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How does others’ greed interact with social responsibility?
Greed is part of being human, as I was recently reminded. Getting out the door in the morning takes my family forever. So, I lay out the clothes for my two younger sons and said, “The first one with his clothes on gets a cookie,” and left the room.
Two minutes later I heard, “DADDY!” My younger son wrestled the bigger one to the ground before the prize could be claimed. Greed was in the room.
The next day, Mom told the boys, “You can choose your own clothes if you dress quickly.” Problem solved.
The most powerful social responsibility also requires insightful, pragmatic action. Patagonia, for example, struggles to ensure living wages benefit Taiwanese fabric mill employees. To get the high-paying Patagonia job, candidates pay recruiters as much as $7,000: a king’s ransom for a fabric mill employee. By not taking into account the human system in which the wages are paid, Patagonia enriches the wrong people, wastes money, and embarrasses itself.
Impactful, socially responsible action is critical to Patagonia’s $750 million brand, and it is re-thinking its payment approach. Yet this recruitment fee failure illustrates how high-impact social responsibility is not simply good deeds, it is thoughtfully shifting the social system to benefit society and investors.
Before implementing your socially responsible strategy, ask yourself, “Am I applying the right tools to meaningfully benefit society and my organization? Or, will benefits be fleeting, or even non-existent?”
Search out true insight, collaborate with others, and ensure you have a complete, coherent strategy for meaningful change. Such considered approach requires effort, yet your impact on the world, and returns, will be more durable.
How much of your efforts to create meaningful profit are well thought out and high-impact?
Share your thoughts in the comments or by sending me an email: info@RodWallacePhD.Com.
Our society cannot just survive. For the sake of our children, it must thrive.
Rod
Dr. Rod Wallace is an economist, business strategist, and expert on digital technology’s impact on society and the strategies and tools with which business can solve our pressing social problems. Contact him at info@RodWallacePhD.com.