Shared Value requires Shared Responsibility: Whose Responsibility is Corporate Social Responsibility? Watching some of the discussion on corporate social responsibility it sometimes seems like governments, communities, NGOs and everyone else expects to sit back and have somebody (aka business) deliver CSR to them on a silver platter. WRONG!! To keep updated on postings and events go to www.csrtraininginstitute.com and sign up for the newsletter. If interested the CSR Knowledge Centre http://bit.ly/CSRknowledge contains a series of short, pragmatic articles on CSR Strategy, Management and related areas.

1. Helping business to
serve shareholders AND society
SIMULTANEOUSLY
Who? Me?
Responsible for CSR?
-by Wayne Dunn
www.csrtraininginstitute.com/knowledge-centre

2. Shared value requires shared responsibility:
whose responsibility is corporate social
responsibility?
Watching some of the discussion on corporate social responsibility
it sometimes seems like governments, communities, NGOs and
everyone else expects to sit back and have somebody (aka business)
deliver CSR to them on a silver platter.
WRONG!!
Corporate Social Responsibility is not something a
company does to or for communities, governments
or others.
To be successful and sustainable it takes a shared
and collective responsibility with all stakeholders.
How could it be any other way?
Yet,fartoooftenweseemajorstakeholders,governments,communities,
NGOs and others, placing all the responsibility on companies, almost
as if they expected them to play the role of Government (or Santa
Claus).
Sometimes too, we see companies sitting back and trying to leave the
responsibility to other stakeholders, including often other companies
or industries.
Neither approach will work very well.
Those communities and organizations that are pro-active in organizing
and planning CSR activities and sharing in the responsibility with
companies, will find that they simply get more value at the end of the
day. And, they will gain more capacity as well, and more ownership
over their destiny.
Who? Me?
Responsible for CSR?

3. Who? Me?
Responsible for CSR?
Page 02
Those companies that take the lead AND have projects where ALL
stakeholders take appropriate responsibility will find that more value
is created for stakeholders and shareholders.
If CSR is about aligning interests so that more benefits can flow to
more stakeholders (including shareholders) how does it make sense
that all responsibility should be on the company or other partner to
organize and do.
Surely Shared Responsibility is where everyone should be trying to
get to.
Let’s assume that through a collaborative consultation process a
mining company and local community identified that improvements in
education and health were priorities.
All partners are in the same boat.
If the boat floats all will benefit. If it sinks everyone gets wet.

4. Page 03
What is the role and responsibility of the community and local
organizations?
What is the role and responsibility of local government?
What is the role and responsibility of the Sector Ministries
(Education & Health)?
What is the role and responsibility of the company?
What is the role and responsibility of NGOs and other
development actors with an interest in education and
healthcare?
Think about what the roles and responsibilities should be. Then think
about how the project would normally play out.
This way works: In successful examples the various stakeholders
will all play a proactive part in the overall project, exhibiting
leadership, collaboration and initiative as required.
The project is truly made up of partners, working together and through
their collaboration and collective responsibility helping to achieve
results that none of them could achieve on their own.
This way, not so much: In other cases one partner (often
business, but not always) is looked at to lead and take the bulk of
the responsibility. Other stakeholders sit back and expect benefits to
come to them.
Regardless of which partner, or partners are left with the bulk of the
responsibility, the project won’t succeed nearly as well as if there was
a collective sharing of responsibility.
Who? Me?
Responsible for CSR?

5. Page 04
Do your CSR projects sometimes end up looking like
this?
Ironically, in projects where the bulk of the responsibility is left to one
or two partners, they are the ones that get blamed if things don’t work
perfectly.
Is it any wonder that some get frustrated and, if they keep going, end
up frustrated and cynical.
So, Whose Responsibility is Corporate Social
Responsibility?
Look at any CSR projects that you are involved in. Is there a collective
responsibility?
If not, why not?
Who? Me?
Responsible for CSR?

6. Page 05
Who? Me?
Responsible for CSR?
CSR can be an effective mechanism for creating value for society and
shareholders. But, it doesn’t work well for anyone if responsibility
and ‘ownership’ is not shared amongst all stakeholders.
And, what will you do to change that and facilitate collective
responsibility.
Blaming the partners who have been carrying the responsibility
probably isn’t the most productive response. Training and encouraging
all partners to accept a fair share of responsibility is a far better way
to go.
Sharing responsibility across partners and stakeholders can drive project
success and make the work more fun

7. Professor Dunn brings a practical and realistic approach to CSR, blending theory and
practice to develop realistic models and approaches to address real-world challenges
Dr. Ellis Armstrong
Former CFO, BP Exploration
…coherent, thoughtful, stimulating and insightful… state of the art! The network of
participants from the public, private and civil society sectors was incredible, some of
the leading experts in the field.
Kojo Busia, Ph. D.
Snr. Mineral Sector Governance Advisor
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa/UNECA
…pragmatic blend of theory and practice, very applicable to helping organizations
meet real-world challenges.
Frank McShane
Manager, Corporate Responsibility Policy and Ethics, Talisman Energy
… readily available to provide support to organizations like Amref that are seeking
partnerships, and looking to bring about positive change in a collaborative and concrete
way. Wayne and the CSR Training Institute helped us to identify and connect with
potential partners and are always available. The training, the expertise, the network
and the overall support are world-class.
Onome Ako
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Amref Health Africa
“The program enhanced the CSR knowledge and strategic skills of our Kosmos Energy
Ghana team, and offered the participants a platform for networking with professionals
from other organizations across Africa and Ghana.”
Reg Manhas
Sr VP Kosmos Energy
Very much helpful Wayne; some of the tips and questions you gave will be an extremely
helpful guide in the process of developing a CSR Strategy for my company.
Emmanuel Aubynn
Regional Social Responsibility Manager, Newmont Africa
The CSR Program was excellent. A key aspect of my work is to encourage and support
private sector development that contributes to Ghana’s overall socio-economic
growth. The learning that I and my staff take away from attending this program will
help us immensely with this responsibility. I highly recommend this program.
Hon. Rashid Pelpuo (MP)
Minister of State for Private Sector Development and Public Private Partnerships
(Ghana)
New and exciting insights into the theory and practice of CSR… great faculty and
participants, very diversified. An excellent learning experience, very practical and
useful. I’m very happy I was able to participate in it.
Hon InusahFuseini (MP)
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (Ghana)
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OUR WORK

8. Should Business Serve
Helping business to serve society and
shareholders, SIMULTANEOUSLY.
Should Business Serve
WAYNE DUNN, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
SHAREHOLDERS?
SOCIETY?
IT SHOULD SERVE BOTH.
Wayne Dunn is President & Founder of the CSR Training Institute and
Professor of Practice in CSR at McGill. He’s a Stanford Sloan Fellow
with a M.Sc. in Management from Stanford Business School.
He is a veteran of 20+ years of award winning global CSR and
sustainability work spanning the globe and covering many industries
and sectors including extensive work with Indigenous Peoples in
Canada and globally. His work has won major international awards
and has been used extensively as ‘best-practice’ by industry and
academia.
He’s also worked oil rigs, prospecting, diamond drilling, logging,
commercial fishing, heavy equipment operator, truck driver and
underwater logging, done a couple of start-ups and too many other
things to mention.
Wayne’s career includes big successes, and spectacular failures. He
hopes he’s learned equally from both.
www.csrtraininginstitute.com