Everyone wants to do their part in changing the world for the better–social responsibility is hardly a new concept to humankind. If you were to map out the history of humanity on a timeline, you’d likely plot the compassion and social responsibility bullet point close to the beginning. The idea of corporate social responsibility would be much closer to the end.
Even further down that timeline would be the likes of smartphones, the internet, and social media. While younger readers might know the internet and “always connected” era to have existed for as long as they can remember, in the grand scheme of things, technology is changing more rapidly now than it has in quite some time.
Despite its relatively recent origins, corporate social responsibility has continued to transform over the years, solidifying itself as an always-changing facet of businesses around the world.
Technology is a big piece of the transformational puzzle in the world of CSR. Here are a few ways that tech is forcing the hand of companies and their CSR practices.
Social Awareness and Pressure
In order to act on something, one needs first to be aware of it. With technology’s increasing omnipotence, the average person is able to, in a heartbeat, learn about a company, its mission, its vision and, of course, its CSR practices.
Today, the always connected nature of social media and smartphones allow for consumers to give instantaneous feedback to organizations. If they’re displeased with a company’s CSR, they can voice it via social media, blogs and elsewhere, putting pressure on businesses everywhere to put their best CSR foot forward.
Better Tech Means Better Data
We’ve written in the past on Lincoln-Strategy.org about the introduction of big data to CSR practices. With technological advancements, tracking of data surrounding CSR becomes substantially more streamlined. A more streamlined and well-coordinated data and analytics system will ultimately lead to similarly improved CSR practices, which in turn can improve profits.
Logistical Improvements
Long gone are the days of shoddy and error-prone manufacturing plants run largely by hand. Advances in logistical tech have gone hand in hand with improvements in organizations’ CSR, helping to perfect numerous logistical issues that have plagued businesses in the past including manufacturing, transportation, the supply chain and so on. More efficient production and dissemination processes can be attributed to technology in large part, and help to dial back a company’s footprint on the world.