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Five steps to distinguishing corporate responsibility strategy from corporate spin

Monday, September 26, 2005

5 steps to distinguishing corporate responsibility strategy from corporate spin

Gary Niekerk, operations manager for corporate responsibility at Intel Corporation, lists five ways to ensure your CR communication is credible:

1. Match what you say to what you do
Companies get so focused on responding to socially responsible investment (SRI) surveys and stakeholder requests, that they spend more energy on adjusting their CR report or their corporate policies, than they do implementing the programs and cultural initiatives that will drive true change in the organization. Use the next four steps as a checklist to bridge any say/do gap.

2. When in doubt, use data
When your message is in doubt, use data to back it up. People associate different types of words with different things - your message may be diluted or misunderstood without you ever realizing why. So use figures and statistics to prove your point and make sure your message gets across.

3. Discuss achievements with humility
The greater success an enterprise achieves, the greater the enthusiasm and pride in the organization. But the greater the pride, the more difficult it is to communicate and respond to all stakeholders. The organization's ego may be the greatest barrier to CR communication. So while it may go against PR strategy, the less positive your reputation, the more humble and self-effacing you should be.

4. Be strategic in selecting partners
Get an honest assessment of your performance by using external resources. Develop strategic relationships with SRI firms and NGOs.

5. Avoid the "greenwash" label
Greenwash is disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image. Avoid discrepancies between your overall performance and your rhetoric. When there is controversy between expert opinions, seek the middle ground and acknowledge prior mistakes and current challenges.

Source: The above information is taken from an article in the latest issue of The Business Communicator.