tilburg university corporate social responsibility (csr ... · 7 on motivation theories and csr ......
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Tilburg University
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Leadership in South Africa
Thum, Anette
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Publication date:2017
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Citation for published version (APA):Thum, A. (2017). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Leadership in South Africa: What motivates high-level business leaders in South Africa to rive CSR within their companites and beyond S.l.: [s.n.]
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CorporateSocialResponsibility(CSR)andLeadershipinSouthAfrica:
Whatmotivateshigh-levelbusinessleadersinSouthAfricatodriveCSRwithintheircompaniesandbeyond?
ProefschriftterverkrijgingvandegraadvandoctoraanTilburgUniversity
opgezagvanderectormagnificus,prof.dr.E.H.L.Aarts,inhetopenbaarteverdedigentenoverstaanvaneen
doorhetcollegevoorpromotiesaangewezencommissieindeaulavandeUniversiteit
opwoensdag19april2017om14.00uur
door
AnnetteThum
geborenop23augustus1967teGrünstadt,Duitsland
Promotores: Prof.dr.ir.G.M.vanDijk Prof.dr.J.B.Rijsman
Overigeleden: Prof.dr.R.vanEijbergen Prof.dr.J.Wempe Prof.dr.J.Marques Prof.dr.E.Schwella
Contents 3
Contents
Contents.....................................................................................................................................3
1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................6
2 EmbracingSocialConstruction............................................................................................132.1 HowIcametoSocialConstruction...................................................................................132.2 WhatSocialConstructioncontainsforme.......................................................................142.3 AnimaginaryconversationwithamanageraboutSocialConstruction...........................152.4 WhatSocialConstructionmeansformyPhDthesis.........................................................26
3 OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults..............................................293.1 Clarifyingwheretogo:thepreparationstage..................................................................303.2 Makingthefirststep–justgo!.........................................................................................32
3.2.1 ADefiningmoment:OralhistoryonNelsonMandela............................................333.2.2 FirstvisittoSouthAfrica:Sharpenthetopicandapproachforconversations.....353.2.3 ConversationswithCSRmanagersandselectedleaders.......................................383.2.4 ResultSummaryfromconservationswithCSRmanagers......................................423.2.5 Firstresults:Define,Discover,Dream,Design,Deliver..........................................433.2.6 ResultSummaryfromselectedleadersconversations...........................................47
3.3 Goingagain-thesecondfieldtrip....................................................................................493.4 The“Aha-Moment”–motivationandinspirationaskey.................................................543.5 PhoneInterviewsonMotivationforCSR..........................................................................55
3.5.1 Themethod–GroundedTheory............................................................................583.5.2 Resultsoftheopencodingprocess........................................................................623.5.3 Fromaxialtoselectivecoding–whatemerged?...................................................663.5.4 Sensemakingofcodingresults...............................................................................67
3.6 Thecodingresultsandtheirmeaningfortheinspirationbooklet...................................73
4 OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility..............................................................754.1 ScopeofDefinitions..........................................................................................................754.2 HistoricalDevelopmentoftheCSRconcept.....................................................................804.3 CritiqueofCSR..................................................................................................................844.4 TrendsofCSR....................................................................................................................874.5 Summary...........................................................................................................................90
Contents 4
5 CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica..................................................................925.1 SouthAfricacountryfacts.................................................................................................945.2 DefiningCSRinSouthAfrica.............................................................................................945.3 Thepoliticalandlegal/policycontextforCSRinpost-apartheidSouthAfrica.................975.4 Economictransitionandcompanies'CSRinvolvement..................................................1015.5 SocialandculturalinfluencesonCSRinSouthAfrica.....................................................1055.6 CSRTrendsinSouthAfricainthelast20years...............................................................1085.7 WhathelpsorhindersCSRgoingforward?....................................................................109
6 OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope?......................................................................1126.1 WhyamIconnectingCSRwithleadership?....................................................................1126.2 CSRandLeadership:Myperspective..............................................................................1136.3 MovingtowardsCSRleadershiptheories(1840-1995)...................................................1146.4 RecentleadershiptheoriesandCSR(1995-today).........................................................118
6.4.1 Myperspectiveonthedevelopmentofrecentleadershiptheories....................1186.4.2 Ethical,moral,responsibleandsustainableleadership........................................1196.4.3 Authentic,mindful,spiritualandcharismaticleadership.....................................1226.4.4 Conclusiononleadershiptheories.......................................................................123
6.5 CSRLeadership–thetermanditsmeaning...................................................................1246.5.1 Literatureoverviewanddefinition.......................................................................1246.5.2 MyquestionsforleaderstostimulateCSRleadership.........................................1256.5.3 StudiesonCSRleadershipbehaviors....................................................................126
7 OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR......................................................................................1307.1 OverviewofresearchonmotivationandCSR................................................................1307.2 Motivationalconcepts....................................................................................................133
7.2.1 Definitionsofmotivation......................................................................................1347.2.2 Intrinsicvs.extrinsicmotivation...........................................................................135
7.3 Motivationascontent.....................................................................................................1367.4 Motivationasprocess.....................................................................................................138
7.4.1 Motivationprocessmodel....................................................................................1387.4.2 Motivationprocessexitmodel.............................................................................140
7.5 Motivationandmorality.................................................................................................1417.6 Excursus:Motivation,meditationandneuroscience......................................................1427.7 MotivationandSocialConstruction................................................................................142
8 Summary..........................................................................................................................144
Contents 5
ListofFigures.........................................................................................................................154
Literature...............................................................................................................................156
Appendix................................................................................................................................172Appendix1 Reachout-Thisisme......................................................................................172Appendix2 SummaryofinterviewswithselectedCSRmanagersinSouthAfrica.............177Appendix3 Samplequestionsforexecutives.....................................................................179Appendix4 ParticipantlistofseniorexecutivesforphonecallsonCSRandmotivation...180Appendix5 Anonymousprotocolsofseniorexecutivesfromthephonecallsonmotivation
andCSR............................................................................................................181Appendix6 CSRInspiration&ActivityBookForLeaders...................................................205Appendix7 DiagnosticSchemeforMotivationfromRheinbergandVollmeyer(2012).....260Appendix8 IdeasPaperonaCSR&HRcollaborationtomaximizeBBBEEbenefits..........261Appendix9 InvitationletterfromtheGermanChamberofCommerce(GCoC)tosupport
myresearchstudy...........................................................................................267Appendix10 AttachedinformationtoinvitationletteroftheGCoC....................................268
1Introduction 6
“Optimismisastrategyformakingabetterfuture.Becauseunlessyoubelieve
thatthefuturecanbebetteryouareunlikelytostepupandtakeresponsibility
formakingitso.”
NoamChomsky
1 Introduction
This thesis and its outcome aim to promote the topic of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
amongselectedbusinessleadersinSouthAfricabecausearesponsiblebusinessworldisanessen-
tial keyplayer in creatingabetter future.MervynKing, the chairmanof theSouthAfricanKing
Report1 (which is the first SouthAfricanCorporateGovernanceConduct), encouraged company
directorsandbusinessleaders“tosetasideone’sprejudices,one’spresentneeds,andone’sown
self-interest inmakingadecision”anddescribesdecisionmaking inbusinessasan “intellectual
exercisethattakesconstantpractice”(…)andseesitas“ajourneyandnotadestination.”Thus,
promoting and living CSRwithin the businessworld can be seen as a constant and challenging
balancingact.
Inthisintroduction,IwillprovideabriefdefinitionofCSR,aswellasitshistoricalandcontempo-
rarycontext. IwillsubsequentlyexplainwhereIseeimportantandhithertounexploredconnec-
tionsbetweenthetopicofCSRandthefieldofleadershipandmotivation,aswellasexplainhowI
developedmy inquiry2question.To conclude, Iwillbrieflydescribe theoutlineof the following
chapters.
HowcanCSRbedefined?
Bynow,corporatesocialresponsibilityhasbecomeabuzzwordusedbyawiderangeofpeople,
oftenconveyingdifferentmeanings.AquiteconsolidateddefinitionforCSRwasprovidedbythe
EuropeanUnionin2011,describingCSRas"theresponsibilityofenterprisesfortheirimpactson
society"(Williamsonetal.2014,7).Despitebeingveryshort,ithelpstocutthroughthe“defini-
tion jungle” thathasbeengrowing in recent years.Nonetheless, I believe that this exponential
growthofdefinitions isnotnecessarilydetrimental totherelevanceof theCSRtopic; rather,as
1 http://www.azquotes.com/author/48212-Mervyn_King,accessedMay2016.TheKingReportisthefirstSouthAfri-
canCorporateGovernanceCodepublishedin1994–seealsochapter5.2 PleasenotethatgoingforwardIwillusethetermsinquiryinsteadofresearchtoenhancethefactofthatIamnot
followingtheclassicalresearchapproachoftestingahypothesis.
1Introduction 7
muchas this “wilderness”cancauseconfusion, italsokeepsCSR“aliveandmoving,”aswillbe
shownlateron.
WhatistheCSRcontext?
Historically,theideaofCSRdatesbacktothebeginningoftheearly19thcentury,whenindustrial-
izationwas on the rise and companies began to engage in philanthropic activities, increasingly
takingresponsibility for theirworkersandsurroundingcommunities,althoughsomeweremore
activethanothers.
Afterdecadesof remaininga topicofacademicconcern,CSRhas increasinglygainedtraction in
thebusinessworldoverthepast20years.Nowadays,itisahighlyrelevanttopicforcompanies,in
adevelopment thathasbeendrivenmainlyby three reasons (Carroll 2008;VisserandTolhurst
2010;PopeandWæraas2016):
• first:externaland internal legislationcontinuestoforcecompaniestoact incompliance
withsocialandecologicalstandards;
• second: voluntary reporting standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative have be-
comemorewidelyaccepted;and
• thirdandmostimportantly:companieshavestartedtounderstandthe(financial)benefits
ofCSR,suchasriskminimization,betterexternalreputation,higheremployeemotivation,
attractiveness, etc. Accordingly, long-term economic success is based upon leveraging
theseandotherCSRbenefits.
Over the last50years,numerousbooksandarticleshavebeenpublishedcompilingCSRdefini-
tions,concepts,developments,bestpracticesandcasestudies.Inthelast20years,anentirein-
dustry3has startedcreatingKPIsandmeasurementmodels for companies todemonstrate their
CSRsuccess.CSRhasalsobecome increasinglyconnectedto leadershiptopicsover the last two
decades,includingthemotivationalaspect.
WhyisitimportanttoconnectinsightsfromleadershipandmotivationalstudiestoCSR?
Todate,numerousbooksandarticleshavedrawnaconnectionbetweenCSRandleadership(see
chapter5). Intheseworks, it isgenerallyassumedthathigh-level leaderscanplayan important
rolemodel function regarding CSR. If executives sincerely promote responsible behaviorwithin
3 Thewebsitehttp://www.sustainablebrands.com/solutionproviders/members/83listsconsultanciesregardingCSR
topics.Toonlynameafew:BigconsultancieslikePriceWaterhouseCoopers,Accentureetc.haveintegrateditintotheirportfolioandspecialreportingfirmssuchasEMG,aDutchconsultancyfoundedin2004.
1Introduction 8
theirorganization,thechancesarehighthatpositiveoutcomesfortheenvironment,societyand
companiesthemselveswillfollow.
Agreatexampletosupport thispoint isRayAnderson, theformerCEOof Interface Inc.,oneof
theworld’s largestUS-basedcarpetmanufactures.Hecompletelyreinventedhisorganizationto
worktowardthegoalofeliminatinganynegativeimpactontheenvironment,asyoucanreview
onhiswebsite(linkedbelow).
Fig.1: RolemodelCEORayAnderson
Source:http://www.interfaceglobal.com/sustainability.aspx,accessedJanuary2014
InGermany,manyCEOsofmid-sized companies have strongly embraced theCSR topic. As the
formerBionadeCEO,PeterKowalsky–who introducedthe firstbio-softdrink inGermany– re-
flectedin2014:“Ibelievethatitispossibletoearnmoneyandbehavewithintegrity:integrityfor
nature,society,employeesandforyourself.”4OrasWayneVisser,VicePresidentofSustainability
ServicesatOmnexInc,putsit:“Thepurposeofacompanyisnevertomakeprofit,itislikesaying
thepurposeofahumanbeingistobreathe.Weneedtobreatheofcourse,itfacilitatesourlives,
but it isnevergoingtobethepurpose.Thepurposeofacompany is todelivervalue insociety
andthatincludessocialvalueandenvironmentalvalue.”5
WorkinginthefieldofLeadershipDevelopmentforthepast20years,Iwantedtobuilduponmy
personal expertise to further explore the connection between leadership, personal motivation
andCSR.Iaspiretoinspireleaderstoactresponsiblybecausearesponsiblyactingbusinessworld
willplayamajorroleinkeepingthisplanetalive.AsMichaelPorterandPeterKramerelaboratein
theirarticleonsharedvalue(PorterandKramer2011):businesscanbethesolutionandnotpart
4 http://www.forum-csr.net/News/7635/Miteinanderlernen.html,15.2.2015,accessedFebruary20155 http://www.waynevisser.com/video/csr-is-failing-how-can-we-make-it-succeed-video,accessedFebruary2015
In1994,Interface®FounderRayAndersonchallengedits
company to pursue a bold new vision: "Be the firstcompany that, by its deeds, shows the entire worldwhatsustainability is inall itsdimensions:people,pro-cess, product, place and profits - and in doing so, be-comerestorativethroughthepowerof influence".TheInterface journey toward sustainabilityhasbeenamo-mentousshiftinthewaytheyoperatebusinessandseetheworld.Movethroughtheirwebsiteforacloserlookat their progress, and find out how to get involved intheMissionZero®journey.See:http://interfaceglobal.com/Sustainability.aspx
1Introduction 9
oftheproblem–iftheywant.OrasGlobescanandSustainAbility(2012,27)demonstratethepo-
tentialandcapacityoftheprivatesectorintheirreportfrom2012:
“Businessalsobringsunparalleledcapacity,resourcesandreachtothetaskathand.
(…)Thesalesrevenuesoftheworld’slargestcompany,Wal-MartStoresInc.,are
higherthantheGDPsofallbut25countries.At2.1million,itsemployeesoutnumber
thepopulationsofalmost100nations.Theworld’slargestinvestmentmanager,a
low-profileNewYorkcompanynamedBlackRock,manages$3.5trillioninassets—
greaterthanthenationalreservesofanycountryontheplanet.Overthelastcentury,
theworld’sbiggestprivate-sectororganizationshavecometodwarfallbutthelarg-
estgovernmentsinresources,globalreach,andinfluence.”
Thisinfluenceordominancecarriesaresponsibilitythatthecorporateworldshouldactuponand
becomeaseriousplayerofCSRasMichaelHopkinsalsoelaboratesinhis2006bookonCSRand
InternationalDevelopment(MichaelHopkins2006,5ff).
HowdidIchoosemyfieldsiteanddevelopmyinquiryquestion?
IchoseSouthAfricaasa fieldsitesince IwantedtospecificallyexploretheCSR-leadershipcon-
nection in anemergingmarket. Iwas curious toascertainwhether the conflictingobjectivesof
makingmoneyandactingresponsiblymightbeparticularlydifficulttomanageinemergingmar-
kets,wheregrowthisoneoftheleadingparadigmsandconcerns.
A further reasonwhy I chose South Africawas due to existing personal connections. I lived in
SouthAfricaforsixmonthsintheearly-1990s,workingforDaimler.Stilltoday,Itravelthereona
regularbasisasaleadershipconsultant,whilegoodfriendskeepmeupdatedabouteconomicand
politicalchangesinthecountry.
