Do you know how many companies are there around the world? Data shows that our world has approximately 358.7 million companies. All companies or organizations have both positive and negative effects linked to society. The organization must take care of them when they have adverse effects, like pollution, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions. Preserving the environment and resources for the future requires immediate and effective actions from organizations. Corporate social responsibility action by organizations is to reduce adverse environmental impacts. Another reason for CSR implementation is to maintain a responsiveness to society or stakeholders. Countries like the US are taking steps towards CSR, and the implementation is done under the responsibility of Scrum masters.
This blog discusses the contribution of Scrum masters to implementing CSR in leading US organizations.
What is CSR?
CSR is an acronym for Corporate Social Responsibility. CSR is a process implemented in any organization to produce positive environmental changes. It is a beneficial process to society, environment, and economy. Corporate social responsibility includes changes like sustainable and ethical policies, community engagement, and environmental treatment.
A triple bottom line theory can be helpful for any organization in maintaining CSR. The triple bottom line framework shows a business revolves around people, profit, and the planet. Increasing responsiveness to all three aspects will impact the environment and remove growth barriers.
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Types of CSR
Corporate social responsibility is divided based on the company's commitment to be handled. Types of CSR will make the process selection simple and effective for companies.
1. Environmental Responsibility
The primary environmental responsibility of an organization is to eliminate pollution and environmental risks. Organizations need to accept the consequences of the actions taken toward CSR. This is to protect the environment and improve the sustainability of nature for the future.
2. Ethical Responsibility
Ethics of Responsibility is a requirement to improve the moral needs for the well-being of future generations. Whenever a company makes decisions, it's mandatory to ensure the sustainability of humans.
3. Philanthropic Responsibility
Philanthropic Responsibility has a broader impact on any business and society. It is the organization’s responsibility to take a step to return to a community that has served through means of a workforce, customers & beyond.
Philanthropic Responsibility covers different stages like legal requirements or trading standards. Consider investing in greener energy, investing time for a business, or charitable donations. All these actions are essential for this type of responsibility.
4. Economic Responsibility
Economic responsibility is connected with financial decisions that commit to performing good actions. Perfect examples are investing in alternative energy sources, investing in education programs, and providing funds to charities.
All these responsibilities positively affect the environment economically or the future of people around the organizations. These responsibilities improve the sustainability of the environment linked with the growth of the organizations.
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What is the Role of Scrum Masters in Implementing CSR in US Organisation
Okay, corporate social responsibility positively impacts organizations over the environment, but who can implement these actions? Scrum masters have a considerable role to play in the responsibilities act. Here is a list of actions that Scrum masters can perform:
1. Finding the existing CSR activities
Organizations might already be involved in CSR through some actions, but Scrum masters must find them. If new actions are to be added, existing steps should be updated. These actions can avoid repetitive planning and reduce the cost of implementation.
2. Correlating the CSR with the Business Approach
Whatever corporate social responsibility action an organization takes, the Scrum masters should ensure it fits within the company's practice and core objectives. This can increase the organization's credibility and the impact of its CSR actions on customers and the public. It also helps them fit the action into the business rather than creating an entirely new approach.
3. Top-level Support and Management
Any new actions to be implemented in organizations require top-level support. Scrum masters must communicate with senior leaders to guide and lead the new implementation. Leaders like the CEO or board of directors should be involved directly during the planning for the implementation process. The entire responsiveness of the process over the business and the environment must be explained to them clearly, and only after the implementation can it be made.
4. Planning and Allocating Donations to Effects Related to Business
When an organization picks donations or sponsorships, the Scrum masters must help select the effects connected to the organization. The impacts or beneficiaries of donation may be linked to organizations like users, distributors, vendors, etc.
5. Collaborate with Reliable Partners
Organizations may need support from some partners to implement CSR. Scrum masters must analyze the partners before beginning the processes. So many institutions are involved in incorporating such implementation into organizations. Scrum masters must analyze different partners and choose one that can positively impact the organization.
6. Engage Vendors
When an organization implements CSR, it is mandatory for the vendors also to maintain the implementation. Scrum masters should convey all the implementation processes that vendors need to follow. This maintenance process can help the organization get reliability among the users and any indirect consequences.
7. Improve Proper Communication
Effective communication plays a crucial role in boosting productivity and implementing new processes within a company. Scrum masters need to ensure that everyone involved in the communication process is engaged and participating. Based on the feedback received through this communication, necessary adjustments can be made to the new processes to achieve optimal results.
