In the never-ending battle between the half-full-glass forces of hope and the half-empty-glass legions of doom, one of the hottest debates these days is over the status (or existence) of an economic recovery. While most attention is focused on a recovery measured in dollars and cents, a recently released survey points to signs of a recovery that may be even more valuable to business – recovery of trust.

The 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer found that trust of U.S. business to do what is right has increased over last year from 36 percent to 54 percent among those surveyed in 20 countries. Shocking? Perhaps, but maybe it’s another indication that CEOs are getting it that the public demands more accountable behavior and will respond favorably to it. Could it be that performing under pressure during a recession paid off?

When the Boston College Center surveyed U.S. senior executives for its 2009 State of Corporate Citizenship, some 54 percent said they believe corporate citizenship is even more important in a recession. Among those same leaders, most said their companies had increased internal and external communication about corporate citizenship in 2009. It looks like it was worth the effort. Read the rest of this entry »

As we leave 2009 in the rearview mirror with high hopes for the road ahead in 2010, I want to take a moment to share with you how feedback from members is helping us shape future programming and improve member services.  Here are some highlights from the 2009 Member Survey and the ways we are responding: Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know what it takes to be an effective leader in the ever-changing field of corporate citizenship? Are the skills and personal attributes needed for success in this field different from other business leadership roles?

The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship has just released the results of a recent research project to identify what it takes to succeed in leading corporate citizenship. In two companion reports “Leadership Competencies for Corporate Citizenship” and “Leadership Competencies for Community Involvement”, we have explored the changing roles in this field and created unique competency models for today practitioners and tomorrow’s aspiring leaders.
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As information continues to reach us about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, many of the Boston College Center’s members have stepped up to provide financial and in-kind relief.

A discussion on this topic is currently taking place in our online Member Community. Many of the community members are using this space to trade ideas about a variety of issues from supporting employees with family affected by the disaster to how to set up an employee donation page. Others have reported on their companies’ financial commitments Read the rest of this entry »

Join 500 of your peers in Boston on April 11-13 to tackle such questions as:

• What is the changing role of corporate foundations and what should it be?
• Do you have a boardroom champion for corporate citizenship?
• Can you count on colleagues to be partners in creating a corporate citizenship culture?
• Where will tomorrow’s corporate citizenship leaders come from?
• Are you keeping pace with changing corporate citizenship communications practices?
• What can shareholder activists teach you about your future corporate citizenship challenges?
• Is corporate community involvement at a value crossroads?
• How do you move from strategic philanthropy to strategic impact?
• Is your company’s involvement in education really paying off?

Companies attending include Fidelity Investments, State Street Corporation, UPS, Verizon, Accenture, Altria, FedEx, ING, Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc., Target Corporation, TransCanada, ARAMARK, Kaiser Permanente, Sprint, Toyota Motor Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and National Grid.

Will you be joining them?

 Click here for more information and to register.

Here at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, we recently conducted a survey which reveals that businesses have forged ahead with community involvement efforts as part of a continued commitment to corporate citizenship.

 “Staying the Course – The 2009 Community Involvement Index” is a biennial survey of more than 300 North American companies in a variety of industries.  It asks about companies’ community involvement programs, practices and management. Community involvement is the cornerstone of most companies’ commitment to corporate citizenship and the findings of this survey offer encouraging evidence that the foundation remains sound. Read the rest of this entry »

One only had to sit in on our Verizon CSR case competition at the Boston College Carroll School of Management to realize we are at the cusp of a fundamental transformation of the corporate citizenship field that will be driven by a new generation of business leaders.

These young leaders in business schools around the country understand CSR not simply as a way to manage risk or philanthropy but as a powerful strategy to drive business results. The proof of this potential was well illustrated in ideas put forward by teams in the Carroll School of Management MBA program’s recent CSR case competition. Sponsored this year by Verizon, the CSR case competition is part of a for-credit required course on management processes for all first-year MBA students. The competition is the highlight of the program developed and taught by Center faculty. Read the rest of this entry »

In her new book “SuperCorp”, Rosabeth Moss Kanter states that “service to society, guided by well-articulated values, is not just a ‘nice to do’ but an integral part of the business models for companies I call the vanguard.” Kanter’s “vanguard” companies that she describes in the book represent a new paradigm for business in which companies achieve economic and social gains through the pursuit of high standards and commitment to finding solutions to problems the public cares about.

Values statements are common in businesses today, and are even beginning to see corporate citizenship showing up in them. A Booz Allen Hamilton/Aspen Institute survey found that 89 percent of companies surveyed globally possess written values statements. In North America, 58 percent of companies surveyed included social responsibility/corporate citizenship in their values statements. 

Here are some of my favorites:

• IBM: Dedication to every client’s success; Innovation that matters, for our company and the world; Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships
• Timberland: Humanity. Humility. Integrity. Excellence.
• Omron: Challenge ourselves to always do better, Innovation driven by social needs, Respect for humanity
• Monster: One Monster, indivisible; Before us, the customer; Do the right thing; Innovate relentlessly; Excellence, served daily; Do well by doing good
• Novo Nordisk: Accountable, Ambitious, Responsible, Engaged with Stakeholders, Open and Honest, Ready for Change

Why are stated values important?

Having a corporate values statement that makes the company’s commitment to society clear seems to remove many barriers and uncover new opportunities for citizenship. Kanter recounts in her book how Procter & Gamble’s statement of purpose, values, and principles (or “PVP”) propelled its employees to commit to their innovative water purification product even when it failed in the market. Because the initiative was consistent with the company’s statement of purpose, employees found a way to put the product to use in disaster relief situations such as the Asian tsunami. A clear commitment to its values also spurred IBM employees in India to take immediate action to assist in the same disaster, applying their technology as needed to local governments and aid agencies.

Values statements could work wonders for that seemingly unattainable goal of integrating citizenship into the business. When all employees understand and share a value system that includes corporate citizenship, spontaneous action and new innovations for social good may start sprouting everywhere. 

Does your company have a values statement committing it to pursue corporate citizenship? Is it working?