Definingmy inquiryquestionwasaquitereiterativeprocess,duringwhich Ipassedthroughdif-
ferentphasesandinquirystages,whichIwillelaborateuponinchapter3.
Fornow,Iwillsimplystatetheinquiryquestionthateventuallybecamethecoreofthisthesis:
Whatmotivateshigh-levelbusinessleadersinSouthAfricatodriveCSRwithintheir
companiesandbeyond?
ThisquestionemergedrightaftermysecondfieldtriptoSouthAfricain2014.Ihadinitiallyasked
different local South African CSR stakeholders what kind of inquiry focus would add value for
themintheirdailywork,baseduponmyintenttoco-createandcontributesomethingfortheirdi-
rectuse.Thisdirectquestion,however,oftendidnotleadtoanswersbutratherpromptedques-
1Introduction 10
tionmarksandsilence.Indeed,Iwillreflectuponthisreactionmoreextensivelyinchapter3.The
ultimateinquiryquestionstatedabovewastheninitiatedthroughaconversationwithaCEOofan
automotivecompanyreflectingonCSRmotivation/inspirationinconnectionwithCSRactions.
Furtherconversationslateronintheinquiryprocessbroughttotheforethedemandforpractical
material thatwould inspire leaders to reflect and focus on CSR issues in their daily leadership
practices. Thus, the ideawas born to not only have awritten thesis as an outcome of this re-
search,buttoco-createapplicableandinspiringmaterialtogetherwithmySouthAfricanpartners
andotherinterestedcolleagues.Astheoutcomeofthisprocess,abookletforCSRmanagersand
executivesentailsacollectionof inputs, images,questions,quotes,poemsandinterventionsfor
individuals,teamsandorganizations,allaroundthetopicofresponsibleleadership.Myhopeisto
createcuriosity,informandinspireleaderstoreflectupontheissueofCSRandactaccordingly.
Thishasbeenmymainpersonalmotivationforthisinquiry,whichhaskeptmefocusedthrough-
outthedifferentphasesofthisPhDproject.
Asyoumayhavenoticedintheprecedingparagraphs,thisthesis isnotconstructedalongtradi-
tionalresearchmethods.Iamnottestingahypothesis,Iamnotstartingwithawell-definedques-
tion, Iamnotdoing researchabout something– instead Iam following theguidelinesofSocial
Constructioninquiry(seealsochapter2),whichare:Ienterthisinquiryjourneywithahopetoco-
create somethingonCSRand leadership. Iwant toengage theparticipants in joint actionsand
conversations.
Idonotseemyselfastheexpert,yetIliketojointlydefineandexplorewhatispossibleinfurther-
ingCSRintheleadershiparena.Iintendtobuildabridgebetweentheacademicandthebusiness
worldandcreatethisthesisasafeasibilitystudythathopefullyoutputsacreativecontributionto
thefieldofCSRandleadership.
Whatisthestructureofmydissertation?
Toconcludethisbriefintroduction,IwillnowprovideanoverviewonhowIstructuredthefollow-
ingdocumentandhowtoreadthembest.
In thenext chapter, chapter 2, I explainhow I came toSocial Construction,what I understand
aboutitandwhatitmeansformyPhDthesis.Ihavewrittenthischapterpartlyinaconversation-
stylewithafictitiousmanagerbecauseithelpedmetoformulatemyunderstandingofSocialCon-
structioninalanguagethatisclearanddirect.
1Introduction 11
Chapter3isthemainpartandcorechapterofthisthesis.Iwilltakeyouonmyinquiryjourney,
givingyouanoverviewofhowtheinquirystarted,evolvedandeventuallyconcluded.Thischapter
willalso includeadescriptionofthe inquirymethodsandwillshowtheresults,their limitations
andfutureimplications.Iwrotethischapterina“diarystyle,”meaningIwillsharepersonalexpe-
riences aswell asmoments and stories that touched and impressedme. Throughout this core
chapter,Iwillofferyoutojumptothefollowingchaptersforbackgroundinformation.
Thesebackgroundchapters(chapters4–7)arewritteninadescriptiveandinformation-oriented
styleprovidingyouwithmoredetailedandacademicbackgroundoneachtopic:
Inchapter4,IelaboratedeeperupontheconceptofCSR,includingitsvariousmeaningsandhis-
toricaldevelopment,aswellassheddingsomelightonexistingcritiquesoftheconcept.
Inchapter5,Idescribethecurrentresearchsituationaswellastheeconomic,culturalandpoliti-
calbackgroundofCSRinSouthAfrica.
Inchapter6,Ipresentanoverviewofvariousleadershipconceptsandconnectthemtothetopic
ofCSR.Iwillshowhowtherelevanceofamoreresponsibleformofleadershiphasbeenevolving
overthelastdecadebutstillhasroomforimprovement.
Inchapter7,Iwillfocusonmotivationtheoriesandconceptssincetheyprovidethebasisofthe
core inquiryquestion: “Whatmotivateshigh-level business leaders in SouthAfrica todriveCSR
withintheircompaniesandbeyond?”Iwillalsoshowhowthosetheoriescanpotentiallybeap-
pliedtoCSR.
Again,Iamawareofthisunusualstructure,whichdoesnotbeginthethesiswithaliteraturere-
searchandexplanationsofthekeyconceptsofCSR,CSRinSouthAfrica, leadershipandmotiva-
tion.However,therationalebehindthisstructureistofirstlyframethethesiswiththechapteron
Socialconstructionsthatclearlyinfluencedthewaytheinquirywascarriedout.Tothen–inChap-
ter3–takeyouontheinquiryjourneyandletyouparticipatein itchronologically.Chapter4–7
thenofferstheexplanationofthekeyconceptsaccompaniedbytheliteratureresearchandrele-
vantfindings.
Chapter8concludesthisthesis.Isummarizeandoutlinethemajortake-awaysfromthestudy;in
addition,IalsoreflectuponwhatIhavepersonallylearnedoverthelastthreeyears,beforeleav-
ingthereadertoconsiderasetofpotentialfurtherinquirytopics.
Theappendixconsistsofthequestionnaires,thetranscribedinterviewsandseveralmaterialsthat
wereusedandcreatedduringthe journey.Also, Iamofferingachapterwithbackground infor-
1Introduction 12
mationaboutmyself.ItprovidesyouwithabetterunderstandingofwhoIam,whatmyupbring-
ingwaslikeandhowitshapedme.Iwillalsosharehowmyprofessionalandprivatelifeevolved
overtheyearsandhowmylifebiographyinfluencesmybiasesandprinciples.Thisisnotmeantas
asimpleintroductionofmyselfbutrathermereachingouttoyou,buildingarelationshipandcre-
atinganunderstandingofhowmypersonalityhasshapedthisinquiry.Furthermore,thecontent
oftheCSRbookletmaterialformanagerswillbeintroduced.
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 13
“SocialConstructionislikeaninvitationtodance,agame,aconversationoraformoflife.”
KenGergen
2 EmbracingSocialConstruction
2.1 HowIcametoSocialConstruction
Irememberreceivingthebook“AninvitationtoSocialConstruction”(K.J.Gergen2009a)frommy
dearfriendJanePetersenin2004.IadmitthatIhavenotbeenreadingmuchsocialsciencesinceI
leftuniversity,althoughwiththisbookitwasdifferent.Fromthefirstmoment,IfeltasifIwerein
communicationwiththeauthorandreadthebookfromthefirstpagetothelast,entirelyagainst
myusualpractice.Ienjoyedreadingit,findingitinvitingandstimulating.
Tome, the book opened a new horizon. I felt that I gained 'scientific/academic permission' to
think in options, to (de)construct different worlds, different truths, none of them “right” or
“wrong”,unless I created thisdecision formyselforwith thepeople Iwas shaping“our truth”.
Untiltoday,thisapproachfeelstrulyliberating.Withitcomesagreatresponsibilityto'create'and
livemytruthanditsconnectedvaluesplusremainingopentootherviewsandperspectives.This
soundssimple,yetformeitispowerfulbecauseitmakesmydecisionscountandlikewisecreates
respectforotherideasanddecisions.Thereisno“itdoesnotmatter”:everythingcanjointlybe
created.This“mindset”tomeisuplifting:itbearschancesandrisks,yetitforemostbearsforme
thepossibilityofmovementandmotion,whichIconsiderlife-givingandenriching.
Inthischapter,IwillprovideadefinitionofSocialConstruction,explainthekeytermsandprinci-
plesoftheconceptandaddresskeythinkerswhohavebeeninfluentialinthedevelopmentofSo-
cialConstructiontheoryandmethods. Iwillalsoexplainwhydifferentcommentatorshavecriti-
cizedSocialConstruction.Conclusively,IwilldescribethewayinwhichSocialConstructionhasin-
fluencedmyinquiryandwriting.
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 14
2.2 WhatSocialConstructioncontainsforme
WhatisSocialConstruction?In“AnInvitationtoSocialConstruction”,KennethJ.Gergen(2009a,
60)makesusawarethattherelevantliteratureusesdifferenttermsthatdescribeslightlydiffer-
ent views: radical constructivism, constructivism, social constructivism, social construction-
ism/construction and sociological constructionism. Alternatively, as Andy Lock and Tom Strong
(2010,6)putit:“Thereisnotoneschoolofsocialconstruction.Ratheritisabroadchurch.There
arethoughsomeexpansivetenetsthatholdittogether”.
Inlinewiththebasictheoreticalideaofsocialconstructionism,therecannotbeasingleexhaus-
tivedefinition.Differentcommentatorsprovidedifferentdefinitions,whichusuallyhavea“famil-
iar resemblance” (Burr 2003, 2). In the fieldof psychology alone, there is a vastdistinctionbe-
tweenpositionsofdifferentthinkers.6
Soagain,whatisit?Putsimply,socialconstructionisaboutjointlygainingandcreatingknowledge
and thus reality. This is called the epistemological approach, first introduced by the Scottish
thinker James Frederick Ferrier in his 1854 work “The Theory of Knowing and Being” (Ferrier
1854).ThewayinwhichSocialConstructioncreatesknowledgeandrealityisthroughjointcom-
munication(Gergen1997,254–257).Socialconstructionistthinkersdonotseetheworldasare-
flectionormapoftheworldbutratherasaproductofjointhumaninteraction,orasGergenand
Gergen (2004, 10) statemore radically: “Everythingwe consider real is socially constructed.Or
moredramatically:nothingisrealunlesspeopleagreeitis”.
AccordingtoElder–Vass(Elder-Vass2012,7),thetermsocialconstructionwasfirstintroducedin
1966 by sociologists Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann in their well-known book “The social
constructionof reality” (BergerandLuckmann2013).However, thehistoryof theconceptdoes
notstartnorendwiththesetwothinkers;rather, ithasbeeninfluencedbyvarioussocialscien-
tists and philosophers over time, ranging fromGiambattista Vico in the 17th century toMichel
Foucaultinthelate-20thcentury.Indeed,itisstillbeingworkedontodaybymanyacademics,in-
cludingthepsychologistsKenandMaryGergen.7
6 AmongthemKurtDanziger,DerekEdwards,KenGergen,RomHarré,JillMorawski,JonathanPotter,Edward
Sampson,JohnShotterandMargaretWetherel.Foranoverviewofdifferentpositionsandthinkersrefertothearti-cleofHenderikusStam(Stam2001)
7 Inhisbook“AnInvitationtoSocialConstruction”KenGergengivesanoverviewofimportantthinkersthathaveformedthebasicprinciplesofSocialConstruction.SeealsoAndyLockandTomStrong.2010.SocialConstructionism:SourcesandStirringsinTheoryandPractice.(CambridgeUniversityPress)andVivienBurr(2003).
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 15
2.3 AnimaginaryconversationwithamanageraboutSocialConstruction
As previouslymentioned, in the following Iwill explain key terms and principles of Social Con-
struction,presentselectedthinkerswhohadanimportantinfluenceonthedevelopmentofSocial
ConstructionandwillalsosharecritiquesofSocialConstruction.Ichosetodiscusstheseissuesin
theformofan imaginarydialoguewithamanagerwhoseems interested inthetopicbut isnot
familiarwith it.With thisapproach, Iwant toencouragemyself tobeas clearaspossible, asa
practice forme to consolidate and condense what I have learned about Social Construction. I
gained this inspirationwhile Iwas reading JohnShotter’swebsiteandblog, andparticularlyhis
briefabstractabouta“ShortmeditationonaCEO’squestion8”.
Manager:Ok,IunderstandthatSocialConstructioncanbeviewedascreatingtheworldtogether.
Iunderstandthatradicallyspeaking,theworldonlyexistswhenwearecreatingitandtherefore
thereareaninfinitewaysofdoingit.
Annette:Exactly.Youcanalsosay thatknowledgeandsense-making iscreatedtogether. It isa
socialprocess,createdthroughlanguage,behaviorandanagreedvalueofthingsthatitmayhave
to a group of people. Perhaps the following storywill help to illustrate thismechanismof 'co-
creation'ofrealityandknowledge.SomepartsofthestoryvehementlyviolatecertainSocialCon-
structionprinciples,yetIwillclarifythislater.Haveyouheardaboutthe“ape-banana-rain”story?
Thestorygoesasfollows:
“Agroupofscientistsplaced5monkeysinacageandinthemiddle,aladderwithba-
nanasonthetop.Everytimeamonkeywentuptheladder,thescientistssoakedthe
restofthemonkeyswithcoldwater.Afterawhile,everytimeamonkeywentupthe
ladder,theothersbeatuptheoneontheladder.
Aftersometime,nomonkeydaredtogouptheladderregardlessofthetemptation.
Scientiststhendecidedtosubstituteoneofthemonkeys.The1stthingthisnewmon-
keydidwastogouptheladder.Immediatelytheothermonkeysbeathimup.
Afterseveralbeatings,thenewmemberlearnednottoclimbtheladdereventhough
heneverknewwhy.A2ndmonkeywassubstitutedandthesameoccurred.The1st
monkeyparticipatedonthebeatingforthe2ndmonkey.A3rdmonkeywaschanged
andthesamewasrepeated(beating).The4thwassubstitutedandthebeatingwas
repeatedandfinallythe5thmonkeywasreplaced.Whatwasleftwasagroupof5
8 http://www.johnshotter.com/2015/03/31/a-short-meditation-on-explaining-this-dialogical-stuff-to-others/,ac-
cessed24August2015
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 16
monkeysthateventhoughneverreceivedacoldshower,continuedtobeatupany
monkeywhoattemptedtoclimbtheladder.
Ifitwaspossibletoaskthemonkeyswhytheywouldbeatupallthosewhoattempted
togouptheladder...Ibetyoutheanswerwouldbe..."Idon'tknow—that'show
thingsaredonearoundhere".(HamelandPrahalad2007,55–56)
Fig.2: TheBanana-Ape-Story
Source:Imagefromwebsitehttp://i.snag.gy/kdu77.jpgaccessedAug6,2015
Manager:Ok, I seeyourpointof co-creation–or rather “co-beating” (he smiles).But isn’t this
story implying that theway inwhich these newmonkeys behave iswrong?My understanding
fromourconversationsofaristhatSocialConstructionisopentomanywaysofdoingthingsor
givingvalue.Andthemonkeysdonotexplicitlyuse“language”either,butratherbehaviors.
