Creating sustainable value through CSR (1)

l seem to be pretty stuck on the term Corporate Social Responsibility and that may be due to the fact that l strive to create some semblance of constancy in the midst of what may at times be likened to confusion. As the awareness of CSR seems to be rising in Africa, we also need to make sure that we push for a paradigm shift in the way its positioned both within the organisation and also within the society such that economists, management and development experts can see something of technical value both to the bottom line and commercial & social sustainability.l see a lot of value in the term and the part it will play in the scheme of things as the new face of corporate structure evolves globally. 


Recently, l have seen a lot of clamour for collaborations between the private sector and the non profit to create some sort of value, what this value is though is yet to be clearly defined. My expectations to seeking for partnerships or creating viable operating space within sectors are often based on the ability to show what value additions we are likely to expect. So when a non profit organisation ask for collaboration my question is not usually on the collaboration but on what addition value they seek to create. 


Creating sustainable value through CSR is far more than seeking collaborations or attempting to shift governmental responsibilities on corporation organisations. Whilst the 'suits' or corporates have huge responsibilities, the entire subject of social responsibility must be viewed holistically; there is government social responsibility, individual social responsibility, non profit social responsibility etc. Everyone and sector existing within a social sphere has a responsibility towards the sustainable development of that in which they exist. Therefore, the issue of collaboration must be pursued from this angle. 

To collaborate is to find common synergies and identify areas for value building. Value building must be embarked upon with minimal backlash on the entire social system i.e. whilst we may seek to ask the corporates to fund everything on the face of the earth in a developing nation for instance based on a perception that they are entirely responsible for every negative issue, we must also be mindful of the fact that we seek to ensure that there is good governance within these societies, therefore, the responsibilities that we seek to quickly thrust upon these corporates may inevitably be that of the governing body. By diverting attention away from the rightful owners of the responsibility we are probably creating more disservice than adding value. 

Therefore, in order to create a sustainable value through CSR, non profits seeking collaborations must first ask the question whose responsibility is this issue that l seek to tackle and how can l help either the government or the corporate or whoever to add value by tackling this issue. This way solutions are brought to bear, value is created and no backlash occurs. 


Oluwasoromidayo George