Here's how you can stay positive in CSR despite facing failure.

Failure is not truly a failure if lessons are learned and subsequently applied. This principle applies to all situations, not just corporate social responsibility (CSR). By conducting a thorough root cause analysis (RCA) and adjusting the approach accordingly, desired results can be achieved. The truly wise are those who learn from the failures of others.

CSR focuses on solving real-life problems. Sometimes we succeed in resolving the issues, and sometimes we fail miserably. Failure can be caused by internal or external factors. Taking a good amount of risk into account and developing a mitigation plan might help us to fail less often. The purpose of the conclave I attended last year was to discuss failures in the development sector. "Impact Failure Conclave" was the name of the conclave. The ability to learn from mistakes and continue to improve is what keeps development professionals moving forward because we have never-ending problems so we have to keep trying and failing to embrace success.

Anita Roddick’s comment, ‘CSR has been a missed opportunity’, suggests CSR failed from the start by being aligned with marketing & PR. CSR was the birthplace of ‘greenwash’. That said, CSR was a precursor to the rigorous ESG reporting of today. CSR & ESG have different foundations, with CSR a more philanthropic, voluntary approach with limited influence in changing business strategy & little accountability. Legislated ESG reporting reaches operational business functions & highlights areas for change. The 'opportunity not to miss' now, is ensuring that managers are trained with the necessary workplace knowledge and ‘green skills’ for ensuring CSR or ESG initiatives have impact on business transition towards a global green economy model.

Primeiro é importante ter a clareza de que errar e falhar também faz parte do processo; Segundo é também muito importante ter clareza de onde se quer chegar, que sistema se quer transformar, que transforma??o se quer fazer via responsabilidade social; Com esses dois pontos em mente é importante ter metas claras e uma estratégia definida de como alcan?ar essas metas, alinhando os objetivos do negócio com a pauta socioambiental da comunidade com qual se quer trabalhar ou com o sistema que se quer mudar; Uma vez uma falha verificada, é hora de rever a rota, chamar os stakeholders e conversar sobre erros e acertos; Pensar em conjunto e redirecionar; Foco na mudan?a

Learning from CSR failures is like navigating through life's challenges. Just like how we acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them, in CSR, recognizing failures opens doors to valuable lessons. By adapting and improving strategies, seeking feedback, and celebrating progress, we grow just as we do personally. Despite setbacks, staying committed to CSR goals creates a culture of growth and resilience, reflecting our human journey of learning and evolving through adversity.

In my experience sometimes early failures are actually a great bonus, as they enable one to reset the direction of a project into what may actually turn out to be a far more beneficial direction. So by learning by doing, by listening, by hearing from others & collectively finding a path can help create a mutually beneficial way forward. Even if it’s slower, you find the CSR changes will “stick” better.

CSR is not bed of roses.Key to sucess is Transparency and accountability. One must have passion, patience, positivity and perseverance to be successful. Maintaining status quo while successful is also challenging.Regular reviews and taking corrective measures constantly is mandatory.

Often the missing peace to a good CSR strategy is correct, effective and efficient stakeholders engagement process.... We have to go beyond top/down and down/top approaches we are used to in strategy definition process.....stakeholders dialogue and engagement push the organisation to think out of the box and embrace risks and opportunities in their ecosystems. I did, and still do, with many senior managers on the topic and it is amazing to see how it can be difficult for them to open the door to large discussion and negotiation with stakeholders... They are afraid of it, like opening a Pandore box... We need to overhaul this process and come with new way of building CSR journey!

Soyons prêts à modifier notre approche en fonction des résultats. Si un programme de bien-être des employés ne fonctionne pas, essayons de nouvelles méthodes ou de nouveaux avantages. L'essentiel st de commencer avec sincérité. Les erreurs font partie de la vie donc réajuster nos actions suite à un échec dans la réalisation de notre stratégie RSE est logique.