Annette: Yes, that isexactly right.Youhavealreadypickedup two importantviolationsagainst
Social Construction principles. Regarding your first point: Social Construction explicitly invites a
so-called “radical pluralism”. In daily life, thiswouldmean that someone practicing Social Con-
structionshouldnotthinkoftheirowntraditionsandbeliefsasrightorevensuperior,butrather
theyshouldbeopen,curiousandrespectfulofotherviews(GergenandGergen2004,21).Social
Constructiontriestoputeverythingunderoneumbrella.Eachofus,or ifwehavegroupsofus,
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 17
weareonly“onetruthinoperation”.9ThisisalsowhyBergerandLuckmann(2013)liketopoint
outthattheoreticalandscientificknowledgerepresentsonlyonespecificformofknowledgethat
wehavebeencreating,nexttomanyotherformsofsocialknowledge.Withthat,theychallenge
thedominanceoftoday’s‘factsandtruth’orientationandratherpledgeforplurality.Iwillreturn
tothedifferentiationinSocialConstructionbetweenlanguageandbehavioralittlelater.
Manager:Okthen.YoumentionedalittleearlierthatSocialConstructionhasalongtraditionof
influentialthinkers.Whatexactlydidtheycontribute?
Annette:Ifyouaretrulyinterested,IwouldrecommendLockandStrong’s(2010)bookonSocial
ConstructionandIamhappytogiveyouabriefsummaryofthehistoricalbackgroundandsome
keyplayers:
Annette: SocialConstruction isa reaction toModernismandPositivismandachildof thePost-
modernEra.TheageofModernismandPositivism(inthe19thcentury)assertsthatallauthentic
knowledge allows verification and that all authentic knowledge assumes that the only valid
knowledgeisscientific.10Therefore,scientific,empiricaldatawasseenastheultimatetruth.First,
thiswasonlythefocusfortheclassicalphysicalsciencessuchasmath,physics,chemistry,astrol-
ogyandbiology,yetstep-by-stepthesocialscienceswerealsoincorporated.TheEndofReasonor
atleastanadditiontotheEraofReasonismarkedinliteratureinapproximately1870,whenthe
PostmodernErastartedandskepticismrevoltedondifferentfronts.Inarts,language,scienceand
architecture,postmodernisticthinkersreactedagainsttheassumedcertaintyofscientificefforts
toexplainreality.Theywerechallengingthemodernisticbeliefoffinite,totalitariananswersdriv-
enbyrationalargumentandobjectivetruth.Postmodernisticelementshaveratherincludedthe
importanceofhumanaffectionandemotionality, greater tolerance towardsplurality and room
for interpretation. Postmodernism reliesmore on concrete experience over abstract principles,
alwaysbeingawarethatone'sownexperiencewillnecessarilybequestionableandrelativerather
thandefiniteanduniversal(K.J.Gergen1999,5–61;Kriek2012;Burr2003,7–15;Weinberg2008;
Best2008).
9 “SCmakesusawarethatknowledgeisnotsomethingthatisanobservablefactbutitissomethingwecreateaccord-
ingtooursocialandculturalupbringing”(Burr2003,5)10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positivism,accessed3September2015
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 18
Annetteshowsthetable(Fig.3)belowtothemanager:“Look,thisisahelpfulandprettycatchy
summarytocontrastModernism/PositivismandSocialConstruction.11Itexplains-admittedlyina
quitecontrastingway-whatbeliefseachschoolfavors,e.g.ModernistsandPositivistsbelievein
an objective and universal truth,whereas Positivists give credence to historically and culturally
shaped knowledge. Pleasenote, that this tabledoesnot intent to give the impression that the
twoschoolsaremutuallyexclusive.Youwillfindoverlapsandmutualacknowledgementforboth
approaches.
Fig.3: ComparisonofModernism/PositivismandSocialConstruction
Modernism/Positivism SocialConstruction
Objectiveanduniversalknowledge Historicallyandculturallyshapedknowledge
Scienceuncoversandmirrorsreality Science works with certain inquiry groups
define as valid knowledge and tries to gen-
eratesnewpossibilities
Languagedescribesreality Languagecreatesourunderstandingofreali-
ty
Separation of Observer and Observed
(Dualism)
Interconnection of Observer and Observed
(Monoism)
Neutralobservationispossible Any observation is made from a particular
pointofview
Theindividualcomesbeforetherelationship Therelationshipcomesbeforetheindividual
Clarity AmbiguityandPlurality
Focusonhowthingsare Focusonhowthingsouttobe
Valuesfacts,truthandpredictability Valuesco-creationandsocialresponsibility
Resource:AdjustedtableshowingthedifferencebetweenModernism/PositivismandSocialConstructionbasedontheworkofGitteHasleboandMajaLouaHaslebo
Manager:OK,thatwashelpfulintermsofunderstandingthehigh-levelhistoricalbackground,but
youstillhaven’tgivenmenamesofinfluentialthinkersforSC.
Annette:Hereyougo–Ihaveselectedthefollowingforyou:
YoucangobackasearlyasGiambattistaVico,whowasanItalianphilosopher(1668-1744).Inhis
philosophy,the ideaofconstructionwasalreadyevident,meaninghebelievedthatthroughthe
useoffables,eventsandthusrealityiscreated.Languagealreadyplaysanimportantrolebecause
11 IslightlyadaptedHaslebo’s(2012,42)tablecontrastingModernismandSocialConstruction.
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 19
itisessentialtothecomprehensionofeachotherandcreatingthosefables.Vicoisalsoknownfor
thesaying“Verumesseipsumfactum”,whichmeans“thetrueitselfismade”versus“trueitselfis
fact”,which Descartes had proposed a century before.With “Verum esse ipsum factum”, Vico
wasforeshadowingthegroundingSocialConstructionprinciplesofconstructedreality(Lockand
Strong2010,12–20).
Reading Vico’s quote, I was instantly reminded about a paper I once had to write during my
coachingqualification,onBowlby’sattachmenttheoryand itsconnectiontocoaching.Browsing
through the literature, I found Kaplan’s andMain’s “Adult Attachment Interview” (Kaplan and
Main1985)withitsclearmessagethatit isnotimportantiftheearlybondingchildhoodmemo-
riesofapersonaretrueornot,butratherthatthehereandnowfeelingoftheindividualplusthe
sense-makingtogetherwiththetherapistcreatehis/hercurrenttruth.
Now,movingontoEdmundHusserl(1859-1938):heusedtobeattachedtothemodern,positiv-
ist school, yet turnedaway frompositivismwhenhe founded thephenomenological approach.
Hebelievedthatknowledgeisnotonlyconstructedthroughconsciousnessbutratherthroughex-
perience.Hecoinedtheterms“Lebenswelten”and“Intentionality”.Thismeansourbehaviorsand
actionsareintentionallydirectedtowardsomebodyorsomethingintheexternalworld.(Husserl
1976). Thus, “conscious experience is [intended and] fundamentally relational” (Gergen 1999,
128).
AlfredSchütz(1899-1959),anAustrianphilosopher,buildsuponHusserl’sworkbybringinginthe
notionthatourexperiencesandmeaningsareinfluencedbydifferentworldsandcontextswithin
whichwe live (Endreß2006).Asa resultofmultiple realities, languagesmayalsobedifferent. I
remember,forexample,howastonishedIwasbeingonvacationinFinnishLaplandandlearning
thattheSami-thelocalpeople-haveasmanyas1,000wordsforreindeer,e.g.njirru=theun-
manageablefemaleorvariouswordsdescribingthereindeerfitness.Ithinkitisagreatexample
ofhowaperson’senvironmentshapeslanguage,experienceandmeaning.
TheschoolofHermeneuticshasanotherstronginfluenceinSocialConstruction.Hermeneuticsis
thetheoryof interpretationandthehermeneutictraditionstretchesallthewaybacktoancient
Greek philosophy. Hermeneutics is one of the core issues in Social Construction, because it is
abouthowweinterpretthingsandthushowwecreaterealitiestogetherthroughinterpretation.
MartinHeidegger(1889-1976)andhisclosefollowerHansGeorgGadamer(1900-2002)aretwo
recentfamousrepresenters.
HeideggerisconnectedtoSocialConstructionthroughhisconceptof“Being”(Heidegger2006)or
whatiscalledthe“Dasein”inGerman.“Dasein”meanswearethrownliterallywithourphysical
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 20
bodyintotheworld,whetherwelikeitornot.Withthisconcept,hebringsinafacetthatisim-
portant to Social Construction: the notion that next to language, “being” and communicating
throughthephysicalbodyisvitalandcreatesdialogueandreality.12BergerandLuckmann(2013,
53–54)statethatwehumans“arebody”and“haveabody”,whichshowshowinextricablylinked
wehumanbeingsaretoourbody.GergenandGergen(2004,40)alsostatethatitisnotonlylan-
guagethatisanimportantcomponentinteractions,butratherthatourbodylanguageisalsovital
tothewayinwhichthewordswillfunction.
GadamerthenaddsanothernotionsomehowconnectedtoSchütz.Inhisbook“TruthandMeth-
od” (Gadamer 2004), he argues that we always have a pre-understanding, a preconception of
truth depending on theworld inwhichwe live (Lock and Strong 2010). Thus,we interpret the
worldwithpre-judgmentandbias.Intentionallydone,thisremindsmenowadaysofthepriming
conceptthatvariousmarketingconceptsusetoinfluenceandbiasus(consciouslyorunconscious-
ly) towards the purchase of a product. This pre-understanding and bias also has an influence
whenweareenteringaconversation.AsGadamer(2004)advocates,sodoesSocialConstruction;
namely,whenweenter theconversationwithanopenmindandapersonalwillingness to sus-
pendthe“owntruth”,weallownewmeaningtobemade.Theleastwouldbetohaveorcreate
anawarenessofthebiases(oftheownandtheother),andperhapsevenuncoveringthemjointly
duringtheconversation.Inthisway,wepotentiallyunderstandtheotherpersonbetterorasKen
Gergen(2014,4)-quotingPeterWinch-argues:“[…]understandingsometimesinvolvesunder-
standingthecontradiction[…]”.
MikhailBakhtin(1895-1975)isaRussianliterarytheoristwhomIwantedtomentionheredueto
hisdeepconcernofasingleauthoritymonopolizingmeaningas“Monologue”(Gergen1999,130).
Nexttootherconcepts,heintroducestheconceptof“heteroglossia”,whichisthepossiblemulti-
meaningness of a word or symbol during its use (Lock and Strong 2010, 85–100). This multi-
meaningnesscancomefromdifferentculturalbackgrounds-asmentionedearlierwithSchütz–
althoughitcanalsodependonthetimingoftheutterance.Bakhtinthusintroducesachronologi-
cal aspect in dialogue that may influence the conversational “performance”. This can also be
found inanSCprincipleofpositioningawordat the right time,e.g. “goodevening”onlyhasa
conversationalmeaningwhenpositionedatthe“right”time:weonlymakemeaning if it iscon-
ventionallycorrectlypositionedandnotsaid,e.g. inthemorning,perhapsduringaconversation
atthebreakfasttableorthemeaningcanbecomeintentionally ironicdependingonthetimeof
theutterance.
12Heidegger’sphilosophyexplainedinavideobytheSchoolofLife,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1sGrA7XTU,accessed3September2015
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 21
MichelFoucault(1926–1984):IampositioninghimrightafterBakhtinbecausetheybothshare
the concern and interest in knowledge creation andpower (Foucault 1980). Foucault, a French
philosopher,grewup inanuppermiddleclass family inFranceandexperienced first-handhow
the leadingclasscreatedknowledgeandrealityandwhatpowerthisknowledgehas.Duringhis
time,itwasnotsomuchthepowerofkingsandqueens,butmorethepowerofvariousintellec-
tualelites,whocreatedrealitiesandhefeltadeepresistancetowardsthis. Inthemedicalfield,
forexample,newcategoriesofillnesswerecreatedandallofasuddenmentaldisorderbeganto
flourish. From a Social Construction view, the group of medical experts created new clusters.
What is healthy,what is ill? Andwhodecides? The ones in power? Regardless ofwho decides
abouttheclusters,itisimportanttobeawareinwhichcategorieswearethinkingandtoremain
somewhatopenand critical towards those created categories.As anexampleofnewly created
clusters, IrememberfacilitatingaleadershipclassinKenyaduringwhichwespokeaboutstress,
and Iusedtheterm‘burn-out’,onlyreceivingblank looks.When Iasked if theyknewwhatthis
means,theyhadneverheardthiswordanditsconnotationbeforeandtheywerealsonotquite
sure what to do with it. For me, this is an interesting demonstration of Social Construction,
wherebytherealityofburn-outhadnotyetbeencreatedamongsttheseAfricanmanagers.For
Germanmanagers, this categoryhasbecomea reality towhich theyoften refer.One lastword
regardingFoucault:thedebatablesideofFoucault’sphilosophicalapproachisthatheaggressively
“rejectedallkindsofordering,insteadofadoptingapostureofdifferentiatingappraisal”(Gergen
1999,41).Yet, it is throughbeingappreciativeandcuriousabouttheotheropinionthatwepo-
tentiallyfindnewcommonways;thus,fromaSocialConstructionviewrejectionisapotentialop-
tiontoreact,butperhapsnota“helpful”onetofosterthecreationofnewmeaning.
Manager:Aha…
Annette:Areyoustillok,shouldIgoon?
Manager:Yes,yes,itisfine,Iamjusttryingtodigest:itisalotatonce!
Annette:ThenletmeshareafewmorewordsaboutWittgensteinandKuhn,whobelongnextto
FoucaultamongthemorecontemporaryphilosophersinfluencingSocialConstruction.13
LudwigWittgenstein (1889-1951) is oneof the key figuresof Social ConstructionHis first book
“Logisch-philosophischeAbhandlung”(Wittgenstein2006)isstillbaseduponthemodernandpos-
itivistic view. Later inhis life,hecommented thatmany severeerrors canbe found inhisearly
thinking(Wittgenstein2003,8).ThemostimportantconceptforSocialConstructionthatWittgen-
13 KenGergentalksaboutSocialConstructionistideas,theoryandpracticeinavideoaccessibleonyoutube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AsKFFX9Ib0,accessed3September2015.
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 22
steinintroducesis“Sprachspiele”,the“languagegames”,whichinessencemeansthatawordis
likeachessfigure(ibid.section108). It ispartofa largergamethatpeoplewhoplay ithaveto
understandandcreatewhile theyplay it.Wittgenstein (ibid.) argues thataworddoesnotgain
meaningthroughdescriptionbutratherthroughthegame,namelytheexchangebetweenpeople.
I remember as a school kid,we had a fantastic ethics teacher and he once played a ‘language
game’withus.Oneofushadtousethelanguageoftheyouth,theotherofascientist,thenextof
alawyerandwethenhadtotalktoeachother.Sometimesweevenhadtorepeatwhatwehad
heardin“our”language.Singlewords/metaphorsgaineddifferentmeaningsduetothelanguages
inwhichtheywereused.Therefore,duringthe“languagegames”,thereisahighriskofconfusion
andmisunderstanding.Sometimes it canalsooccur that if someone ispartofa languagegame
that isforeigntohimorher,heorshewillnotunderstandmuch,eventhoughthesinglewords
areunderstood.Soagain,thereferencetoSocialConstructionis:relationshipsbringsemanticsto
acertainlifeandmeaning(and/orconfusion);otherwise,wordswouldonlybepassive,emptyand
simplysounds(Gergen1997,52ff.).
ThelastphilosopherIwouldliketomentionisThomasKuhn(1922-1996).Heisthepersonwho
createdtheword“paradigmshift.”IunderstoodthathisimportanceforSocialConstructionisas
follows:Kuhn states thatevenmajor scientificparadigmshiftsdonotdependsomuchonhow
much“objective,scientific”datawehave,butratherifandhowmanypeoplebelieveinthisdata
andthencreateanewrealityoutofit.Taketheparadigmofthe“theworldisflat”.Forthelong-
est time, this ideahadbeen the created realitydespitemanyother convincing “facts” anddia-
logues.Onlywhenincreasinglymorepeople“believed”inthe“facts”andenteredadifferentdis-
coursedidtherealityandparadigmofthe“worldisround”comeintoexistence.
