level of engagement to run deeply throughout the company means the ownership will be clearly shared.

2. You can’t devise a strategy until you have unearthed your present standing

It’s vital in the understanding of where the company is heading to understand exactly where it stands at present. There has been a race in the corporate world to devise a CSR strategy so they can be put on the company website or included as part of your methodology, sometimes that urgency has left companies forgetting to do the critical benchmarking of where they stood at the outset. Determining what has to be measured and how that will be done, determining how to make operations transparent and measurably so and of course evaluating in an objective manner all internal processes whether they are good or bad.

A succesful CSR program needs a blueprint

3. Strike the right tone

This is one of the harder pieces to gauge as how does one determine what the exact ‘right’ tone is? Your message must be consistent with the service or products you provide, CSR is a serious topic but you still have to make your consumer feel and appreciate the steps that you’re taking can strike a key difference and are tangible and relevant to your practices. If a certain product represents less than 1% of the sales targeting that as a key refinement of your sourcing activities will ring hollow. Similarly promising to change the world because of the meeting you had last week will not be a convincing argument to your audience. Facts and figures, statistics and reports are part of the currency that will show the difference your company is making.

4. Identify your audience – and then guide them

Not everyone who buys your products or services is going to be interested in your CSR initiatives, in fact it’s unlikely that those who will take the time to see just how you operate will ever become the majority. Thus your message should be tailored to the target audience who will understand, acknowledge and appreciate the steps your company takes in moving forward. You are really trying to develop two messages simultaneously, one that provides some basic information to somebody with casual interest and yet another for the consumer who makes CSR part of the purchasing decision as a matter of course.

5. Your employees can play an important role as testbed and advocates

This suggestion rings so prominently in many of the research reports and polling that I’ve studied. Gone are the days where just telling your employees what the company was doing is satisfactory, developing an approach that engages employees is the way forward and can provide so many solutions. Your employees are in the front line of company operations, they see the efficiencies and inefficiencies of the way the company works and can often be the best advocates for new ideas and sustainable practices. That extra dividend of how an employee feels about the company practices is also substantial, perhaps larger than many people initially consider. I’ve seen it firsthand and an engaged employee typically results in a conscientious employee with pride in the company and how it operates.

The five areas operating in tandem with each other really do establish a healthy blueprint that can be applied to your company and provide the infrastructure to build upon what should become a practical and manageable CSR process.