Are Small companies the Big change the world needs?

Sustainable development goals set by countries for 2030 are finding some difficulties. Some people do not think that that they will be able to meet the deadlines and even worst, there are no visible changes in the core drivers for big companies to meet these targets. This puts us all at risk of having to face an increasingly pessimistic and cynical society that maybe tried to change, but never got too far.

In a way it is understandable, things change faster
and faster with every upcoming trimester, and we constantly see how “the future” catches many organizations with their pants down. The generalized feeling is of uncertainty and falling behind, for every step we take seems to precede the necessary appearance of some new information, technology or discipline that makes us feel we took a bad decision.

Nevertheless, we need businesses to get on board of carbon reduction and social awareness; despite what many of us would like, money is still the main driver for progress and research. But how? Who is going to ask Nestle to ensure that his supply chain does not include child labour? Do they even want to do it, and most importantly, is it possible?

Allow me to be a bit theoretical and divide the companies into three groups. Some organize in a socially responsible way, others behave responsibly without being aware of it and others utilize corporate social responsibility to improve their image.

The first group takes social responsibility as a fundamental part of their strategy. They share their social compromise with the rest of the civil society, searching for self and external control mechanisms to achieve it.

There are also organizations with a structural policy that meet corporate responsibility’s standards in their economic, social and ecological impact or through the consideration of all stakeholders when taking strategic decisions. Usually these companies achieve social responsibility in great measure, although they never fully articulate it into the entire organization, mostly because they are not aware of what it is.

Finally, there are many businesses that fundament their strategy on the exclusive vision of the stakeholder. They confine social responsibility to a department (usually communications or CSR), but rarely involve their executives in their activities and do not include CR into their overall strategy, unless public pressure drives them to do so.

 
Now, considering that most big multinationals belong to this third group, we should ask ourselves if it is reasonable to ask them to change in a short period of time. We should push them to be better, yes. However, we cannot do that without considering what their core values where to this day. Big businesses are changing, and hopefully one-day sustainability will be imprinted into their DNA, same way efficiency and profit is today.

Until then, we need to start looking at small, flexible enterprises that have values and characteristics that are compatible with the SDGs. For, to this day, only they have the power to become an integral motor for change in the short-term.

No hay comentarios / 24 Mar 2017 por sestevez
IMSD /

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