Manager:Thanks,thatwasaquickrideandgavemesomebackground.However,itstillisdifficult
formetosummarizethebasicassumptions,termsandprinciplesofSC.Perhapsyoucouldrepeat
themforme?
Annette:Letmetry:
• Social Constructionbelieves thatwe createmeaning in relationships and thuswe con-
structtheworld(s)togetherorasGergen(Gergen2014,2)putsit:“therelationsbetween
worldandwordisnegotiable.”
• Thisunderstandingofco-creationandnegotiationbringsaboutan“endlessinvitationof
innovation” and opportunities. It is a resource to invite creativity (Gergen and Gergen
2004,14).
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 23
• InSocialConstruction,meaningiscreatedthrough language,“lifeastext”asVivienBurr
(2003,66)putsit.Itishelpfultohaveawarenessofwhat‘languages’wearespeaking.Itis
importantbecauseitwillinfluencehowwethink,actandlive.Forexample,ifwespeaka
moreaffirmative language, formulatingsentencespositively, thisusuallycreatesamore
upliftingfeeling.
• Meaning in Social Construction is not only constructed through languages, but also
through collective actions, altogether called performances (Gergen and Gergen 2004,
40).Overtime,SocialConstructionhasnotonlycreatedasolidtheoreticalframeworkbut
has also brought forward an array of applied practices, such as Appreciative Inquiry
(Cooperrider,Whitney, and Stavros 2008) or theCoordinatedManagement ofMeaning
(CMM),with itsDaisyor LUUUTTModel,whichwasdeveloped in themid-1970sbyW.
BarnettPearceandVernonE.CronenorDialogue,theArtofThinkingtogetherbyWilliam
Isaacs (Isaacs1999).At thispoint, it is importanttoreiteratethatwordsuttered inper-
formance are first of all a combination of letters. However, themeaning of thewords
comesalivewhenweare inconversation,e.g. forsome, thecombinationof lettersand
wordsareperceivedasa joke,whereas forothersperhapsas an insult (seePotter and
Wetherell1987,63).
• Actionscanalsobestoriesthatwetelleachother,wherebyanarrayofstoriesiswhatSo-
cialConstructioncallsadiscourse(Epston,David;White,MichaelandMurray,Kevin2005,
97ff.). I rememberyearsagoduringapersonalityworkshop in LosAngeles thatwehad
the task of sharing our life in a ‘victim’ and ‘winner’ narrative. Itwas amazing to even
physicallyfeelthedifferencesofthedifferentnarrativesandconnectedlanguages.Stories
canbeself-fulfillingprophecies,againthustheawarenessofthelanguage,thenarratives
wetellothersandourselvesislife-shaping.
• SocialConstructionencouragesusing(self)-reflectiontocreateawarenessinwhatkindof
categorieswearethinking.Thisalsohelpstoenterintodialoguewithothers.
• ValidityinSocialConstructiondiffersfromvalidityinregularscience:SocialConstruction
validityisabout“whatnewpossibilitiesdoesmyinquirycreate?”and“whatdoesmyin-
quiry bring forward?” versus “is the inquiry describing the right facts and theories?”
(Gergen2014,13-14)14.
• SocialConstructionremindsustobeawareofourownlimitations:weare“onetruthin
operation”15,nomoreandnoless.
14 IelaboratedthispointaswellinconversationwithJohnRijsmaninJanuary201515 TaosconferencePhDseminarwithMaryandKenGergen,May2013
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 24
• Thus,SocialConstructionenjoysthinkinginboth/andratherthaneither/or(Gergenand
Gergen2004,20)orputtingitinamorerelationalperspective:“Selfversusotherswould
becomeselfthroughothers”!(ibid.40).
Annette:Ihopethatthissummaryhashelpedtoclarify.
Manager:Yes, it iscomingtogetherbut I canalreadyhearcriticalvoicesaskingmesomeques-
tions(GergenandGergen2004,91–102;Gergen1999,220–239):
• DoesthismeanthatSocialConstructionbelievesthat“nothing isreal”butratherevery-
thingisonlyastoryandwecan’trelyonanyfactsatall?16
• Doesthismeanthatnothingmatters?17
• Doesthismeanthate.g.thebody,themind,theindividualpersonisonlyinvented?18
Annette:SocialConstructiondoesnotdenythattherearetrees,thattherearesuccessfulmedical
treatments,thatthereiswarincertainregionoftheworld,etc.SocialConstructionisnotsaying
thatthingsdonotexistordonothavevalueorimportance;rather,SocialConstructionwantsto
emphasize thatwe createandoperateon so-called truth claimsborn fromcertain cultural and
historicalcontexts.Thesetruthclaimscreaterealityandarehelpfulandnecessaryforustofunc-
tion.Theygiveusguidanceanddirection.Yet,sincetheyare‘local’truthclaimsdependingona
certaincontext,weshouldbeawaretherearemanyofthem.SocialConstructionwantstoinvitea
narrativebetweenthem,toprovideanumbrellaunderwhichtheycancreatepotentiallynewand
helpfulnarrativestogether.
IrememberwatchingafilmoftheRamallahConcert19withtheconductorDanielBarenboimand
theensembleoftheWest-EasternDivanOrchestra.Barenboimandhisclosefriend,thePalestini-
anintellectualEdwardSaid,foundedthisyouthorchestrain1998.ItconsistsofmusiciansfromIs-
raelandArabcountriesasasignforpeaceandpossiblecollaboration(amongstlocaltruthclaims).
During the concert in August 2005 in Ramallah, Barenboim gives a verymoving input that de-
scribesinmyeyessomeofthebasicprinciplesofSocialConstructiontocreateenrichedrealities
together:
“…ThisorchestrathatEdwardSaidandIbroughttolivehasbeensometimesde-
scribedinaveryflatteringwayforus-asanOrchestraforpeace,asanOrchestra
thatwillbringthisandthatotherfeeling.LadiesandGentlemen,letmetellyou
16 CriticismthatSCisnihilistic17 CriticismthatSCispromotingrelativism18 CriticismthatSCisdisrespectingrealism/individualism19 Seemovie“TheRamallahConcert-KnowledgeistheBeginning”TVMovie2005,Director&WriterPaulSmaczny
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 25
something.Thisorchestrawillnotbringpeaceandyouknowthat.Thefactthatthese
wonderfulpeopleplaytogetherherewillnotbringpeace.Whatitcanbringisunder-
standing,patienceandthecourageandcuriositytolistentothenarrativeoftheoth-
er.Thisiswhatthisisabout.Inthiscontexteverybodyhasthechancetoexpresshim-
selffreelyandperhapsjustasimportanttoheartheversionoftheother.Thisiswhy
wecometoyouheretoday;wecomewiththemessageofhumanity,notapolitical
message,butwithamessageofhumanity,amessageofsolidarity.(…)Andthatitis
ourduty,allofus,thatwefindawaytolivetogether,becauseeitherweallkilleach
otherorwelearntosharewhatthereistoshare.Itiswiththismessagethatwehave
cometoyoutoday.”
ElaboratingonBarenboim`smessage,SocialConstructionwouldneverarguethatawardoesnot
exist,itisnotnihilistic,itratherstatesthatashumanbeingswehaveanoptionhowtogoabout
things.Weareinfluencedbyourhistory,ourcultureandourpast,butwearenotdeterminedby
it.We can create a new future together: we can be “rulemakers” instead of “rule followers”
(ShotterandNewson1982,45)andremainconsciousthatitisjustourjointlycreatedrule.
SocialConstructionalsodoesnotargueagainsthavingvaluesorcertainmoralbelieves;rather,it
believesthatmeaningmattersandSocialConstructiondoesnotstopconversationswithan‘it is
allrelative’attitudeandthusitisbesttojustgiveupordonothing.SocialConstructionhasanin-
terestininquiringthedifferentvalues,inunderstandingandpotentiallyconnectingthemeaning
ofmultipleandcompetingrealities.ThisisalsowhytheaforementionedpracticesofAppreciative
Inquiry,Dialogue,etc.havebeenbroughttolife.Itisabout“relationalresponsibilityandnotrela-
tivism”!(Gergen2009b,351–370).
Lastbutnotleast,SocialConstructiondoesnotsaythatthereisnotanindividualbodyormind.
SocialConstruction’sintentionistoconstructivelychallengetheconceptoftheself-containedin-
dividual.Writingself-contained,Irememberahumoroussituationmorethan30yearsagowhena
class-mateofmineatschooldrewacowthatdrankfromitsownudderandcaresseditselfwithits
tail.Heshowedhispaintingaround,sayingthatitwouldbecooltobesoindependentandacon-
versationstartedatthattimewhyhewouldsaythat,giventhat itmayalsobeabit lonely,etc.
Again,inmyunderstanding,SocialConstructiondoesnotdenytheindividual,thebody,theemo-
tion;rather,itdebatestheincreasedsociety’sunderlyingindividualisticattitudeanditspotential
consequence of isolation, competition and distrust. Social Construction has been interested in
creatinganewconceptionofselfthatmovesawayfrom“simple”co-existenceandtowardscom-
munity(Gergen2009b,366–370;Gergen1999,115–117).
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 26
2.4 WhatSocialConstructionmeansformyPhDthesis
SocialConstructionprincipleshaveaffectedmyinquiry invariousways.Bydescribingtheprinci-
plesofSocialConstructionfirstandsubsequentlyexplainingtheimplications,itwillhopefullybe-
comeclearhowtheyinfluencedthewritingofthisthesis.20
• Co-createmeaning:Mygoalwiththisinquiryistogeneratesomethingtogetherwiththe
people inSouthAfricaandother leadership colleagues thatbrings the topicofCSR for-
ward.Ididnotwanttobetheoutside,distantresearcheronlydescribingwhatIobserved.
Therefore,myfirstapproachwastoaskCSRresponsiblesaswellas linemanagerswhat
topic theymight findmost beneficial to them to conductmy approach accordingly. All
along,mymotivationwas togenerate something that canbeusedandapplied like the
bookletwithsuggestionsandinspirationforCSR-interestedmanagers,whichyoucanfind
intheappendix.
• Beculturallysensitive:BylocatingmyinquiryquestiontoSouthAfrica,Iknew–despite
having lived in the country for awhile – that Iwould enter a very foreign culturewith
rulesthatIhadnoideaabout.“IdidnotevenknowwhatIdidnotknow”,asoneofmy
colleaguesshareda fewyearsagowithmewhenweweretalkingaboutworking in for-
eign cultures. Being in such a different cultural environment compared to my own, I
neededtobeclearaboutmyownbiasesandremainsensitivetothoseofothers,topo-
tentially understand the “languagegame”better.Gerda vanDijk,my co-corrector, cau-
tionedmeoncetobeawareofmyownbiasesandexpectationsandnottocarrytheflag
ofa‘missionary’oratleastbeawareaboutitanditsimplications.Therefore,inaseparate
chapter,IhavelaidouthowIseemyupbringinganditsconnectedbiases.
• Practiceself-reflection:Theconversationwithothersandwithmyinquiryjournalbecame
crucial,becauseithelpedmetoreflectonaregularbasisanddiscoverre-occurringpat-
terns of mine and their meanings. It also helped me to change course when needed.
Therewillbeparts in this thesiswhere I insert thesereflections toremainawareofmy
ownwritingprogress,includingpotentiallystuckstatesandahamoments,andwhatthey
didtomyinquiry.
• Createajoyfulandengagingread:DespitedemonstratingthatIhaddonetheacademic
research diving21 into existing relating literature as well as showing how this topic has
beendealtwithinthepast,howitdifferentiatesitself,whatmethodshavebeenusedto
20 ThelistedprinciplesarereflectingprinciplestakenfromM.GergenandGergen2011;Lincoln2001;Hoskingand
McNamee2006.21 Pleaseseeallthebackgroundchapters–chapters4-7.
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 27
exploreitandwhatitslimitationsare,Iwantedthistobeajoyfulreadusingvariousways
andapproachestotellmyjourney.
• Comefromaplaceofnotknowing:Iwantedtofeelmorecomfortablenotknowingand
use thismindset as the starting place for curiosity and as little judgment as possible. I
wantedto insert ‘facts’,yetnotbeoverpoweredbythem.ThiswasmoredifficultthanI
assumed,becauseInoticedhowmuchIgrewupinasocialsystemwhereinformationand
factsareimportant.Istruggledprovidingtherightamountof‘facts’andatthesametime
allowingmyself to sharemypersonal experiences, emotions and stories aswell. Some-
timesnotusingstructureandnumbers-e.g.whenIusedanopenformofinterviewing-I
wasworriedthatIamnotscientificandacademicatall.Eventhoughinmanypartsofthis
inquiryjourneyIconsciouslydecidedtochoosethisroute,itstillfeltodd.Ithasbeenan
interesting process to observe my internal struggle between one part in me that felt
obligedtodelivermorenumbersandfacts,etc.andanotherpartthatwasopenforsto-
ries,poemsandnarrative.
• Beawarethatlanguagecreatesconsciousnessandmeaning:Myawarenessofwhatlan-
guageIamspeakingbecameclearertome.IknowthatIamabullet-pointperson,often
far too short and too implicit with explanation and stories. The risk is that I simplify a
complexknow-howareatoomuchduetomylanguage.Miriam,whohelpedmetoproof-
readthetexts,oftentoldme:“this is tooshort, Iamnotgettingwhatyouaretryingto
say”. I then shared it verbally with her and she replied: “well, then write it down like
that”.Partially, I learnedtoadapt, tobemoreexplicitandusepotentiallymoreelegant
language.However,itwasalsoimportantthatIlearnedtoappreciateandacceptmyown
styleas “ok”andnot judge it aswrong,bad,a ‘mistake’,but rather simplyasawriting
stylethatIprefer,eventhoughitmaynotfit100%intotheclassicalscholarlywriting.
• “Do”emotions:IwasmoreopenforstoriesthatIheardandthefeelingsthattheycreat-
edwithinme.AsKenGergensaidduringthePhDSeminarinTaosinApril2013–“wedo
emotions”together.Theseemotionalsituationswereoftenmy“ahamoments”,thetrue
initiatorstomovemeforwardwithmyinquiryandmotivateme,as,forexamplemyinspi-
rationalphonecallwithoneoftheexecutivesproved–seechapter3.4.
• “Only one truth”: My viewpoint of CSR as being something helpful and crucial for a
‘healthy’economyandsocietyisonlyonetruth.Ioftenneededtoremindmyselfaboutit
andnotbecome too ‘missionary’ andadamant. I always tried to remainopen for com-
mentsandcriticismthatchallengetheneedforCSRinorganization.Ifeltthatgettinginto
adeeperdialoguewithcritiqueshelpedmetogainclarityformyownapproach,aswellas
forpotentialopportunitiesthatcouldbecreatedtogether.Isimplywanttobelieveinthe
2EmbracingSocialConstruction 28
possibilityofushumanbeingscreatingaworldtogetherthatismorehealingthanhurting,
thatlearnstohandleourdifferentviewsandinterestthroughcuriouslistening,clearmes-
sagesandrespectfuldialogue,alwayskeepinginmindthattherearemanytruths.
