The gap between theory and practice can be very wide, and corporate citizenship is no exception. Many models for corporate citizenship success extol the virtues of integrating corporate citizenship across the business and into the strategy, but few focus on the reality of making this happen.

A new Center report, Integration: Critical Link for Corporate Citizenship, highlights the real experiences at eight companies as they work to initiate and build momentum, catalyze change, and develop strategies to integrate corporate citizenship efforts to maximize effectiveness and impact. The Center spent the last two-and-a-half years working with mid- to senior-level managers in eight companies to explore how they worked to advance corporate citizenship in their organizations. The companies involved are AMD, Abbott, Agilent Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, Levi Strauss & Co., Petro-Canada, Unocal Corporation and Verizon Communications.

Like so many other companies, these eight had a range of corporate citizenship-related activities but faced various challenges, from siloed programs to a lack of an overarching strategy to insufficient executive support. The Center’s report shows how, in the face of these obstacles, the companies still made progress.

The Center looked to understand how companies move beyond individual programs and toward  a model where corporate citizenship is connected with business objectives – throughout all business units and functions – and with goals embedded for employees at all levels.

Debunking the myths: The research findings

The report reveals four key findings that challenge the conventional wisdom around corporate citizenship progress:

Finding #1: Progress can be made during tough economic times.

Finding #2: It is possible to mobilize corporate citizenship awareness and support without the perceived urgency of internal or external pressure.

Finding #3: Middle managers do make a difference.

Finding #4: Developing an ironclad business case is not a prerequisite for taking action on corporate citizenship.

Based on the two-and-half years of working closely with eight companies, The Center was able to understand how these findings played out. Practitioners were able to employ concrete and specific approached with demonstrable results, as described below.

Corporate citizenship in action: strategies for integration

Using real examples from the eight companies, the report illustrates successful strategies that are effective for producing corporate citizenship action. After outlining some critical first steps, The Center highlights the three key areas of work with accompanying examples that practitioners employed to generate momentum and build a solid foundation for corporate citizenship in their companies:

Build Relationships: Forging the right relationships throughout the company can matter as much or more than the technical aspects of strategy. Relationship-building is one of the most critical actions in building support for corporate citizenship, and the examples provided outline how these relationships can be leveraged for greater influence.

Build Knowledge: Corporate citizenship is a cross-cutting effort, so it is essential for practitioners to understand the company’s business as well as the business environment as a whole. By developing a solid foundation of business knowledge, practitioners have a greater chance of building a citizenship strategy that is relevant to the business and therefore more likely to be supported. Strategies in this section include ways to gather knowledge about the company’s business and how to use that knowledge for stronger impact.

Take Strategic Action: With a foundation of knowledge and relationships, practitioners are better equipped to take actions that will influence the long-term citizenship strategy. The report outlines nine specific strategic actions that can be taken to promote the integration, alignment and institutionalization of corporate citizenship in a company.

The role of the change agent

The Center’s research also acknowledges the central role of the corporate citizenship practitioner. Whether working with a formal mandate or borne of individual interest, the ability of a single individual or small group to generate change in a company is significant, even when executive support is not strong. Successful practitioners were able to use their position in the company, their passion for the issues and their patience to ensure progress for corporate citizenship. 
 
» Download the full report and findings (PDF)