8. Acknowledge the Commitment to Protect the Environment
CSR programs are essential to save the environment. The environmental issues that may arise in any organization play an important role and are crucial to a strategy. Scrum masters must acknowledge the commitment then and there to maintain the effort of organizations toward corporate social responsibility implementation. Organizations' carbon footprint must be reduced to save the environment and future generations.
9. Analyze the Competitors' CSR methods
The Scrum masters must analyze the competitor’s corporate social responsibility methods. Framing the CSR strategies and examining competitors' strategies can help make critical decisions. After the analysis, the plan can also be corrected.
These are methods Scrum masters can use to guide organizations toward corporate social responsibility. Learn all the techniques and soft skills required for a Scrum master through CSM certification.
Also Read: Importance of Certified Scrum Master
Why is Implementing CSR in US Industries Mandatory?
CSR implementation in US industries has some critical effects on the organization. It has benefits for organizations and the environment. These benefits make the CSR adoption in growing in diverse companies:
1. Benefits Related to Business
Corporate social responsibility has many impacts on an organization. CSR implementation will improve energy efficiency and reduce costs, resulting in savings. CSR policies develop loyalty and trust in the market with efforts towards environmental management. User engagement and retention are benefits of CSR processes in any organization.
2. Benefits Related to Users
Corporate social responsibility also benefits users by making easy access initiatives to help people. Implementation encourages companies to make investments in testing and safety measures. These actions ensure that the organizations reduce the number of defective or harmful products that reach consumers.
3. Benefits Related to Environment
The current environment faces many crucial problems like climate change, groundwater source reduction, etc. The new implementation can enhance the planet's health by making environmental responsibility and sustainability mandatory. It helps companies lower greenhouse gas emissions, pursue net-zero goals, conserve resources, and protect ecosystems. Furthermore, CSR encourages investment in eco-friendly research and products.
4. Benefits Related to Society
The large US organization can contribute towards reducing the diversified social issues. There are many social issues like poverty, inequality, and environmental issues. By using CSR implementations directly or indirectly, the companies contribute to economic growth. This shows the ethical behavior followed at a corporate level to help integrity across various sectors.
Also Read: Scrum Master Jobs in USA
Real-life Examples
To give you some further knowledge of CSR implementation, here are some real-life examples from top companies:
1. IKEA
IKEA is a multinational assembled furniture company. The company began the CSR People and Planet Positive program in 2012. Since then, IKEA has been the 3rd leading global company in maintaining sustainability and social responsibility. IKEA’s Scrum masters have made CSR process like:
a. Healthy and sustainable living
b. Climate positive initiatives
c. Social equality and fairness IKEA prefers sustainable social responsibilities because of its on, wool, and woodes. The company will utilize only recycled or renewable plastic materials by 2030.
2. Bosch
Bosch is a global company that provides technology and service for different fields. Based on CSR, Scrum masters have conducted some investigations that helped overcome the problems linked to communities around them. Since 2011, Bosch has funded over $20 million to different organizations in the United States. Those organizations that support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Bosch created a report by 2022 on sustainability that over 400 companies of BOSCH have changed to climate neutral since 2020. The company also increased the percentage of women executives to 19.2%.
3. Apple
Apple is a multinational American company that produces consumer electronic goods and software. They started a carbon-neutral mission for corporate operations in 2020. The company is also planning to create carbon-neutral products by 2030. They are also planning to make products using green chemistry and recycling. Apple has taken steps to provide a Malala fund that helps educate and empower girls. Since 2018, they have supported Malala student grants and research.
Future of CSR in the USA
As the nation’s consideration of prospects grows, corporate social responsibility becomes mandatory in the United States. A growing trend of sustainability is also an essential reason behind CSR usage. In the future, CSR may have the following trends
1. Utilization of Technology
The organization may use technology in the future to implement CSR. The follow-up processes during the implementation can be made more efficient through technology. The advancement can increase the analytical capacity to calculate all required time, cost, and success rate of CSR implementation.
2. Collaboration Management
Collaboration is mandatory to make a change within the organization and with the dependent vendors or organization. Constant updates on the status of implementation and updation of frequent requirement updates will be possible through team collaboration.
Also Read: CSM Demand in US Digital Transformation
Conclusion
Organizations in many countries, including the US, are implementing CSR to increase social responsibility and maintain the company's credibility. Businesses, people, and the planet experience a positive change when the process is implemented. The Scrum masters are handling the navigation of corporate social responsibility in the organization and getting a perfect output. The implementation process ensures that organizations become more sustainable. Knowledge of the roles of Scrum masters can help you implement such valuable processes in your organizations. CSM certification can help you to gain real-life experience that makes any implementation easier in any organization.