Yes definitely you need to keep stakeholders as main contributors to your CSR journey... In order to do it it is necessary not only to engage them once but to continue doing it all the time. The best way for it is to prioritize initiatives and actions where the organisation and stakeholders join effort to make impact on each other. Easy to say but still difficult to implement, isn't it? For me yes it is cause we lack means, tools, skills to deal with that..... NGO can be a good inspiration for businesses in that regard

La RSE comme son nom l'indique est un travail et un processus collectif qui doit embarquer toutes les parties prenantes à commencer par le top management des entreprises. C sont les C-Level qui peuvent faire ruisseler dans l'entreprise puis la société les initiatives choisies par les salarié.es.

Acting alone on major global issues that really matter for future generations will not amount to much at all. Stakeholders and partnerships are vital for creating lasting change… From the start of projects, it’s vital to extend our circles to include our First Nation representatives, our Young people - & to pay attention to impacts of our projects on the many voiceless species that actually maintain the fabric of our living world (aka biodiversity, but remember small ‘insignificant’ elements like soil biota, pollinators and water quality)

Engager les collaborateurs (en commen?ant par tout en haut), les clients et la communauté dans ses efforts de RSE. Leur soutien et leurs idées peuvent aider à surmonter les défis. Par exemple, organiser des réunions de brainstorming ou des sondages pour recueillir des commentaires ou conseils. C'est la meilleure manière de rendre la démarche inclusive et partagée.

La RSE (CSR) est un changement de paradigme fort qui induit une transformation des us de l'entrprise. Comme pour tout changement, il est capital de baliser les objectifs, les étapes et les réalisations. Créer une dynamique positive permet de rendre ces changements d'habitude plus ludique. Il faut donc constater et analyser chaque échec, mais aussi célébrer chaque petite victoire. Ce sont ces dernières qui mèneront vers le succès. Les salarié.es notamment les jeunes générations tels que les "digital natives" sont de très bonne volonté quant à la préservation de la planète. Les entreprises et organisations peuvent donc compter sur eux/elles pour s'engager pleinement.

Perso, je suis un fan de la vibe positive, de la gratitude et de la reconnaissance. Reconna?tre et célébrer chaque étape vers le ou les objectifs RSE, même les petites victoires, me para?t approprié et impotrant pour la dynamique d'équipe. Cela maintient le moral et l'engagement. Par exemple, partager les succès dans les bulletins d'information de l'entreprise ou lors des réunions d'équipe une fois par semaine ou par mois, rend la démarche RSE-ESG quasi-normale et montre l'attachement du management à la question.

In addition to self-reflection, it is helpful to have a formal assessment by an external, independent party (such as a consultant) at set intervals, perhaps every few years. They can provide objective feedback on your strategy and the execution of your initiatives from an outsider's perspective, highlighting areas of strength and weakness. This prevents tunnel vision, and ensures that you are continuosly evolving and improving.

The stories behind numbers in social impact projects are crucial for humanizing data, inspiring action, building trust, creating connections, raising awareness, and effecting lasting change. By weaving personal narratives around statistics, projects can resonate with audiences on a human level, driving home the real-world implications of their work and motivating people to get involved. Stories add depth, authenticity, and transparency, fostering trust and credibility with stakeholders.

Il en va de la stratégie RSE comme de toutes les stratégies, la mise en oeuvre peut être plus complexe que prévu. Le plus important est de maintenir la trajectoire et de vérifier que les échecs ne sont pas de nature à la remettre en cause aux yeux des parties prenantes. Auquel cas, il faudra les consulter et réaffirmer la trajectoire avec elles.

This is not an exclusive tip for CSR. What I've learned throughout my career is that failures happen. I'm not talking about negligence. I'm saying that no matter how much you plan or study, some important factor will escape your model and this will cause a failure. The important thing is to recognize this fact as soon as possible and invest energy in building a solution. Instead of spending your time trying to justify yourself.