Human Resource Management
HR’s Role and Corporate Social in Management of Downsizing Use Responsibility and Sustainability
By Elaine Cohen, Sully Taylor, Ph.D., and Michael Muller-Camen, Ph.D.
SHRM Foundation Executive Briefing
Produced in partnership with the World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA) and the North American Human Resource Management Association (NAHRMA)
Overview
Organizations are increasingly concerned with sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The HR function is uniquely positioned to assist in both developing and implementing sustainability strategy.
suggests that corporate virtue in the form of social and environmental responsibility is likely to pay off financially.
What is sustainability? Why do firms pursue it?
Sustainability has been defined as the ability “to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” As regulatory pressures and societal demands for greater environmental and social responsibility have increased, sustainability has become a key focus for many organizations. A sustainable organization can be defined as an enterprise that simultaneously contributes economic, social and environmental benefits—known as the “triple bottom line”— to society while also ensuring its own long-term sustainability as an organization. Sustainability is seen by many as increasingly essential to creating shareholder value, as investors and employees look to organizations to be good corporate citizens. There is an emerging business case that corporate performance, under the right conditions, can be enhanced in firms focused on sustainability. For example, a 2003 meta-analysis of research studies
PwC: Building Sustainability Mindset and Skills in Leaders At PricewaterhouseCoopers, a novel initiative called the Ulysses Program sends teams of high-potential leaders to developing countries for eight weeks. They contribute their professional knowledge pro bono to address a
By Elaine Cohen, Sully Taylor, Ph.D., and Michael Muller-Camen, Ph.D.
SHRM Foundation Executive Briefing
Produced in partnership with the World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA) and the North American Human Resource Management Association (NAHRMA)
Overview
Organizations are increasingly concerned with sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The HR function is uniquely positioned to assist in both developing and implementing sustainability strategy.
suggests that corporate virtue in the form of social and environmental responsibility is likely to pay off financially.
What is sustainability? Why do firms pursue it?
Sustainability has been defined as the ability “to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” As regulatory pressures and societal demands for greater environmental and social responsibility have increased, sustainability has become a key focus for many organizations. A sustainable organization can be defined as an enterprise that simultaneously contributes economic, social and environmental benefits—known as the “triple bottom line”— to society while also ensuring its own long-term sustainability as an organization. Sustainability is seen by many as increasingly essential to creating shareholder value, as investors and employees look to organizations to be good corporate citizens. There is an emerging business case that corporate performance, under the right conditions, can be enhanced in firms focused on sustainability. For example, a 2003 meta-analysis of research studies
PwC: Building Sustainability Mindset and Skills in Leaders At PricewaterhouseCoopers, a novel initiative called the Ulysses Program sends teams of high-potential leaders to developing countries for eight weeks. They contribute their professional knowledge pro bono to address a