Toclosethischapter,IwanttoshareapoembyAlgernonD.Black,aformerseniorleaderofthe
NewYorkSocietyforEthicalCulture.ThepoemwasoftenquotedintheaftermathsofHurricane
Katrina. Iamfullyawareof itsdelicacy in formulating thegoodversus theevil,anot-so-helpful
paradigmintheeyesofSocialConstructionandtomaintainingadialogue.Nonetheless,Ichoseit
duetothehopethatthispoemcarriesforme:thehopeandencouragementofbringingpeopleto
communion,believingthattolerantandjointactioncanbringlightwhenwefeelitisdarkaround
us.
“Thisisacalltotheliving,
Tothosewhorefusetomakepeacewithevil,
Withthesufferingandthewasteoftheworld.
Thisisacalltothehuman,nottheperfect,
Tothosewhoknowtheirownprejudices,
Whohavenointentionofbecomingprisonersoftheirownlimitations.
Thisisacalltothosewhorememberthedreamsoftheiryouth,
Whoknowwhatitmeanstosharefoodandshelter,
Thecareofchildrenandthosewhoaretroubled,
Toreachbeyondbarriersofthepast
Bringingpeopletocommunion.
Thisisacalltotheneverendingspirit
Ofthecommonman,hisessentialdecencyandintegrity,
Hisunendingcapacitytosufferandendure,
Tofacedeathanddestructionandtoriseagain
Andbuildfromtheruinsoflife.
Thisisthegreatestcallofall”
Thecalltoafaithinpeople.”
(AlgernonD.Black)
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 29
Learningisexperiencing.EverythingelseisjustInformation.
AlbertEinstein
3 OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,Methods
andResults
MyPhD journeyof learningandexperiencing started inSeptember2012.At first, itwasanun-
known,windy,mostlyenjoyableandsometimesbumpyroadwithadestinationthatonlybecame
clearer the further I traveled. In thebeginning, Iwasopenwith regard to the inquiry topicand
meandered around. Various conversations, diverse reading, and an ongoing passion for the
broaderthemeandregionthatItravelledin(leadershipandAfrica)keptmegoing.Narrowingthe
topicandgoalalongthewayaswellascleardecision-makingatcertainstagesfinallyhelpedme
toarriveatmydestination.Ioftenlookedataquotethathungrightabovemydesktokeepme
going:
Whenmakingdecisions,youmustleavebehindthebillowycloudsofvisionandcon-
frontthepracticallimitationsofspace,time,energy,andmatter.Inotherwords,you
havetomakeyourvisionsworkforyouintheworldinwhichyoulive.Inthisworld,
youcan'tdoallthingsatonce:youcan'tbeallthingstoallpeople.Youhaveto
choosewhatyouareaboutasanindividualandestablishtheprioritiesofyourlife.
Recognizethatwhenyoudecidetofocusonaparticularvision,youmayhavetolet
goofoneorseveralothers,atleastforatime.Youhavetomakeachoice.Theim-
portantthingisthatyoumakethebestchoicepossibleforyouatthistime.Ifitisnot
yourultimatechoice,don'tbeconcerned.Youwillhaveplentyofopportunitiestore-
fineandreconsideryourcourse,onceyouhavebegunit.Theimportantthingisto
begin(andtocontinue).Theworstchoiceisnochoice.Thebestchoiceischoosing
whatyoulovethebest.Choosingyourprioritiesandvaluesmakesthestrongestpos-
siblestatementaboutwhoyouareinthislife.(Boldt1999,242)
Andwhen I doubtedmyself as to whethermy work was “scientific enough” in the traditional
sense,I letmyselfbeencouragedbyKenGergen’snote“Howmuchresearchdoweneed”from
November2013.Inthearticle,hestates:“Weshouldnotabandonallresearchpractices,butwe
shouldearnestlyexplorethepotentialsofreplacingourconcernwith‘whatisthecase,’to‘what
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 30
could we achieve together?’”22 This reminder helped me to appreciate both ways of inquiry:
sometimes themoredatadrivenone,whereempiricaldataandclarity indescription ishelpful;
sometimes the more narrative one, where personal stories, reflection and generative inquir-
ing/writingareneeded.
Thischapterwillshareinanarrativewaythedifferentphasesofmyinquiryjourney.
3.1 Clarifyingwheretogo:thepreparationstage
Duringthepreparationstage,thefocuswasindefiningwhereandhowIwantedtotravel–touse
thejourneymetaphoragain.Ideasrangedfromdoinginquiryabouttherolemodelingfunctionof
young,influentialleadersrunningmoresustainablebusinessesinAfricatoconflictsettlementap-
proachesofseniorleadersinfast-growingAfricancountriessuchasNigeriaorGhana.Throughdif-
ferentencountersaswellasduetopracticalconsiderations,itwasmid2013thatIsettledonthe
topicandregionthatIwantedtotravelin–meaningIdecidedon“CSRandLeadershipinSouth
Africa.”
Iwasawarethatthistopicwasstillbroadandwouldrequiremorerefinement. Iwascuriousto
learnmuchmoreabout theacademicandapplied researchaboutCSRandCSR inSouthAfrica,
bothofwhichwererathernewtomyprofessionalportfolio.23Inbrief,CSRmeanstheresponsibil-
ityofenterprisesfortheir impactsonsocietyandenvironment(Williamsonetal.2014,7).Upto
thatpoint,Ihadonlyhadpracticalexperienceasanexecutivemyselfandasanengagedemploy-
eewiththeconsultingfirmMercer,helpingtobuildtheirprobonoactivities,butIhadneverap-
proachedthetopicinamorestructuredway.
For themost current regional information, I resumed contactwith former colleagues frommy
timeworkingatMercedesinEastLondon,SouthAfricain2000andreaddetailsaboutthelatest
developments in thecountry. Inaddition, I approached friendsandcolleagueswhostill lived in
JohannesburgorCapeTowntoheartheirperceptionsabouttheeconomic,socialandpoliticalsit-
uationinSouthAfrica,askingthemabouttheiropinionregardingCSRinSouthAfricaaswell.
With thehelpofDr.Nicolas vonRosty, at that time theCorporateVicePresident forExecutive
DevelopmentforSiemens,IwasabletogetthenameofacontactatSiemensinSouthAfrica.The
22 ThequotecanbefoundontheTaosWebsiteinanotebyKenGergenfromNovember2013:
http://www.taosinstitute.net/Websites/taos/images/DegreeStudentResources/Gergen,_Ken_-_Mirroring_to_World-Making_2014.pdfaccessedagainSeptember2015.Itintroducedatthattimeaworkingpaper.Theofficiallyreleasedandawardedarticleisnowcalled„FromMirroringtoWorld-Making:ResearchasFutureForm-ing“byKenGergen,Taos,2014andcanbefoundontheTaosWebsiteaswell.
23 FordetailsonCSRandCSRinSouthAfrica,pleaseseechapter4and5.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 31
contactpersonwastheHRBoardpersonforSiemensSouthAfrica,CliffordKlaas–whowasalso
responsibleforCSR.WehadseveralphoneconversationsinOctober2013priortomyflightandI
rememberbeingexcitedandcautious.
IwasexcitedbecauseIfeltthatmylearningjourneywasabouttobeginandwegotonwellinour
conversations.ButIfeltcautioustoo,becauseIrealizedthateventhoughwebothcamefroma
corporatebackground,wewereverydifferent–inourculturalupbringing,ourwayofspeaking,
ourideasregardingmyjourneytopic,etc.Thus,Ibecameawareofthefactearlyon,howbiased
anduniqueallmyexperiencesareandhowimportantitwouldbetoalwaysremaincuriousand
openmindedandtrytounderstandfirstbeforebeingunderstood.
MyplanwastofocusonlyonGermancorporations,becauseIassumeditwouldbeeasierforme
tobuildconnections. Ialsoassumeditwouldbehelpfultohaveonevariablethat I“knew,”as I
wassomewhatawareofalltheonesIdidnotknow.Thus,IalsomadecontactwiththeGerman
ChamberofCommercebeforeItravelledtoSouthAfrica. I learnedthat in2012theyhadestab-
lishedaCSRCompetenceCenterandin2009haddoneastudywithaGermandevelopmentagen-
cytoanalyzetheCSRactivitiesofGermanfirmsinSouthAfrica(SouthernAfrican-GermanCham-
berofCommerceandIndustry2010).
IalsobegantoreaddifferentliteratureregardingSocialConstruction(seechapter2)andIwanted
to find out what research methods fit best to Social Construction principles. Therefore, I also
startedtolearnaboutvariousresearchmethods.
Creswell(1998),forexample,givesagoodoverviewofqualitativeresearch.Hedifferentiatesthe
biographical approach versus the phenomenological study versus the grounded theory study,
ethnographyandthecasestudy.Inanycase,thestartingpointconsistsoftwoquestions:whatdo
youwant to findout?What researchmethodwould fit best your inquiry? Yet, at that point in
timemyinquiryquestionwasstilltoounspecifictobeabletosettleonamethod.
AfurtherinquiryapproachstatedbyPeterReasonalsoresonatedwithmealot.Hestatesthefol-
lowing:“…the simplest descriptionof co-creative inquiry is awayof doing research inwhichall
thoseinvolvedcontributebothtothecreativethinkingthatgoesintotheenterprise–decidingon
whatistobelookedat,themethodsofinquiry,andthemakingsenseofwhatisfoundout–and
alsocontributetotheactionwhichisthesubjectoftheresearch.”(Reason1988,1)
Thisapproachwasanappealingonetomesinceitemphasizesaconcerted,collaborativeeffort–
focusingagainnotonthe“inquiryabout”but“inquirywith”attitude.Equally,NicholasMaxwell
(1987,47–48)describes theaimof inquiry“is tohelppromotehumanwelfareandhelppeople
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 32
realizewhat is of value to them in life.” This also resonated stronglywithmeandmy inherent
wishtocontribute.
IkeptbrowsingthroughtheliteratureandalsofoundanarticlebyJohnRowan(1981),that–asI
noticedlater–gaveagooddescriptionofwhatmyPhDjourneyultimatelylookedlike:Inthebe-
ginning,Icamefrom“restinginmyownexperience”(Phase1=Being),onlyreadingsomepapers
abouttheinquirytopic,makingupfrontconnections,butsoonrealizingthatyetanothernetwork-
ingattempt,or readinganotherarticlewouldnothelp. Ineededtobecomemoreconcreteand
planthefirstfieldtriptoSouthAfrica(Phase2=Project).Theactualtrips24toJohannesburgmeet-
ingpeople,exploringtheenvironment,conductinginterviews,etc.wereexcitingandstimulating
andhelpedtogettothecoreinquiryonmotivationforCSR(Phase3=Encounter).Atsomepoint,
however I needed to consolidate the learning and share it with people in the field (Phase 4 =
communication). Inmycase, this is sharing the inspirationbooklet forCSRmanagerandexecu-
tiveswhohelpedmeintheveryfirstplace.
3.2 Makingthefirststep–justgo!
InOctober2013, IbookedaflighttoJohannesburgforJanuaryandFebruary2014. Iwouldstay
withmyfriendHeidrunandherfamilywhohadlivedinthecountryforovereightyears.Themain
purposeof this first tripwas to furtherdefineandnarrowmy inquiry topic. Iknew Iwanted to
learnandwriteaboutCSRandLeadership inSouthAfricaandhowleadersdriveand liveCSR in
theirorganizations,yetthetopicwasstillfuzzy.Anadditionalpurposewastore-familiarizemyself
withthecountry,tofeelit,tomakeconnections,tomeetpeopleandtopotentiallyseechanges
comparedtotheyear2000whenIlivedthere.
IlaternoticedhowmuchimplicitknowledgeIhadgainedbystayingwithmyfriends.Ourbreak-
fastconversationsinthemorning,pickingupmagazinesandnewspapersaboutthecountrylying
around in the living room or the various dinner conversations with friends, locals and expats
helpedmetogainabetterunderstandingof thedifferentculture.Heidrunshowingmeandex-
plaining everything that she had learned as a German in South Africa over the years helped a
greatdealwhenapproachingthedifferentinterviewpartners.Italsohelpedtomanagemyexpec-
tationsandcalibratefrustratingsituationsusingwhat I learnedfromtheexperiencesshetalked
about.
24 ThefirsttripwasfromJan.-Feb.2014,asecondtriptookplaceinMay2014
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 33
Iwas certainly aware that I had no idea aboutwhat I did not know about the country – even
thoughIlivedforawhileinEastLondonandhadworkedalotinSub-SaharanAfricaandSouthAf-
ricaoverthelastthreeyearsasaconsultant.IalsoknewthatIwouldneverbeableto“learn”the
SouthAfricanmentalityinafewmonths.Thus,nomatterhowmuchIprepared,itwouldnotget
me “ready.” Andwhat does “ready”mean to beginwith?When is someone ready to explore?
Probablyatanymoment–ifyoukeepanopenmindandremainconsciousofyourbiasesandare
willingtoreflect.
Inthefollowing,Iwouldliketoshareaneventwithyouthatdeeplytouchedmeandoccurredin
thefirstweekofmystayinSouthAfricainJanuary2014.
3.2.1 ADefiningmoment:OralhistoryonNelsonMandela
Ichosetoputthisearlyexperienceupfrontbecauseithelpedmetoremembertwothingsgoing
forwardwithmyPhDstudy(andwithmylife)–oneisthatchangeispossible,andthesecondis
thatfaithinhumankindisworthwhile.
Notesfrommydiary:
OnJanuary17,earlyinthemorningHeidruntookmetoabreakfastmeetingatMel-
roseArchShoppingCentre.EveryfirstFridayofthemonth,anon-profitorganization
organizesaninspirationalspeakertodiscussatopicofsocietalconcern.OnFriday
January17,theformersecuritychiefofNelsonMandela,RorySteyn,spokeabouthis
timewithMr.Mandela.Asmallcoffeeshopwasthelocation,whichseatedmaybe20
people.Mostlywhitepeopleattendedthistalk.Onlyoneblackwomanwassittingin
thegroupaswell.Irememberthatitmademefeelabituncomfortableandmaybe
disappointedbecauseIthought,“Hmm,nowonderMelroseArchShoppingCenteris
moreforwhitepeopletobeginwithandhowsadthatwedonothaveabettermixof
therainbownationintheroom.”
Rorywasquiteopeninhisinputandconversationalstyle.Hesharedthatbefore
apartheidhadendedhealsolivedtheapartheidideologyandtrulybelievedthatthis
wasright.Admittingthisinfrontofeveryoneintheroomwastouchingbecausehe
broughtitacrosswithsuchbrutalhonesty,notwantingtocoverupbutshowingthat
learningandchangeispossible.
Afterhehadspokenabouthimselfabitandhowhegrewupduringapartheid,he
sharedthatin1996hetookoverthesecurityservicesforMr.Mandela.Hesharedin
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 34
particularoneencounterthathadimpressedhimutterlyandwouldremaininhis
mindaslongashelives.
Mr.Mandelawasknownforhisspontaneity,somethingthatdrovehissecuritycrazy,
becausetheyneverreallyknewwhattoexpect.ThiswasthecaseonMay10,in1994.
ItwasthedayMandelawaselectedpresidentinthemorninginPretoriaand,inthe
afternoon,heflewwithahelicoptertoJohannesburgtogreettheSouthAfricansoc-
certeam,whowereplayingagainstZambiainhonorofMr.Mandela.Itwasim-
portantforMandelatogreettheteams,eventhoughabout100high-levelinterna-
tionalpoliticiansandbusinesspeoplewereexpectinghimforaneveningevent.Thus,
timewastight.
