Purpose in Canada just entered the ring.
Corporate Knights, the famed Canadian
publisher that annually ranks the world’s 100 most sustainable
corporations,
recently released its rating of 34 Canadian companies with a social
purpose
(a report I co-authored). It found that only half of those with a social purpose
invest in authentic implementation; half likely do not and are at risk of
purpose-washing. From this, we concluded:
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There is a lack of standards/guidance for companies on purpose execution, so
companies are flying blind.
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If organizations don’t effectively implement their purpose, not only will
they not accrue the benefits, but they risk alienating their
stakeholders.
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DEI and sustainability: The ROI of inclusive corporate cultures
Join us as leaders from the Accomplis Collective, Bard, Beneficial State Foundation, ReEngineering HR and REI share best practices for cultivating a culture of belonging and insights into how inclusive leadership can lead to more effective and equitable sustainability outcomes — Wednesday, Oct. 16, at SB'24 San Diego.
Those that have authentic implementation of purpose will unlock their
resources, influence, reach and scale to realize its potential and impact,
and will help put society on a sustainable
course.
For Canada or any country to accelerate the Purpose Economy, purpose governance
and implementation
guidelines
are needed. This was recently reinforced by consultations conducted by the
United Way Social Purpose Institute
(UWSPI) and published in the report, Propelling the Canadian Purpose Economy: A Framework for Action. Most members of the social purpose community
believe that Canada needs an accreditation or rating system to foster and drive
authentic social purpose implementation and impact.
There are global developments in this arena, including the British Standards
Institute — which is developing a UK standard for purpose-driven
organizations, referred to as PAS
808.
However, Canada can’t wait for this to become a set of global guidelines. B
Lab’s B Corp Assessment Tool is a great
resource for companies to be a force for good; but it does not provide advice on
how to implement a social purpose, per se.
Fortunately, the UWSPI can be a coach to help improve technique. Not only does
it provide a program to help companies implement their social purpose through a
peer-based model (Social Purpose
Implementers), it provides a
free Social Purpose Assessment Tool
to help companies assess and rate the degree to which their purpose is fully
embedded across the company and in its relationships. It is a guideline and set
of best practices that enable company benchmarking, offering guidance on how to
become an authentic social purpose company.
It includes 25 practices across the following:
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Purpose, values and strategy
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Governance and leadership
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People and culture
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Operations
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Customer experience and marketing
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Business ecosystem
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Monitoring and reporting
With input from consultations the UWSPI held over the past two years with GLOBE
Series and other partners, and the findings of
the new Corporate Knights report, I updated the Social Purpose Assessment Tool
to reflect stakeholder expectations for more robust purpose performance.
These are the new techniques that purpose players are expected to demonstrate to
stay in the ring:
Formal responsibility of board and management
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Boards have explicit oversight responsibility as formalized in their terms
of reference (see Purpose Governance
Framework
for more information on the board’s role in Purpose Governance).
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CEOs have explicit purpose-execution responsibility as formalized in their
role descriptions.
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Executives have at least one purpose-related objective in their performance
plans and in their short- and long-term incentive plans.
Integration in culture and strategy
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At least one corporate value is explicitly tied to the purpose.
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The strategy explicitly includes purpose goals, targets and metrics.
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A process is in place to escalate issues when social purpose is not being
integrated.
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ESG (environmental, social,
governance)
/ CSR (corporate social
responsibility)
approaches are differentiated from, and not conflated with, purpose
execution.
Public disclosure of purpose governance system and progress
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Disclosures include progress on purpose goals and targets and the approach
to governing and executing on the purpose.
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The purpose is visible on the organization’s website and includes a
definition of what it means and how it creates value for the business and
stakeholders.
Customer and business ecosystem engagement on purpose
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Customers are engaged on the purpose.
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The social purpose business concept is promoted to other businesses to
foster their success, create future collaborators, and grow the social
purpose business movement.
By following the 25 practices in the refreshed Social Purpose Assessment Tool,
companies will be able to stay in the ring and up their purpose game.
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Published Apr 4, 2022 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST