At this point, it may seem redundant to re-explain some basic concepts of social responsibility in the context of consulting in companies, public organizations and academics. Likewise, we are going to stop for a moment in order to finish by explaining how these concepts of responsibility could be put into practice at the time of institutional intervention.
Berman (1997) is one of the authors who with his work gives the foundation to the conceptual construction around Social Responsibility (SR), defines it as "personal investment in the well-being of others and the planet" (Page 12), and he adds that it is also "the way we live with others and treat others" (p. 202). In this work Berman argues that three dimensions are presented:
- One that has to do with people's understanding of the network they form with the rest of the people in their immediate and global context, this dimension is related to identity. Number two has to do with relationships with others, With the society in which we participate, this dimension is related to ethics and concern for the other, and another that has to do with acting with integrity and in coherence with social and individual values.
In addition, this author mentions some characteristics that are key in the development of social responsibility, among them empathy, ethics and citizenship.
Following this line of thought, it is pertinent to ask. What is meant by a responsible consultant? To whom is it responsible? And finally, how is one responsible when we talk about the organizational intervention of consultants?
To these questions we are going to add this complex and little assumed reality that we have to live daily. Today a large percentage of institutional innovation projects fail in organizations. Millions of dollars are spent on projects that cannot be undertaken, however consultants are paid, despite the fact that the only resulting product is the container folders of the projects that of course occupy a privileged place in the libraries of the organizations.
Many of these projects are driven by consultants and consultants who come to organizations selling a project that will change the organization, that will give the desired solutions and so many other promises that it would be little functional to list now.
This is where it becomes interesting to specify and operationalize the concepts of social responsibility and lower them to people, to ourselves. Also reflect on the possible answers to the questions posed in this article, especially the one that expresses How is one responsible when we talk about the organizational intervention of consultants?
All this could take on meaning for the people who work in organizations only if it is understood that social responsibility or organizational social responsibility should stop being just discourse and become something concrete in our professional practice.
Starting by cultivating in us the ability to bring these concepts to daily practice. Among the capacities we can mention, for example, that of negotiating with the premise that everyone should win and not just us. It is perhaps a concrete practice that is most difficult to learn but necessary to be put into practice the concepts of responsibility.
Telling the truth is another key point, even if it is difficult, it is not easy to tell a client this will take so long or the implementation will be complex for employees, this is never simple to say especially when clients want to hear that everything will be easy, fast and inexpensive.
It is true that many times this of putting these concepts into practice, or understanding that social, organizational, business or corporate responsibility or as the experts like to call it is nothing other than many actions of people who begin to practice the premises of the RS in their behavior and that is reflected within the organizations.
It will never be easy to work in an ethical, responsible and committed way in today's organizations, but that is what it is about, because we know that without a doubt, speaking, giving a speech or writing an article like this is simple, the difficult thing is to be responsible out there when we are going to work and carry out projects, there in the field of action, in the territory, is the real challenge.
The organizational and social reality is changing and uncertain, but like any collective construction it can be transformed through the interaction of its actors. We just have to commit and do it.
