Social responsibility (8)

Things don't get better by themselves. Without purposeful intervention, organizations of all kinds lose sight of their social responsibilities. Having social benefits as part of an organization's purpose, does not guarantee positive achievements. Any organization with a shared vision of Social Responsibility, whether a for-profit corporation or a not-for-profit group working for the public good, needs to deliver what it promises. A passion for principles drives the efforts of individuals and citizen groups to make corporations, professions, and governments more responsive; the more open and accountable they are, the more responsive they are likely to be. Activism on behalf of principles other than self-interest or convenience is necessary to remind businesses of their social responsibility, and to prevent other organizations from losing touch with theirs. This activism can take place outside the organization, in citizen groups and political platforms, or within the organization as the individual actions of the tempered radical and in the form of changes to policy and governance. In these efforts, the struggle of advocacy is at least as important as the specific principles being advocated. Social Responsibility does not depend upon any one principle of conduct.

Text: Stewart Dutfield, Burl Humana, & Kenneth Gillgren