The Era of Corporate Social Responsibility is Ending | Rachel Hutchisson | TEDxWilmington
Summary
TLDRThe speaker, with a 25-year career in corporate social responsibility (CSR), predicts CSR's replacement by human social responsibility. They argue that the focus on 'corporate' is limiting, as it excludes smaller businesses and individuals. Emphasizing that goodness is universal, the speaker calls for a shift towards involving everyone in social responsibility, highlighting the importance of aligning personal and community values with organizational goals to create a more impactful and inclusive approach.
Takeaways
- 🔄 The speaker has dedicated 25 years to corporate social responsibility but sees it being replaced by human social responsibility.
- 🗣️ They have communicated this shift to their boss, who agrees with the changing paradigm.
- 💼 The speaker works for a tech company that supports philanthropy, emphasizing the importance of giving back.
- 🚀 Traditionally, CSR has been for large corporations, but the speaker argues it should be for all businesses, regardless of size.
- 🌐 Over 70% of American workers are employed by small to midsize businesses, indicating a large segment not traditionally included in CSR.
- 💡 The speaker believes that 'good' should be accessible to everyone, not just certain types of organizations.
- 🌱 The world has evolved from the 'greed is good' era, offering more options for individuals to make a difference.
- 👥 People are the heart of every organization, and their individual contributions are vital to the success of any social responsibility initiative.
- 🔄 To transition from CSR to HSR, organizations should focus on balancing the needs of their people and the community.
- 📈 The key to successful HSR is knowing what people care about, putting them at the center of giving, and empowering them to do good.
- 🌟 When focusing on human instead of corporate, brands gain stature, becoming more real and relevant.
Q & A
What does the speaker mean by saying Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will be outdated by the time they retire?
-The speaker believes that CSR, which is focused primarily on the corporate sector, is being replaced by a broader concept called Human Social Responsibility (HSR), which includes all individuals and organizations, not just corporations.
How does the speaker define Human Social Responsibility (HSR)?
-HSR is described as a broader approach to social responsibility that focuses on the human element. It involves individuals and all types of organizations—small businesses, nonprofits, and governments—working together to create positive change, rather than focusing solely on large corporations.
Why does the speaker believe the term 'corporate' in CSR is limiting?
-The speaker feels the term 'corporate' limits the scope of responsibility to large corporations, leaving out small and midsize businesses, which make up over 70% of the workforce in America. It implies that only large corporations are capable of giving back, which isn't true.
How has the speaker’s understanding of social responsibility evolved over time?
-Initially, the speaker viewed social responsibility as something primarily associated with large corporations, but over time they’ve come to believe that every individual and organization, regardless of size, plays a role in doing good for society.
What personal experiences does the speaker bring into their perspective on Human Social Responsibility?
-The speaker talks about bringing their whole self to work, including their roles as a mother, a community member, and a nonprofit board member. These personal experiences shape their view that people bring their human contracts, values, and responsibilities into their professional lives.
Why does the speaker emphasize the role of small and midsize businesses in social responsibility?
-The speaker highlights that most people in the U.S. work for small or midsize businesses, yet CSR often focuses only on large corporations. By broadening the scope to include smaller enterprises, social responsibility efforts can become more inclusive and impactful.
What does the speaker mean by 'human contracts'?
-'Human contracts' refer to the personal commitments, values, and responsibilities people carry with them, which influence their actions both in and outside of the workplace. The speaker argues that these should be acknowledged and incorporated into organizational social responsibility efforts.
How does the speaker suggest companies shift from CSR to HSR?
-The speaker suggests companies should focus on both their people and the communities they serve. By understanding what their employees care about and aligning that with their business goals, companies can empower their staff as agents of good and better contribute to society.
What are the 'three simple ingredients' the speaker mentions for successful social responsibility?
-The three simple ingredients are: knowing what your employees care about, putting them at the center of your giving strategy, and empowering them as agents of good. This approach allows companies to align their goals with the values of their people.
What does the speaker see as the future of corporate social responsibility?
-The speaker envisions a future where corporate social responsibility evolves into Human Social Responsibility. In this future, organizations focus less on the corporate structure and more on empowering people and communities to lead positive change.
Outlines
🌐 Transition from Corporate to Human Social Responsibility
The speaker reflects on their 25-year career in corporate social responsibility (CSR), acknowledging that it will become outdated by the time they retire. They mention that CSR is being replaced by human social responsibility (HSR). Despite this, they continue to work on scaling CSR at their technology company, which supports philanthropy. They argue that CSR has traditionally been for large corporations, excluding smaller businesses, despite their desire to give back. The speaker believes that good should be for everyone, not just certain types of organizations. They also discuss how people bring their whole selves to work, and that organizations should consider this when creating a culture of giving.
🔄 Empowering People and Communities for Social Good
The speaker emphasizes the importance of involving employees and understanding their values to transition from corporate to human social responsibility. They suggest that organizations should know what their people care about, put them at the center of giving, and empower them to do good. The speaker also encourages organizations to take cues from their community and align their goals with the community's needs. They argue that when organizations focus on human values instead of just corporate interests, they become more authentic and relevant. The speaker concludes with a call to leadership to embrace the human aspect of social responsibility and to allow people to fulfill their 'human contracts' with the world.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
💡Human Social Responsibility
💡Philanthropy
💡Fortune 500
💡Small to Midsize Businesses
💡Human Contracts
💡Global Citizen
💡Being Heart Plus Smart
💡Empowerment
💡Community
💡Leadership
Highlights
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is being replaced by Human Social Responsibility (HSR), emphasizing a shift in focus.
