For some years we have observed the flowering of a concept in the academic and business environment that is being treated from different perspectives, coupled on many occasions to the guidelines drawn by competition and the evolution of the concept of development itself, for the various organizations that make up society, to which the challenge is presented of: how to contribute to improve the conditions of the environment where they are located, based on their active participation in the life of their community? One of the ways to achieve this purpose is the fact of developing within them values that help and commit to society, based on a leadership that is based on ethics and fair treatment of its workers, that they are capable to respond and act accordingly.It is for this reason that social responsibility is of great importance.
To understand more clearly what we are talking about, we must start by mastering the meaning of responsibility, which seen as a human value can be defined as:
Conscious attitude assumed by the person, who commits them to a certain fact, decision or action taken, assuming the consequences that may arise.
Following the guidelines of the previously exposed concept, we analyze responsibility in two aspects, the first we call assigned responsibility, which is imposed or ordered on the person either by a higher hierarchical level, by organizational discipline, even by the culture of the individual. scenarios where the person develops, without there being a prior analysis or conscious participation of the individual, in this area the level of commitment is often not the desired one; The second we call assumed responsibility, in this the commitment that the person creates towards the actions or decisions taken plays a fundamental role, which is strengthened based on their beliefs, values, beliefs and makes them more deeply aware,This type of responsibility is the one that lasts the longest over time and the one that achieves the greatest positive impact on society, and therefore the one that must be promoted and promoted in order to achieve a much higher quality of life, while continuing to Bear in mind that many times an assigned responsibility, if the person has values rooted in their personality, can become an assumed responsibility.
At the base of these responsibilities is the ethical behavior that every human being must have, according to the sociocultural norms where it develops, based on honesty, equity, integrity, these values imply respect for other people, animals and the environment environment and commitment to the consequences of their actions, whether positive or negative, for the latter seeking the most sustainable solution.
Here is a graph that illustrates the above:
Social responsibility and ethical behavior
Taking as a reference what has been expressed about responsibility as a value of people, we are in a position to analyze organizational social responsibility, a concept that has dissimilar expressions and approaches in current academic literature, which we have taken as a reference together with the experiences we have obtained with its practical application, to arrive at a definition that we assume as:
Organizational social responsibility: The decisions or actions that are carried out in a conscious, transparent and lawful manner by a group of people or organizations, aimed at the well-being of the society or environment where they work, assuming the consequences and committing to the solutions of those who do so. require. (Own elaboration).
To exercise correct organizational social responsibility, it is vital to understand the dialectical approach that is generated with it and around it, for this reason we analyze it in two dimensions: internal and external.
The internal dimension of organizational social responsibility is oriented to the internal functioning of the Organization, that is, how it is managed to achieve the objectives set, the treatment given to its workers, the labor relations that are manifested, the practices operational conditions that they implement and the infrastructure conditions (material, financial, human) that they have to achieve their corporate purpose, that is, the organization must first look inside to know if it is being consistent with the postulates of responsibility, since sometimes we We find institutions that carry out very exciting charitable or charitable actions and yet inside them the rights of their members are violated or they pollute the environment with their production process.
The external dimension: Any organization to exercise a correct action of social responsibility, must take into account the needs, problems of the environment or community where it works, know the socio-cultural environment that surrounds it, the expectations that citizens have for their performance, even identifying improvement options that could be implemented in order to achieve a prosperous and sustainable society.
The key for organizations to exercise effective social responsibility actions is in their ability to make a positive combination of both dimensions, that is, to rely on those strong aspects of their operation, on the potential that they have internally to focus in what that society / environment / country / sector / community / family really needs, only then will we be sure that we are using the financial, material and human resources available to them, in the destination of impact that is required, but for that there is that having an integral vision of oneself and the environment that surrounds you, without this combination there is a risk that our social responsibility actions will not pay tribute to the immediate and future well-being of society. An example of this is that on many occasions,We find organizations that use their finances to increase the lighting of the community, when in reality it needs or requires more urgently access to drinking water, waste collection or simply that it generates greater sources of employment for its citizens.
It is important to bear in mind that the social responsibility action plans that are drawn up in organizations not only have this positive combination of the one we have already raised, but that they also have to imply respect for the legality established in that environment, one of the fundamental principles, together with a risk analysis that always includes all human action and aimed at generating well-being in the society / environment / country / sector / community / family to which it is directed and it is in this sense that we must frame the indicators to measure the impact of social responsibility action plans. Under this approach is that an interesting dialectic is generated, because if the society where the worker lives improves,Therefore, therefore, their living conditions improve and this in turn will be more committed and motivated to perform correctly, which in turn generates an improvement in the Organization and if it is more effective, then society increases its prosperity and becomes generates a cycle of dialectical development between human being-organization-society.
The graph below illustrates the dynamics explained in the previous paragraphs.
Organizational social responsibility
In our experience in the preparation and implementation of action plans for organizational social responsibility, we have always started from two fundamental questions: Is your Organization in a position to take actions to exercise correct social responsibility? Or is your organization truly exercising proper social responsibility?
The diagnostic methodology that we have developed and the battery of indicators that we have identified to measure the impact, have become the answers for many organizations that wish to delve into this important and sustainable issue for the preservation of the conquests and future guarantees for our species, as is organizational social responsibility.