Rorysharedthattheywereabouttogetbackinthehelicopterandthecarwasready
togethimthere.Mandelaallofasuddentoldthedrivertostop.NearbyMandela
hadseenanolder,high-rankingwhitepoliceman–mostlikelyacolonel-andwithout
askinganddespitethesurpriseandangerofthesecuritywhowerewatchingthe
time,hegotoutofthecartogreetthisman.
Thiscolonel,whomostlikelyservedtheapartheidregimeformostofhislife,must
havestaredatMandelarealizingwhowasapproachinghim.WhenMandelahad
reachedthecolonel,hesaidwithhisvoicethatcreatestrustwithinseconds:“Colonel,
Iwouldliketosay,nowthatIampresidentofthiscountry,thereisnoyouandwean-
ymoreandthatyouarenowOURpolice.Thankyouforallyoursupport!”holdinghis
handupforahandshake.
Steynsaidthatthecolonelwassomovedthathecouldnotholdbackthetears.And
forSteyn,itwasoneofthemanymomentshehadsharedwithMr.Mandelawhere
momentsoflivingforgivenessandhealingtookplace.Forhim,hesaiditwasalsoa
momentwherehefeltthatyes,hewouldgivehislifeforhim.
Irememberthesilenceandtheenergyinthecoffeeshopatthatmoment.Iremember
theblackwomanstandingupandsaying,“Ithankyouforyourhonestyandforkeep-
ingMadiba’sspiritalive.”Iremembermytearsandbeingsomovedandenergizedat
thesametimetonevergiveuptoliveforconnectednessandhealing.
WhyamIputtingthisstoryatthebeginningofthischapter?Inasense,thestoryshowedmea
truecomingtolifeoftheAfricanword“Ubuntu,”whichisaNguniBantutermthatroughlytrans-
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 35
latesas"humankindness”or,inthelargersense,means"thebeliefinauniversalbondofsharing
that connects all humanity."Andat thismomentUbuntuwasalive in Steyn’s story and forme
equallyas strong, ifnot stronger in thecommentof theblack ladywhostoodupand spoke to
Steyn.
IhaveembodiedthismomentandfeelingandIclearlynoticeitwritingitdownjustnow.Itisrevi-
talizingformewhenmyenergy is lowanduplifting,whendoubtsthreatentoconsumeme.Re-
connectingwith thismomentand the feelingbringsback theenergy toALWAYSkeepgoing for
whatIbelieveinandtobeopentootheropinionsatthesametime.Andtonevergiveuptoen-
courageforgivenessandhealingandthehopethatpeoplecanliveinpeace.Iwanttodothiswith
theutmostpossiblecompassion,strengthandkindness.
OnthisFridaymorning,IalsonoticedsomethingthatcamebackmorethanoncewhileinSouth
Africa. I feltsoalive,not justbecauseof the intenseemotionbutalsobecause I somehow“felt
historytakingplace,”meaningthathistoryisaliveandmoving.Everythingwedomakesadiffer-
encebecauseeverythingisstillveryfluidandformable.IrememberthisinmyGermanupbringing
onlyduringthedayswhentheBerlinwallfell.Irememberthismomentofinstabilityandcreative
destruction.Tome,theSouthAfricancountryisnotasstableandconsolidated,yet.Itisstillinthe
processofbringingtherainbownationalive.
Fig.4: HandprintofNelsonMandelaaswellasapaintingofhisviewfromhiscell
Source:LegacymagazinesUK,editionDecember2014,page44/46
3.2.2 FirstvisittoSouthAfrica:Sharpenthetopicandapproach
forconversations
AfterIhadarrivedinSouthAfrica,myplanwastofirstmeetwithalltheCSRmanagersofselected
GermancompaniesinSouthAfrica(Mercedes,Bayer,Siemens,VW,BMW)tobetterunderstand
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 36
theirsurroundings,activitiesanddailyhurdlesaswellastoalsoco-definewiththem,whatkindof
inquirysubjectwouldbemostbeneficialtothemandtheirwork.
Inasecondstep, Ihopedthat theywouldconnectmewithselected leaders in theircompanies
whomIcouldinterviewaswell.
MyapproachfortheconversationwiththeCSRmanagerswastouseasemi-structuredinterview
questionnaire.AfteroneofthemanyhelpfulconversationswithJohnRijsman,Idecidedtobase
thequestionsontheprinciplesof‘appreciativeinquiry’(Fig.5)andthestepsofdefinition,discov-
er,dream,design,deliveraccordingtoCooperrider,WhitneyandStavros2008:
Fig.5: PrinciplesofAppreciativeInquiry
Source:AnnetteThumbasedon(Cooperrider,WhitneyandStavros2008)
Iwantedtheinterviewtobestrengths-basedandenergizing.Iwantedtofocusonco-creatingfu-
ture imagesofCSRhelpingtoovercomethehurdles that theremaybe. Iwantedto learnwhat
SouthAfricancompaniesweredoingwellinthesphereofCSR,whatwasworkingforthem,what
energizedthem,whatgavehopeandwhattheysawasapromisingfutureforCSR.OftenCSRis
associatedwithgloomyfactsandstories(CollinsandAyantunji2011;Speth2008),whicharelikely
toelicitapessimisticmood.Therefore,Iwantedtofocusparticularlyonthepositivecoreanden-
ergythathelpstomoveCSRforward.MyquestionsfortheCSRmanagersarelistedbelow(Fig.6)
andweresupposedtoserveasaguidelinefortheconversation.However,beforeIreachedoutto
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 37
them, Iwanted toconnectwithCordeliaSiegert25who runs theCSRCompetenceCenterof the
GermanChamberofCommerceandseekheradvice.
Fig.6: InterviewQuestionsforCSRManagers
No Question AI
1 What do you associate with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) when
youheartheterm?WhatisyourdefinitionofCSR?
Define
2 WhenwasthefirsttimeyouencounteredCSR?Inwhatway? Discover
3 WhatmadeyouchooseCSRasyourprofession? Discover
4 Towhatextentwouldyousayisyourcompany’sCSRapproachstrategic? Discover
5 WhatoneortwoCSRexamplesandcasesareyouproudoffromyouror-
ganizations?
Discover
6 Whatcouldyoudo/areyoudoingtopromoteCSRintheorganization? Dream
7 What are leadership characteristics/behaviors that support a CSR ap-
proach?
Dream
8 WhatdoyouthinkispossiblewhenitcomestoCSRinyourorganization,
whatcouldbeanidealfuture,whatbestpracticeswouldyouwanttosee
implemented?
Design
9 Whatcouldgetinthewayofrealizingthisvision? Deliver
10 Howcouldyouovercomethesehurdles? Deliver
(11) IfyouwouldhavetorateyourorganizationonitsCSRperformanceover-
all,howwouldyourateit?(scalefrom1-10,10beingthebest)
N.A.
Source:AnnetteThum
25 ImetwithCordeliaafewtimesduringmyfirstfieldtripinJanuary/February2014.Wealsostayedincontactpriorto
myreturninMay2014.Herdown-to-earthapproachwasalwaysagreatcalibration.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 38
3.2.3 ConversationswithCSRmanagersandselectedleaders
OnJanuary15,2014,myfirstconversationwithCordeliaSiegerttookplace.Ipreparedforitwith
abrainstormlistofquestionsbutmainlywantedtolistenandlearnfromherexperience.Someof
myquestionsincludedthefollowing:
• WhatisyourexperiencesofarwiththeCSRCompetenceCenter?
• WhatisyourfuturehopeforCSR–whatdevelopmentsdoyouforesee?
• WhatCSRdoyou/theGermanChamberofCommercehavethatyouneedresearchon?What
couldbeworthwhiletopics?
• WherewouldIfindthebestliteratureonCSRinSouthAfricaaswellaskeydata?
• WhatSouthAfricanuniversityismostprominentforCSRresearch?Oranyotherorganization,
e.g.,NBI?
• HowdoyouseeBBBEEhelpingorhindering?
• HowdoyouworktogetherwiththeCSRrepresentativesinGermancompanies?Howcouldyou
helpmecontactthem?IwouldlovetorunaworkshopwiththeCSRrepresentatives–inwhat
waycouldwecooperate?
• Doyouknowexecutiveswhoarewillingtoparticipateinastudy?
• Anyotheradvice,anytacitknowledgethatmaybeuseful?
Heranswerswereextremelyfrank.Shealsomademyexpectationsmorerealisticasfaraswhatto
expectfromtheCSRCompetenceCenter.First,shetoldmethatsheonlystartedthejobaboutsix
monthsagoandhadnotyetimmersedherselfintheCSRsubject.Shealsoexplainedtomethat
theChamber is not putting toomuch focus on theCSRCenter, becauseother things aremore
pressing, such as certain legislation changes that are influencing the business environment for
Germancompanies.
SinceCordeliaisbyeducationalawyer,shewasassignedtoworkonmanyotherprojectstaking
herfocusawayfromtheCSRsubject.Nonetheless,shehadbuiltagoodrelationshipwiththeCSR
manager communityby conductingquarterlymeetings.Weestablisheda verynice relationship
thatcontinuedtobuildovertimeand,thankstoher,IwasabletocontactselectedCSRmanagers
inaneasy,informalway.
AftertheconversationwithCordelia,IdecidedtofirstsendtheCSRmanagersaninformalemail
(Fig.7)ratherthantheinterviewquestionnaire–afterCordeliahadsentanintroductionofmeto
them.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 39
Fig.7: InformalemailtoCSRManagers(2014)
Dearxy,
CordeliaSiegertfromtheCSRCompetenceCenterwassokindtogivemeyourcontactdata-thank
youCordelia!
Allowmeintroducemyselfbriefly:
MynameisAnnetteThumand,inadditiontomyregularjob,IamwritingaPhDonCorporateSo-
cialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica(ForyourinformationIhaveattachedabriefbio).
ThePhDprogramiswiththeUniversityofTilburgintheNetherlandsandtheTaosInstituteinNew
Mexico,US.ItisaPhDdesignedforpeoplewhohavealotofworkexperienceanditshouldservea
practicalpurposeinadditiontomeetingacademicrequirements.Currently,IaminSouthAfricafor
aboutfourweekstotalktoCSRexpertsinthefieldandidentifyexactlywhatresearchtopicscould
beofvaluetopractitionersinthatarea.
ThisisalsowhyIamreachingouttoyou.
IwouldbedelightedtomeetwithyouforlunchoratyourofficetotalkaboutyourCSRactivities
andinterests.
Intheeventthatyouhavetimeandinterest,Iamquiteflexiblewithmyschedule.
ThankyouinadvanceandIlookforwardtohearingfromyou.
Kindregards,
AnnetteThum
Source:AnnetteThum
Thiswasagooddecision,becauseInoticedearlyonhowimportanttrustandconnectionisinthis
strained post-apartheid country. In retrospect, I think I would have “scared” or overburdened
someconversationpartners.Itcouldhavebeenperceivedas“formal”and“interrogation-like”,as
toochallengingortoomuchtopreparefor–knowingthequestionsupfront.Inretrospect,Ican
say that if I had chosen themore formalway, fewerCSRmanagerswouldhavebeenwilling to
meetupwithme.
InallmyinterviewswiththeCSRmanagers,Inoticedaninitialskepticismandcautiousness.AsI
knowfromtheGestaltapproach,itisallaboutcontactandconnectionandnotonlyinthebegin-
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 40
ning!Ortousesocialconstructionlanguage,it isnotinquiryaboutsomeonebutwithsomeone.
ThisiswhyIdidnottapetheconversationsandalsotriednottowritemuchduringtheconversa-
tionbuttotrulystayfocusedontheperson.Intheend,Ialsoaskedmyquestionsnotinanyor-
der, yet in away that fit the conversation and allowedmore trust and relation-building rather
thandatacollection.Ialsoskippedsomeofmyquestionscompletelyandalwaysaddedonemore
byaskingmyselfwhatinquirytopictheycouldmostbenefitfrom.
Inthenextfiveweeks,fromJanuary13throughFebruary9,2014,IhadmeetingswithCSRman-
agersfromvariousGermancompaniesasFig.8lists:
Fig.8: InterviewlistforCSRManagersworkingatGermancompaniesinSouthAfrica
Name,Function,Company,InterviewDate
BeautyJack,CSRCoordinatoratMercedes,January27,2014
EsterLange,CSRManageratBMW,January28,2014
TasnienPatel,CommunicationandCSRManageratBayer,February6,2014
EmilyMolefe,CSRManageratSiemens,February7,2014
NobuntuLange,CSRManageratVolkswagen,February7,2014
Source:AnnetteThum
Inaddition,ImeteightotherlocalexpertsandleadersinJohannesburgandCapeTown(Fig9).I
wantedpeoplefromdifferentbackgroundsandfieldsinordertoobtainadiverseandbroadover-
view–amongthemwereuniversityprofessors,foundationheads,consultants,legalandHRpeo-
pleandafewexecutives.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 41
Fig.9: Overviewoflocalexpertconversationsconductedformyinquiryjourney
Person Company Day ConversationTopic
RolfWeber,Executive
(German)
MunichRe,Johannesburg January20,
2014
WhatdoesCSRmeanfora
lineleader?
RalfFranke,GeneralMana-
ger(German)
Kühne&Nagel,Johannesburg January21,
2014
WhatdoesCSRmeanfora
lineleader?
AmrikaAbrahams,Legal
Counselor(SouthAfrican)
Avanade,aMicrosoftundAc-
centurespinoff,Johannesburg
January24,
2014
BBBEErulesanditseffecton
CSR
JochenLuckscheiter,Inter-
nationalPoliticsProgram
Manager(German)
HeinrichBöllFoundation,
CapeTown
January30,
2014
CSRinSouthAfrica–focus
onCSRInvestment
Prof.ArnoldSmith(South
African)
UniversityofStellenbosch January31,
2014
Researchstatusregarding
CSRinSouthAfricaandRe-
searchsupportattheuniver-
sitylibraryatStellenbosch
RentiaMüll,CEO
(SouthAfrican)
ScientrixConsultancy,Johan-
nesburg
February4,
2014
TheintersectionbetweenHR
andCSR
ClaudiaMummenthey,
ManagingDirector(Ger-
man)
MCMSkillsConsulting,Johan-
nesburg
February7,
2014
SkillsDevelopmentandCSR
SteveBluen,HeadofBusi-
nessSchool(SouthAfrican)
HeadofWitsBusinessSchool,
Johannesburg
February7,
2014
CSRandLeadership
Source:AnnetteThum
Thepurposeofthisfirstroundofmeetingswasthefollowing:
a) ToexplorethecurrentCSRlandscapeinSouthAfricawithitsspecificities,needsandpoten-
tialsforthefuture
b) To identifyabeneficial inquiry topic thatCSRmanagerscouldbenefit fromandco-create
with
While IhadapproachedtheCSRmanager interviews(particularly inthebeginning)withamore
structuredinterviewapproach,Iconductedtheinterviewswiththeotherconversationpartnerin
anopenandunstructuredinterviewapproach.26MytriptoCapeTownwashelpfulaswell,noton-
lybecauseIhadthechancetomeetProf.ArnoldSmittherewhoisoneofthemajorSouthAfrican
26 Ihadstartedalsowithalistof18interviewquestions,butletgoofthem,becausetheconversationsjustneeded
more„freedom“.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 42
academiccontributors intheCSRfield,butalsobecause Inoticedthat littleof theCSRmaterial
thatIfoundatStellenboschisavailableonlineandwantedtocheckouttheliteratureonsite.The
locallibrarianwaswonderful–beingsosupportiveandhelpingmetofindthelittletherewas.27
IamverygratefulforalltheencountersIhad(someofthemarenotlisted,becausetheywerenot
extendedconversations),becauseeachconversationandconnectionhelpedtoenrichmyunder-
standingofCSRinSouthAfrica,theconclusionsofwhichareprovidedinchapter5.
