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企业行善,光开支票还不行

企业行善,光开支票还不行

步春歌 2018-01-04
虽然我们不能直接对抗暴力行为,但我们可以把更多精力用于在社会上发挥积极作用。

拉斯维加斯可怕的枪击事件不禁令人深思:我们该如何应对世界上如此之多的问题呢?特别是发生在我们身边的那些?在《财富》杂志最近举行的CEO倡议活动中,全球一些顶尖企业的负责人谈到了通过“做好事”来实现共赢,以及公司把注意力集中在共同目标上,从而团结起来的重要性。

虽然我们不能直接对抗暴力行为,但我们可以把更多精力用于在社会上发挥积极作用。

携手共建

拉斯维加斯的悲剧再次凸显了这样一个事实,那就是我们的伟大国家有一些亟待解决的问题。许多问题已经共同形成一种让人害怕的势头,而我们所有人,特别是企业负责人,必须成为谋求积极转变的战士。那么我们怎样才能让情况发生改变呢?

摩根大通首席执行官吉米·戴蒙在会上发言时鼓励听众向衰退地区投资。他强调,为振兴美国城市找到“切实可行的解决方案”很重要,而且公司的作用不仅是提供经济支持,还要贡献出它们的时间、人才和资源。举例来说,摩根大通的业务源于底特律,该公司一直在设法帮助这座城市进行重建,它采取的措施集中在较为急迫的问题上,比如卫生、可负担住房以及修理和安装路灯来防止犯罪。

摩根大通的目标是让底特律变得更适合居住,从而防止人口进一步流失,并吸引公司和居民重新回到这座城市。这反过来又会对纳税人口产生积极影响。决定为底特律提供帮助时,摩根大通并非简单地开支票了事;它查看了数据,以便确定怎样的扶持措施才是最有效的。实际上,它与底特律进行了合作,为其提供自己的数据工具和资源,以帮助底特律在投资和规划上做出明智决策。

这就是企业宗旨的未来——成为真正催生变化的合作者。

新千年之变

百事公司董事长兼CEO卢英德说的很好。她指出,以前企业“宗旨”是一次性社会责任活动,重点通常是CEO当时关注的东西。但这位CEO离职后,这样的活动往往也会随之消失。

卢英德表示,现在“我们得看一看怎样让宗旨成为公司核心业务的一部分”。它再也不能是马后炮;企业必须想一想怎样把宗旨作为自身DNA的一部分和利润联系起来。循着这条思路,Tory Burch公司创始人托里·伯奇在她的推特中解释了为什么“把公益融入核心业务策略是让现代企业成功的因素”。《财富》杂志也着重强调了好事达CEO的话:“公司决不能只关注金钱”。

这样的转变在很大程度上都出现在过去10年中,与之相伴的是80、90后在劳动力大军中的崛起,它不仅改变了员工对企业的预期,也改变了广大消费者对提供商品和服务的公司的预期。工作不再只是为了挣钱;更是为了远大的目标而努力,是对自己所做事情的肯定,也是为了追随那些致力于将企业作为一股行善力量的领导者。超过50%的80、90后都表示,愿意为找到符合自身价值的工作而降薪;90%的80、90后都希望用自己的技能来做好事。

广义生态系统

安泰保险CEO薄立倪(Mark Bertolini)在会上总结道:公司本身正在变成“社会生态系统”。如今员工对世界有了更多的认识,同时也受到许多观点的影响。今天的很多公司都在成为社区一员方面肩负着更大的责任。

希腊酸奶制造商Chobani创始人兼CEO哈姆迪乌路·卡雅在会上解释了为什么他首先考虑的总是自己公司里的人,其次是为帮助当地生态系统付出努力。他最自豪的项目之一是为Chobani所在的社区修建了一座世界级棒球场。