The speaker has informed their boss that CSR is becoming outdated, and their boss agrees with this perspective.
CSR has traditionally been for large corporations like Fortune 500 companies, leaving small to midsize businesses without significant involvement.
Over 70% of people working in the U.S. are employed by small to midsize businesses, not large corporations, indicating the need to shift away from a corporate focus.
The speaker believes that 'good is for everyone'—not just large companies but also small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals.
The world has changed since the 'Greed is Good' era, and younger generations, like the speaker's son, have more diverse options for making a positive impact.
CSR reinforces the idea of corporations as faceless monoliths, but organizations are driven by people who bring their personal values to work.
People today bring their 'whole selves' to work, including their personal experiences and values, which influences their professional roles.
The concept of a 'human contract' means employees bring their personal values and experiences into their work every day.
To accelerate the shift from CSR to HSR, organizations should focus on their people and communities.
Organizations need to know what their people care about, put them at the center of giving, and empower them as agents of good.
The alignment of an organization's goals with the values of its people and community strengthens both the brand and its social impact.
Social good stories of employees should become part of the organization's social good story, emphasizing shared values.
Brands gain relevance and authenticity when they embrace the human component of social responsibility, shifting from corporate to human-centered approaches.
The speaker calls for leadership that keeps the human component central in all actions and decisions, fostering a culture of 'doing more good' together.
Transcripts
I've spent the past 25 years
passionately building a career in
corporate social responsibility but by
the time I retire what I do for a living
will be archived outdated done because
Corporate social responsibility is
already on its way to being replaced by
human social
responsibility now you might be
wondering have I told my boss this
yet here I am doing everything I can to
scale Corporate social responsibility at
the company where I work and I'm up here
telling you that my profession is going
to be a
goner the answer is yes I have told my
boss and he
agrees so let me give you a little bit
of context here
I run Corporate social responsibility
for a technology company that powers the
business of philanthropy which means I
work in a setting every day that's all
about giving back both through what we
do as a business and what we care about
as
people you might think that building
this program has been a lot of fun and
it has but it also hasn't been easy and
I say that because traditionally
corporate social responsibility has been
for the big guys The Fortune 500
companies with the capacity to invest in
staff and
programs there are a lot of companies
out there that aren't big does that mean
that they don't care about giving back
of course not so I've come to learn that
the focus on corporate which was once a
Vanguard idea is actually a
problem why do I think this two reasons
one the focus on corporate is limiting
did you know that more than 70% of all
people who work for business in America
work for small to midsize businesses
they work for Enterprises that are
anything but corporate this might sound
picky but when you have a professional
area that's all about giving back and
being a good corporate citizen that has
corporate at its very very heart you're
leaving a lot of people without a seat
at the table you're putting up barriers
with the very language you use that says
this is not for
you now I have an important confession
to
make I have a fundamental belief in my
life that good is for everyone it's for
my 16-year-old son and my 81-year-old
father it's for small businesses and
nonprofits
and governments and every other kind of
social or commercial concern it is for
all of us and we need to stop thinking
that only certain types of organizations
are capable of being wired for
good now I graduated from college in
what I like to call the Gordon gecko
greed is good ERA where if you wanted to
make money you went into business and if
you wanted to make a difference you went
to work for a nonprofit or maybe you got
an
MPA but the world has changed my son Sam
is headed to college next week knowing
he has so many options so many paths
with how he makes his Mark as a global
citizen that makes me happy and
optimistic about the
world now I said I had two reasons why
the focus on corporate is a problem and
the second is that it reinforces this
idea of Corporations as faceless
monoliths to me regardless of the size
or structure people are at the heart of
every
organization we as humans bring life to
the vision and purpose of every
organization we provide the oxygen and
the wits that makes everything
happen people today bring their whole
selves to work when I step out of my
Prius in the morning and I walk up The
Path and into the lobby I do so as a
complete
person as a
daughter who recently lost a
mother as a mother who sending her son
off to
college as the member of a community
that is struggling to deal with a racial
hate crime as a board member who cares
deeply about nonprofit governance and
yes as a
professional my colleagues are the same
we each sign our own human contracts
with the world and they don't stay in
the car with the registration and proof
of insurance they are written in
indelible ink and they are interwoven in
our daily
DNA we bring who we are and what we
stand for to our work every
day this rising up of our Collective
daily DNA is Ageless and it is for
everyone so let's get practical here how
can you get involved in this shift from
corporate social responsibility to human
social responsibility and maybe help it
happen a little bit faster it's all
about a balancing act between your
people and your
community take your cue from your people
this is the secret sauce and it has
three simple ingredients know what they
care about put them at the center of
your giving and Empower them as agents
of good now I'm not saying that you have
to forget your organization's purpose
but don't make the mistake of ignoring
theirs their social good story is your
social good story have the courage to go
on a journey together to create space
that allows them to teach you
take your cue from your community
however you define that word know what
it cares about put it at the center of
your giving partner in doing good when
you do this right this marriage of
people in community your brand can fit
right there in the mix the more you know
your people and your community the more
you can align your goals and you know
you're doing it right when people are
coming to you with ideas when it's
organic when they're leading from where
they stand when they're being what my
organization calls being heart plus
smart that's the endgame when you focus
on Human Instead of corporate your brand
actually gains in stature you become
more real you become more
relevant so where from here
we each have a
choice a choice about how we walk
through life about how we lead the
organizations we care
about this is my call to
leadership if good truly is for everyone
we must keep the human component Central
I want you not only to understand this
but to join me to grow the power of your
people to Embrace their human contracts
and help our Collective daily DNA do
more good thank you
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