3.2.4 ResultSummaryfromconservationswithCSRmanagers
IfeltalltheCSRmanagersImetweredeeplycommittedandgenuinelywishedtomakeadiffer-
ence,despitetheircautiousness.SometimesIcouldhearabitoffrustrationinbetweenthelines,
becausetheyfelttheycouldnotcreatetheimpacttheywouldliketomakeandarenotinaposi-
tionofauthoritytodecide,yethavetorelyontheir influencingskillsandthegoodwillofsenior
executivedecisions. Sometimes they said theywished theyhadabitmore trainingandprofes-
sionalexchangeonCSRthemesforthemselvesaswell.28
Inoticedthatall theCSRmanagers Ispokewithwerefemale,allblackorcoloredandall inbe-
tween30-45yearsold.TheCSRmanagementpositionseemedtometobeoneofthoseclassical
positions inaSouthAfricanorganization tobestaffedwithblack females–maybetoserve the
BBBEEratio?
WhenspeakingtotheCSRmanagers,Ialsosensedacautiousnessanddeliberateattempttofol-
lowcompanyprocedureandjargon.Mostofthemavoidedbringingintheirownopinion.Icanon-
lyguesswherethiscautiousnessoriginates.Maybeitistriggeredfromtheclassicalbigcorporate
“follow rules and procedures” mentality; maybe it is a “left-over product” from the apartheid
times,ormaybeitwassimplythefactthatwedidnothavetimetoreallybuildatrustingrelation-
ship.Oneladywasanobviousexception,withamoreseniorbackgroundandalongcompanyhis-
tory.Shecameacrossasdirectandoutspokenandwasobviouslyextremelyintrinsicallymotivat-
edforCSR–thusalsohadastrongopinionandalotofideasanddreamsaboutit.
27 IfoundmainlyMasterThesesontheCSRtopicandmanyofthemratherbasicandfromtheearly2000s.28 TalkingtotheCSRmanagerandrememberingmyownworkingexperienceinEastLondon,Ioftenbecameaware
howdifferentourmentalmodelsare.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 43
3.2.5 Firstresults:Define,Discover,Dream,Design,Deliver
WhatdidIlearnfromtheseone-hourface-to-faceinterviewswiththeCSRmanagersbasedonthe
appreciativeinquiryapproach?Iwillstructuremylearningfollowingthestepsofdefine,discover,
dream,designanddeliverandbrieflysummarizethefindings29.
Define:
RegardingthedefinitionofCSR,itbecameobviousthattheterm
CSR in all the conversations carried thenotionof givingback to
society,ofcontributingtothebettermentofthe localcommuni-
tiesthroughvariousprojectsinhealth,education,economics,etc.
Alltheintervieweesclearlygaveamoreexternallyorienteddefi-
nitionofCSR,whichaccordswiththefindingsfromtheliterature
aboutCSRandSouthAfricawhereCSR is seenas the“ArtofGiving.”30The internalCSRview–
meaningwhatacompanycoulddotooptimizetheirownvaluechain–washardlymentioned.In
termsoftheCSRmaturitylevel(seechapter4.1),thecompaniesrankmoreonlevelone,whichis
thephilanthropicfocus.
IalsonoticedthatthetermCSRwasnotusedconsistently;someCSRplayerspreferCSI–because
it is about the external investmentof a company to “makepeople’s life better” as Ester Lange
fromBMWquotesANC.SheseesCSRasmoreinwardfocused,whereasothersCSRmanagerdid
notdifferentiatebetweenCSRandCSIatall.
Discover:
The next questions focused on “discovering,” meaning what
giveslifetoCSR?Itwasveryobviousintheconversationsthat
allthe intervieweesfeltproudandprivilegedtowork inthese
jobs.Somewhowerenotonly leadingCSRbutalsocommuni-
cationsdidnotseemtohavesuchastrongattachmenttothe
CSRtopic;maybetheysimplyneededtodividetheirbusinessattentiontovariousfields.Almost
alltheCSRmanagersmentionededucationprojectsastheonestheyfeltmostconnectedto.Nel-
sonMandelahadalwaysemphasizededucationasa focus.AndeventhoughSouthAfricaranks
29 ForamoredetailedsummaryoftheCSRmanagersinterviewspleaseseeappendix.30 FormoredetailsonCSRdefinitions,pleasereadchapter4.1onCSRandchapter5specificallyonCSRinAfrica.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 44
numberthreeamongsttheAfricancountrieswithaliteracyrateof86%,31thereisstillalottodo
intermsofhigherlevelsofeducation.Intheinterviews,thisneedforabettereducationcreated
obvious energy and enthusiasm among the CSRmanagers. One lady also said that she ismost
proudoftheprojectsthatsheismostinvolvedinandconnectedto–andaswewillseelaterin
thischapter–connectivitycountsasthestrongestmotivationaldriver.
Dream:
When I posed the questions about what they could do or
leaderscoulddotodriveCSR,Imainlyreceivedthereplyto
the first focussaying that theycouldsupport themthrough
awareness increase, personal connections and training. It
was interesting to see later that all the leaders’ “desirable
behaviors”thatwerementionedbytheCSRintervieweesarealsodescribedintheacademicliter-
atureaspresentedinchapter6onLeadershipandCSR.
ThefollowingarethecommentsbyCSRmanagersregardingdesirablebehaviorofleaderstodrive
CSRintheorganization:
• Seeitasastrategicbusinesstopicandnotjustanaddon/nicetohave
• EncouragedialogueaboutCSRamongemployees,e.g., instaffmeetings(motivatethem
topursueCSRaccordingtotheirindividualinterests)
• Beinvolved(throughvolunteerism)
• Becaring
• Begoodatchangemanagement
• Coachandguide
• Befairandcourageous
• Sharecompanyvalues
• ShowcontinuousengagementforCSR
MakingCSRastrategicbusinesstopicwasmentionedmostoften;onewomanevensaidthatshe
wantshercompanytobeknownfortwostrategiccorebusinesses:a) forproducingworldclass
carsandb)forproducingworldclassCSR.
31 SouthAfricaranksnumberthreebehindZimbabwe(90%)andEquatorialGuinea(87%)–Overviewpublishedin2013
–seewebsitehttp://theafricaneconomist.com/ranking-of-african-countries-by-literacy-rate-zimbabwe-no-1/#.Vn6uBGAXTPQaccessedDecember2015
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 45
Design/Deliver:
During the interviews, Inoticed that thequestionon the ideal
future and best practices (design) somehow blendedwith the
“deliver” questions concerning hurdles for CSR and how to
overcome them (vision for CSR). Thus, I combined them. The
answerstothequestiononhurdleswerethefollowing:
• Selfishnessofindividuals
• SeeingprofitasmoreimportantthanCSR
• DisinterestinCSR,seeingitastickingthebox
• Notfollowingthestated(CSR)vision
• NothavingadedicatedCSRdepartment
• Poorsupportfrommanydifferentsides,e.g.topmanagement
• ToofewCSRresources(staff,money,etc.)
• PoortonocommunicationaboutCSR
Andwhatcanbedonetoovercomethesehurdles?Whatistheirvision?Whatactionscanbetak-
entomakeCSRmoresuccessful?Thatwasmyfollowupquestion,andtheiranswerswere:
• Fosterstrongerexecutivecommitteeinvolvement
• BuildamorestrategicconnectionbetweenCSRtopicsandbusinesstopics
• FocusonmeasuringCSRimpact
• HaveCSRmaterialfortraining,somethinginspiringthatliftsleadersup
• Focusonruralcommunitiestokeepkidsoutofthecities
• HaveadedicatedCSRcommitteemadeupoflinemanagers
• Carryoutfewerprojectsbutwithmoreimpact
• Offermorevolunteeringprojectsforleaders
• Buildmore connections fromCSRDepartment toother functions, e.g.HumanResource
Department
• Supportandcollaboratewithlocalchampions
• SeeanduseBBBEEasa(legal)framework
Readingthroughthissummary,Iamnotsurprisedtosaythatallthesepointscanbefoundinthe
academicresearchonCSRaswell(seeChapter4onCSR).Theseconversationsstronglyconfirmed
thegeneralresearchfindingsonbenefits,hurdles,bestpractices,andhelpfulleadershipbehavior
forCSR.TheyalsorelateandoverlapwithresearchfindingsonCSRinSouthAfrica(seechapter5
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 46
onCSRinSouthAfrica)inspecific,e.g.,thatBBBEE(Broad-BasedBlackEconomicEmpowerment–
alegal,yetnon-bindingframework)alwaysplaysatleastanimplicitroleasaCSRdriver.Theyalso
confirmthatcreatingaCSRstrategyandmeasuringimpacthasreceivedmoreattentioninthelast
fiveyears,eventhoughCSRinSouthAfricaisstillmoreaboutspendingmoneyandinitiatingpro-
jectsthatsupportlocalcommunities.
Reflections:
AlltheconversationswiththeCSRmanagersgeneratedanoverview,adeeperknowledge,asense
andfeelingfortheCSRsurroundingandthelandscapeIwasfocusingonindoingmyPhD.Ialso
realizedlaterthatallbooks,papersandarticlesonCSR(inSouthAfrica)becamemoremeaningful
and real formebecause Ihadheard theacademic findings “live”before, connectedwithemo-
tionsandfirsthandexamples.Thus,formetheseinterviewswerereallyhelpfultoimmersemy-
selfintheSouthAfricanCSRlandscape.
However, Idonot think that theseconversationschangedmuch formy interviewpartners.We
metonlyonceortwice,whichisnotenoughtoactuallymakeadifference(together).Iremember
makingacloserconnectionwithtwowomenwhowereinspiredtoknowmoreaboutCSRbeyond
theirdailyoperativeprojectmanagement,butbecauseofpracticalcircumstances,Ifailedtostay
intouchwiththemonamoreregularbasis.
Thus, Iam looking forwardtosendingallof themthe final“Inspirationbooklet”asa thankyou
andinvitationtoadd,changeandcontribute.Itwillseemlikealongtimeforthem–2.5yearsaf-
terourconversationstookplace.Butthisishowlongmyjourneytook.Eventually,Imightflyto
JohannesburgagaintocreateaclosingworkshopwiththeCSRmanagers.CordeliaSiegerthasal-
readyofferedthattheCSRCompetenceCenteroftheGermanChamberofCommercewouldded-
icateoneoftheirquarterly“CSRManagerGetTogethers”toreviewtheresultsjointlyandfurther
optimizethebookletmaterial.IamconsideringthistripinJune2016–theresultshowever,will
notbepartofthisthesis.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 47
3.2.6 ResultSummaryfromselectedleaders’conversations
Fortheconversationwiththeothereight interviewpartnersIkept–asalreadymentioned–an
openinterviewstructure,nottapingorscribblingnotesthroughouttheconversation,butsimply
beingpresentandcurious,notingwhatIlearnedrightafterwehadspoken.
Fig.10: LearningSnippetsfromleaders’interviews-
CommentsenrichingmyunderstandingforCSRinSouthAfrica(SA)
Source:AnnetteThum
HR#and#CSR#should#work#together#much#closer#together;#they%could%win%more%BBBEE,%together%they%could%go%for%up%skilling%their%own%employees,%together%they%would%be%much%more%efficient.%Currently%both%of%those%func<ons%are%quite%underdeveloped%in%South%Africa.%I%say%that%as%a%South%African%who%lived%in%the%German%corporate%world%for%a%while,%thus%knowing%enough%to%compare.% What#is#the#ROI#of#CSR#–%show%me!%
We%s<ll%have%high#unemployment#rate#par<cularly%%among%young%people%that%is%scary.%
Talent#recrui?ng#is#important#for#CSR#–%we%need%to%invest%in%young%and%talented%people%to%keep%them%in%the%country%–%this%is%how%we%ensure%growth%
CRS,#äähhh#Corporate#what….,#CSR,#äähhh#–#what#to#you#mean…?!?!#
We%had%and%have%a#well#organized#finance#ministry#–%and%the%leading%minister%(Nhlanhla%Musa%Nene%was%at%that%<me%the%finance%minister)%is%the%only%one%who%is%holding%back%against%Zuma.%
Money#makes#the#work#go#round#here#–%business%comes%first,%if%you%like%it%or%not.%CSR%is%something%that%you%do,%when%you%are%economically%stable.%
BBBEE#is#not#helping#but#hindering#–%a%few%get%really%rich,%but%the%poor%do%not%get%richer.%The%BBBEE%quota%brings%uneducated%people%into%leading%posi<ons%being%totally%overstrained%and%taking%bad%management%decisions.%Fron<ng%is%a%consequence%–%you%hire%black%people%but%let%white%people%do%the%work%in%the%background.%
Here#in#South#Africa#only#the#first#squad#of#leaders#aOer#apartheid#showed#true#leadership#and#had#integrity,%now%it’s%gone%and%you%see%the%country%loosing….%(Note&Dec&2015:&Just&recently&President&Zuma&had&released&two&Finance&minister&within&two&weeks&without&solid&explanaAon,&which&caused&massive&turbulences&in&the&(stock)&markets.&(there&is&the&twiGer&account&“Zuma&must&fall”&–&certainly&biased&but&clearly&proposing:&South&Africa&has&a&leadership&lack...)&
One#CSR#ac?vity#could#be#to#introduce#the#“Duale#Bildungssystem”,%so%that%young%people%do%have%an%alterna<ve%to%university.%Currently,%either%you%study%or%you%do%not%have%a%qualified%degree.%Why%not%offer%an%appren<ceship%path?%%
The%skill#level#here%in%South%Africa%is%to%say%the%least%basic.%Leadership%training%is%also%not%yet%well%spread%out,%so%if%you%thinking%about%CSR%training%for%leaders%you%are%so%far%out%–%I%would%say%too%far%out….%
South%Africa%is%s<ll%ruled%from%tribes,%not#enough#incen?ves#for#investors!#
BBBEEE#forces#companies#to#invest#into#training#and#skills#development%–%that%is%great.%We,%e.g.%need%to%invest%3%%%of%our%revenue%into%skills%development%if%we%want%to%get%our%BBBEE%points%and%be%disadvantaged%businesswise.%%
If#you#really#want#to#change#leadership#behavior#in#favor#of#CSR#then#you#need#to#introduce#incen?ve#that#support#CSR#KPIs.#This#is#when#you#show#as#a#firm#that#you#are#serious#about#it.#
The#essence#from#8#interviews#adding#to#the#
economic#picture#of#SA#and#the#picture#of#CSR#
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 48
Thesummaryoftheaboveisasfollows:• InSouthAfrica,moneymakestheworldgoround!
• TheeconomyinSouthAfricaisnotdoingverywellrightnow.
• ThelegalregulationBBBEEishelpingandhinderinggrowth.
• SouthAfricahascurrentlyalackofleadership.
• HRandCSRdepartmentsneedtoworkbettertogethertosolvetalentissues,skillsissues
andeducationissuesingeneral–theycanearnmoreBBBEEiftheydoso.32
• LineleadersoftendonotknowwhattheacronymCSRstandsfor.
• CSRwillonlybemoremeaningfulforleadersifitisconnectedtoincentives.
Since the above-listed quotes are partly one-off comments from individuals, I did not want to
evaluateorjudgethemorsortthemintofurthercategoriessuchaseconomicaldimension,orpo-
liticaldimensionetc.Themainbenefitwasthattheyallhelped–asdidthecommentsfromthe
CSRmanagers–toaddtomyunderstandingofSouthAfricaandCSR,whichIdescribeinmorede-
tailandvariousdimensionsinchapter5.