正如史蒂文·凯斯在推特上所说:“邮政编码比基因编码更重要。”我们再一次认识到,自己不光要成为股东和客户的重要伙伴,还要成为员工和整个社区的重要伙伴。

如今,想让情况发生改变的公司必须少说多做,而且要在自身影响范围内进行大量投资,这样才能发挥作用。《财富》杂志总裁、时代公司首席内容官穆瑞澜(Alan Murray)在本次活动中指出,和10年或者15年前相比,大公司负责人参与争议性文化和政治话题的情况要普遍得多,无论是气候变化,还是反种族主义示威。CEO们正越来越多地展现出真的有可能改变世界的理想主义。(财富中文网)

本文作者步春歌(Kathy Bloomgarden),罗德公关公司CEO。

译者:Charlie

审稿:夏林

Watching the horrific events in Las Vegas makes us wonder how we can combat so many of the problems we see in the world—especially the world immediately around us. I think it is relevant that, at Fortune’s recent CEO Initiative event, some of the world’s top executives talked about doing well by doing good, and the importance of their companies’ focusing on common causes to rally around.

While we can’t directly combat acts of violence, we can energize our efforts to play a positive role in society.

Partnering for change

This week’s tragic events bring to the fore yet again the fact that our great country has problems that must be urgently addressed. Many issues have bubbled together to create a scary dynamic, and all of us, especially business leaders, must be champions for positive change. How can we make a difference?

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, in his conference remarks, encouraged attendees to invest in the Rust Belt. He stressed the importance of finding “practical solutions” to revitalize American cities, and the role corporations play not just in giving financial support, but also in donating their time, talent, and resources. For example, JPMorgan, which has heritage business roots in Detroit, has been working to help rebuild the city through efforts focused on such immediate issues as sanitation, affordable housing, and fixing and installing streetlights to prevent crime.

The firm’s goal is to make Detroit more liveable to prevent additional population attrition and attract businesses and residents back to the city, which will, in turn, positively affect the tax base. When JPMorgan decided it wanted to help, it didn’t just write a check; it looked at data to see where its support would be most effective. In fact, the firm worked with the city of Detroit, donating its own data tools and resources so it could help the city make smart investments and planning decisions.

This is the future of corporate purpose: becoming a true partner for change.

The millennial shift

Indra Nooyi, chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, said it well when she noted that in the past, company “purpose” was a one-off corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, usually focused on what the CEO cared about at the time. But when the CEO left, that CSR program often disappeared as well.

Now, she said, “We have to look at how purpose can be part of the core business of a company.” Purpose can no longer be an afterthought; companies must look at how they can link profits with purpose as part of their DNA. Tory Burch rallied behind this thought with her tweet about why “injecting social benefit into the core business strategy is a success factor for modern companies,” and Fortune highlighted the Allstate CEO’s comments that “business must focus on more than just money.”

Much of this shift has happened in the last decade, with the rise of millennials in the workforce, creating a change in not only what employees expect from their employers, but also what consumers in general expect from the companies from which they purchase. A job is no longer just about a paycheck; it’s about working toward a greater cause, feeling good about what you do, and finding business leaders who are increasingly dedicated to the notion that business can be a force for good. More than 50% of millennials say they would take a pay cut to find work that matches their values, while 90% want to use their skills for good.

The broader ecosystem

Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna, summed another interesting theme from the conference: that companies themselves are becoming “social ecosystems.” Employees now have a broader view of the world and are influenced by many perspectives. Many companies today have a greater responsibility to be part of their communities.

Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and chairman of Chobani, talked at the conference about how his first priority has always been the people in his company, followed by an effort to help the local ecosystem. One of the projects he’s most proud of is building a world-class baseball field for Chobani’s local community.

As Steve Case tweeted: “Zip codes matter more than genetic code.” Once again, we are reminded we have to be a meaningful partner not only with our shareholders and customers, but also with our employees and broader communities.

Corporations who want to make a difference today must demonstrate less talk, more action, and a lot more investment in our own circles of influence to create an impact. Alan Murray, Fortune president and Time Inc. chief content officer, noted at the event that it is far more common for the heads of huge companies to wade into controversial cultural and political topics—from climate change to racial protests—today than was the case 10 or 15 years ago. Increasingly CEOs are exhibiting the idealism that truly has the potential to change the world.

Kathy Bloomgarden is the CEO of Ruder Finn.

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