BSR.at 25: What businesses need to succeed

自1992年以来，BSR.（以前的社会责任业务）在一系列可持续性问题上支持跨部门合作。必威体育2018该组织召开了一项多项工作组，以解决包括BSR成员基础的大型公司共同的挑战：减少跨海运的影响;在可持续发展报告中分享最佳实践;必威体育2018通过战略采购减少贫困;扩大健康和健康;改善工厂妇女的困境;和十几个其他主题。

On the occasion of its 25th anniversary this year, I spoke withAron Cramer, BSR's president and CEO, andPeder Michael Pruzan-Jorgensen是，其高级副总统，了解一些洞察力，该组织获得了企业如何能够在跨行业的改变和导航波动的情况下获得的。

In its early years, BSR's objectives were to raise awareness of corporate social responsibility and help companies link success and positive impact on communities and environment. Back then, "collaboration was more of a novelty," said Pruzan-Jorgensen. "Today, they need a common and compelling purpose that also offers a value proposition to business."

Now that basic awareness of collaboration is mainstream, the challenge is to integrate it into business strategies, operations and corporate governance. Following are Cramer and Pruzan-Jorgensen's key lessons on collaboration, communication and leadership in the business world — and the world at large.

协作特定目标

Collaboration starts with having multiple stakeholders around the table — key experts within a vertical industry and multiple executives across industry sectors. Convening around a shared purpose helps pull meaningful progress forward.

In order to see more than incremental progress, it is important to have high ambitions, a clear objective and a shared understanding of what each party is trying to accomplish and its role in getting there. Otherwise, Cramer said, "gravity will pull you down."

Within BSR, the ideation process begins by identifying critical issues that are not yet being addressed by businesses. A working group that includes all leaders within the organization’s areas of expertise — including human rights, women’s empowerment and inclusive economy — meets to find connections between areas of expertise that would yield opportunities where there are currently risks.

"That’s where the most interesting opportunities lie," said Cramer.

From the start, BSR’s working groups ask questions such as, is the group working towards a better understanding of an issue? Does it want to implement a current practice more widely or shift industry practices?

Companies realize it’s only if we work collectively that we can have a real and meaningful long-term impact.

本组织最成功的合作之一，Pruzan-Jorgensen表示，海上反腐败网络是一个聚集在一起打击海事腐败的小组。自2012年以来，参与从18家公司增长到近90岁。他说，有什么驱使他们共同努力，是渴望集体影响贿赂的环境，使其成为更安全，更有效的工作场所。

这是一个难以自己解决的东西。“只有我们集体工作，我们才能实现这一目标，我们可以拥有真实而有意义的长期影响，”他说。该网络有助于公共和私营部门的诚信培训，通过改善港口运营和影响尼日利亚，印度，埃及，印度尼西亚等国家和其他国家的海事腐败的法规减少贸易壁垒。

即使在成功的合作中，广泛的业务问题也可能不会完全解决，因此有时候伙伴关系或想法将必须被推迟或甚至搁置。

In an uncertain world, organizations will succeed if they think long-term, and communicating work around sustainability is essential to their evolution.

不要害怕沟通

如果一个宗旨是真正的系统转型，那么克莱默·弗兰伯斯 - 即使是风险厌恶公司的沟通是不可选项的，这是“人们正在讲述关于机构的故事，如果公司并非谈论什么必威体育2018它在做，然后其他人会为他们定义它。“

克莱默定义,可持续发展是int必威体育2018ersection of business and society, and society wants to know what business is doing and be a part of that discussion. He predicts that expectations for multi-channel communication will continue to grow.

With transparency and accountability continuing to be a strong trend in the global economy, companies must be careful to communicate facts and actions, added Pruzan-Jorgensen. When the world's biggest companies come together to advocate for sustainability, they will be held accountable to performance and standards compliance.

That means traditional reporting also will take on a bigger role. "Reporting standards have evolved; sustainability reporting is finding its way into mainstream requirements and that comes with the rigor that we're used to in that environment," he said, "which in turn makes the reporting a bit more boring but definitely more genuine and robust."

总的来说，更多的沟通优于较少，因为这是对毒品管理或商品管理等项目进行的早期投资的公司，但没有将其传达给消费者失去的机会，以区分自己。

Take a clear stand on social issues

In the face of multiple factors of concern — income inequality, cybersecurity, climate change — resilience is rising up as a company priority. Businesses must be agile enough to keep up with turbulence while holding on to the roadmap of a shared objective.

例如，BSR的智商赋予妇女赋权和气候复原力的坦克意识到，虽然气候弱势地区的妇女往往受到环境压力的影响，但它们也持有弹性的关键。一旦确定，下一步是制定实践，以便为女性提供他们需要帮助自己及其社区的工具。

在另一个例子中，领导者的谈话承认，公司的供应链是气候弹性的前线，因为他们可以确保破坏的业务连续性，无论是气候，政治还是其他。该实现设置了激光重点的舞台，对供应链的业务连续性。

Cramer表示，企业在帮助造成未来的社会契约方面具有日益增长的股份 - 而且数据显示人们希望公司能够捍卫政府失败的价值观和原则。

Big issues like climate change, inclusive economic growth, women’s empowerment are in real need of engagement by business.

“气候变化等大问题，包容性经济增长，妇女的赋权是企业的真实需要，”克莱默说。

最近的一个例子是微软的公开宣布支持童年抵达法案的延期行动。员工也表明自己是赋权改变代理人 - 见证了走出去of 2,000 Google employees in response to President Donald Trump's 2017 immigration ban.

"I think they consider themselves to represent Google every bit as much as Sergey Brin and Larry Page do," said Cramer of the employees. Organizations have an opportunity to use employee engagement as a communication tool when a CEO's time and attention is limited.

这就是为什么委派可持续发展官员致力于导航业务景观，新兴的业务和社会风险以及机遇并将其嵌入本组织。必威体育2018但CSO的作用需要随时间变化。

"The role of the chief sustainability officer needs to grow and evolve so that the CSO is a futurist, the CSO is an innovator, the CSO continues to play the role of being a bridge-builder, but also is demonstrating real business value inside a company," he said.

“需要有很多连续性和长期思考，”克莱默说。“这是可持续业务的本质。”