Thus,onepurposeofthisfieldtrip–toexplorethecurrentCSRlandscapeinSouthAfricawithits
specificities,needsandpotentialsforthefuture–Ifeltwassuccessfullyachieved.Ihadreceiveda
greatoverviewoftheCSRsituationinthecountryandhadbeenabletobuildconnections.
Thesecondpurpose,however,toidentifyabeneficialinquirytopicthatCSRmanagersandleaders
couldbenefitfrom–andco-createwith–hadnotbeenachievedatall.Iassumethereasonsfor
thiswerethefollowing:Firstly,someinterviewpartnerssimplysharedthattheyhadnoidea;sec-
ondlysomesharedtopicsIclearlywasnotabletohandlewithoutlivinginthecountryforamini-
mumofoneyear(e.g.,impactmeasuringofcertainCSRprojects);thirdly,someofthetopicsof-
fereddidnotpiquemyinterest,e.g.,simplycreatingabenchmarklistofsuccessfulCSRprojects
acrossSouthAfrica.AndIknewIneededtobeexcitedandenergizedaboutatopicaswelltofin-
ishthePhDthesis.So,IwasawarethatinmysecondfieldtriptoSouthAfricaIneededtobealot
more focused and approach my interview partners with a specific inquiry question that I still
neededtofind.
32 Thisphenomenonbecameobviousaftermanyconversations.Thus,Iputasuggestiontogetheronhowacollabora-
tionprojectbetweenHRandCSRcouldlookliketomaximizeBBBEEEpointsandserveCSCRandHRatthesametime.IpresentedittodifferentCSRmanagerswhohadanexplicitinterestintheidea.Myhopewasthatthisideacouldbecomeagoodresearchproject,yetitnevertookoff.Therefore,Iamnotgoingtodescribeitindetail,butjustadditasappendix8foryourinformation.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 49
Reflections:
Lookingback,IthinkstartingtheinquirywiththeCSRmanagersincludedprosandcons:thepros
werethatIgotapicturefromthegroundandgrassrootsCSRwork.Iwasabletohearwhatthe
dailyoperative struggleswereand thus Ihadadifferentandmore realisticperspective reading
theacademicliteratureonCSRinSouthAfrica.TheconswerethatIfeltIhadmaneuveredmyself
intoaveryformalcorporateprocess,nowhavingtogetofficialpermissionfromtheCSRmanag-
ersforpotentialfurtherexecutiveinterviews.
Ialsounderestimatedthetrustbuildingtimeaswellassomeculturespecificdifferences,suchas
theSouthAfrica“outofsightoutofmind”mentality;promisestopeopleyouarenotcloselycon-
nectedwithdonotmeanmuch.Thus,afterIwasgone,itwashardtogetresponsesbackandto
seriouslyprepareforthesecondtripasIhadplannedto.
Ialso remember that Ihad todealwithmyown frustration rightaftermyreturn fromthe first
trip,becauseIhadnotcomeasfarasIwantedtocome–meaningIwasstillunclearwhatabene-
ficialinquirytopiccouldbe.Thus,IknewthatIhadtocomebacksoontonotlosemomentumand
startplanningthereturninMay2014.
3.3 Goingagain-thesecondfieldtrip
Inbetweenthefirstandthesecondfieldtrip,Ifocusedalotoncontinuingtheliteratureresearch,
particularlyinthefieldofCSRinSouthAfrica.IalsocontinuedtoworkinmyconsultantjobwhileI
stayed in touchwithCordeliaSiegert fromtheGermanChamberofCommerce.Wehadagreed
thatformysecondvisitIwouldapproachtheCEOsofthemajorGermanfirmsinSouthAfricaand
theGermanChamberofCommercewoulduse theirnetwork to connectme–keeping theCSR
managersintheloop.Thus,Ipreparedanoverviewofmyinquiryinterestandthequestionnaire
andsenditofftoCordeliabyApril2014,soshecouldforwardittotheCEOs.33
Before I tookoff inMay2014, Ihad tried to reachCordeliaa few times, yetwealwaysmissed
eachother.Myemailsalsodidnotseemtoreachher.SinceIhadbookedmyattendanceatthe
mostimportantSouthAfricanCSRconferenceonJune3and4th2014,IwasgoingtogotoJohan-
nesburganyways,nomatterifweconnectedbeforehandornot.Ihopedthatshehadsentoffthe
CEOinformationupfrontbutwasnotsure.
33 Seedocumentinappendix9.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 50
WeconnectedaweekbeforeIleftandshepromisedtosendtheletters.Wealsoarrangedafirst
meetingonMay27toupdateeachother.Duringthismeeting, I learnedthat IshouldmeetMr.
Boddenberg, theDirectorof theGermanChamberofCommerce, so thathe couldapprove the
lettersthathadtobesentoff.
MymeetingwithMr.BoddenbergonlytookplaceonJune2ndandIknewalreadythatmostlikelyI
wouldseenoneoftheCEOspersonally–sinceIhadtoflybackJune6th.Phonecalls–thatwould
havetodoit!
Iused thesecond field trip to revisit twoof theCSRmanagers fromSiemensandBMW, just to
stay in contact. In addition, I met with the foundation head of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
(KAS),HolgerDix.TheKASisapoliticalfoundationcloselyassociatedwiththeChristianDemocrat-
icUnionofGermany(CDU).Freedom,justiceandsolidarityarethebasicprinciplesunderlyingthe
workof theKAS.Next to the implementationand furtherdevelopmentof SouthAfrica'smulti-
partydemocracy,KASistryingtoenhancetheparliament'scontrolfunction,thesupportoffeder-
alstructures,thefosteringandmonitoringofregionalintegrationprocessesandthepromotionof
civilsociety.34Thus,IwascurioustohearfromHolgerabouthisimpressionsofCSRinSouthAfrica
andhowtheGermancompanieswerehandlingitfromhispointofview.
Duringourconversation, itbecameclearthatCSRwasnothismainfocus,yetherecommended
twointerestingcontactpartners,MariliseSmurthwaite,aProfessorforEthicsandBusinessatthe
Department of Applied Ethics andPeace Studies at theAugustine College in Johannesburg and
Gerhard Papenfuss, the Chief Executive of the National Employers’ Association of South Africa
(NEASA).Mariliseand I connectedabit later toenjoya livelydiscussiononBusinessandEthics
and I learned that her conviction is that CSR should be conductedwithout any benefit for the
companyinmind.
IalsometwithUlliNeuhoff,theheadofthebiggestGermanpublicTVstations,ARD(Arbeitsge-
meinschaftderöffentlich-rechtlichenRundfunkanstaltenderBundesrepublikDeutschland–Con-
sortiumofpublicbroadcasters inGermany) inSouthAfrica. I foundourconversationinteresting
because I learnedthatARDdoesnothaveanymandatetopromoteor reportaboutCSR inany
way.UlliNeuhoffsaidtheonlythingthathedoeswithhisveryfewinternationalandlocalpeople
istoensurethathisleadershipstyleisasfair,open,appreciativeandtolerantaspossible.Other-
wise,allhisorganizationisfocusingonistheproductionofTVformatsforSub-SaharanAfrica.
34 SeeKonradAdenauerWebsiteforSouthAfrica.http://www.kas.de/suedafrika/en/about/accessedDecember2015.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 51
Lastly, I connectedwith ChristopherMcCreanorwho runs the training at the Customer Service
andDevelopmentCenterforAmazoninCapeTown.DuringmyliteraturescanIhadlearnedthat
heisintheprocessofwritinghisPhDattheUniversityofAmsterdamaboutCSRpractitionersand
weexchangedourexperiencesoverthephoneonhowchallengingit istogetintouchwithCSR
expertsandgetthemengagedtosharetheirthinking.He,beingaSouthAfrican,hadtriedtodo
onlineresearchon“AcurriculumframeworktowardstheeducationaldevelopmentofCorporate
Social Responsible (CSR) practitioners in South Africa” encounteringmajor response problems,
whichgavemeagoodsanitycheckabouthowdifficultitistoengagepeople.Healsostatedthat
inhispointofviewSouthAfricaistenyearsbehindtheCSRstrategyofUSandEuropetryingto
catchup.
So here Iwas in themiddle ofmy second field trip thatwas designed to carry outmy second
roundof interviewswithexecutives,butnothinghappened. June3and4, 2014 cameand I at-
tendedtheTrialogueconference(seehttp://trialogue.co.za),themostwell-knownmeetingplat-
formforCSRinSouthAfrica.Beingthereboostedmyenergyandmotivationbeforereturningto
Germany.AfewhighlightsfromtheconferencehelptounderstandwhythetopicofCSRinSouth
Africaissorelevant.
Iwasimpressedwiththesizeandthediverseaudienceoftheconference.NexttoNGOsandgov-
ernmentalplayers,manySouthAfricanandinternationalcorporateplayersmadeuptheapprox-
imately500representativesattheconference.Tomeitwasachancetonetwork,eventhoughwe
wereallquitebusyrunningfromonemeetingtothenext.ThefiveworkstreamsonEngagement,
Vision,Diversity,EconomicFreedomandResponsibilityofferedmanydifferenttopics.
Onehighlight formewas theworkshopon “Sharedvalue.” Iwas curioushowMichaelPorter’s
conceptwasdiscussed in SouthAfrica. Thepaneldiscussions showedmehownewand foreign
thisconceptstill is–most likelynotonly inSouthAfrica,yetparticularly there,becausephilan-
thropicgiving isstill intheforeground.Thesessionsummaryconcludedthat it isoktocontinue
withphilanthropicapproachesforcircumstancesthatcannotbedealtwithasapartofthecom-
pany’sbusiness.Butthatbusinessesshouldstillbelookingatwaystoturntheirexpertisetothe
benefitofsociety,whichthenwasunderstoodasCorporateSharedValue(CSV).Notbelievingin
“either/or,”Ithinkthisisvalidapproach.However,Idobelievewearefarawayfromasituation
wherecompaniesreallypracticeCSV.Thus,inmyopinionalotoffocusneedstobeputona)re-
definingvalueforbusinessesandthenb)toactaccordingly.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 52
Another highlight formewas the keynote session on Day 2 entitled “Let’s Start aMovement”
from Shaka Sisulu. He explained how he started his project Cheesekids,35 an NGO inspiring a
movementforloveasheputsit.Reflectinglateronwhathappenedinthose45minuteshespoke,
I realized itwasnotsomuchwhathesaid,becausemuchwasknowntomefromchangeman-
agement,butitwashisenthusiasm,hisenergy,hishumorandauthenticitythatmadeusconnect
withoneanotherintheroom,madeusfollowhim,e.g.,togetupanddancewithhim,etc.Iwas
notsurprisedthathismovement issosuccessfuland itdemonstratedsovividlyagainhowcon-
nectioncanbringideastolifeandmovethingsforward.
Itooksomephotostogiveanimpressionoftheconferenceandincludedtheagendaaswell:
35 CheesekidsforHumanity(“Cheesekids”)isayouthvolunteermovementinSouthAfricafoundedin2007.Sisulu
startedwith8membersandnowhasover20,000volunteeringwithhum.Regularmembers(alsoreferredtoasCheesekids)volunteertheirtime,labor,andcreativitytowardsvariousneedsidentifiedinlocaltownships,informalsettlementsandotherdepressedareasinneedofsupport.Sisulusaysitisaboutactivatingtheinactiveintermsof"time,resources,skills,mobilization,andadvocacy."Inhisexperience,onceyouareinvolvedthemoreyoucontrib-ute."Forexample,anaccountantgivesupaSaturdaymorningtopainthouses.Eventuallyhe/shedecidestheyarenotmaximizingtheircontributionsotheysayletmedoyourbooksforyou.Beforelong,theyareencouragingtheirnetworkofaccountantstoassist.Thisistermedmobilizing."Sisulusayspeoplemakeacontributionanditisthroughthisthatloveisshown–thereforehecallsitthemovementforlove.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 53
Fig.11: PhotographiestakenattheTrialogueConference2014
Source:AnnetteThum
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 54
Fig.12: AgendaoftheTwo-DayTrialogueConferenceonCSRinSouthAfrica
Source:Trialoguewebsite-http://trialogue.co.za
Overall,theconferencedidfurtherenrichmyunderstandingofCSRinSouthAfricaandhelpedme
tobuildfurtherconnections.Itdid,however,notbringmeanyclosertoaspecificinquirytopic.I
feltIwasdivergingevenmore,insteadofconvergingtowardsmorespecificity.Atthattime,Idid
notknowthatthiswasabouttochangesoon.
3.4 The“Aha-Moment”–motivationandinspirationaskey
BackinGermany,IwashopingtohearfromtheCEOsandotherhigh-levelexecutiveswhomthe
GermanChamberofCommercehadapproachedforme.36Theresponserate,however,wasquite
disappointing;thus,IwasexcitedtohearbackfromVWCEO,DavidPowels,whowasopenfora
phonecallonJune20,2014.Mr.PowelsatthatpointintimehadbeenCEOforVWSouthAfrica
for sevenyears, leading6,000people.He,aSouthAfrican,hada financebackgroundanda20-
yearhistorywithVW.37
Our phone conversation38 took longer than expected and he shared his opinion on CSR quite
openly;onlyatcertainmoments,Ididnoticehewasbeingpoliticallycorrect.Mostofthetime,I
perceivedhimhavinganattentivepresenceandgreathonestyand,inadditiontothecontentof
theconversation, this interviewmarkeda turningpoint formy inquiry.My“ahamoment”hap-
penedattheendofourexchange,afterIhadaskedhimwhateffectthese1.5hoursmayhaveon
36 Seeinvitationletterinappendix9.37DavidPowelsmovedinJanuary2015asCEOtoVWBrazil.Hewastheonlyonewhoreactedtotheemailsentout.38 Forthetranscriptofthisinterview–pleasecontactAnnetteThum.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 55
him.Hepausedtoreflectandthensaid:“Itdidinspiremetotakemoretimeforthetopicagain
andtotryoutsomenewideasandbehaviorsthatwehavediscussed.”Hesaidthisinsuchagenu-
inewaythatsuddenlyitclickedforme.Icannotquitedescribemyexcitement,butIphysicallyfelt
thisaha-momentofnowIknowwhattodo.Afterthatcall,IwasclearastowhatIwantedmyin-
quirytofocuson:Iwantedtofindoutwhatmotivatesandinspireshigh-levelleaderstodriveCSR
intheirorganizationandbeyond.Andbasedontheanswers,IthenwantedtocreateaCSRinspi-
rationbookletforleaders.
Reflection:
Irealizedalongtheway,thatthefactthatIwasdoingthisinquiryandthatIspokewiththevari-
ouspeoplecouldandinsomecasesdidchangealreadytheirmotivationforCSR.Itfirstofallcre-
atedanawarenessforthetopicfollowedbyanappetitetogetmoreinvolvedinCSRbehaviorand
activities.
3.5 PhoneInterviewsonMotivationforCSR
Theabove-mentionedphonecallwasdefinitelyaturningpointinmyinquiryjourney.Itprovided
anunexpectedclarityformeastowhattofocusongoingforward.Aftergoingindifferentdirec-
tionsforthelongesttime,Ifeltreadytoconvergeandfocus.Thisdecisiondidnotchange.What
changedwas the timing.Due toprivate circumstances, Ihad to takea two-semester sabbatical
beforeIcontinuedwithmythesis.Inbetween,Icontinuedreadingandwritingoncertaintopics
suchasCSRandLeadership,CSRinSouthAfricaetc.,buttheactualphonecallsonmotivationfor
CSRdidnotstartbeforeSeptember2015.
InitiatedthroughtheinspirationalphonecallwithDavidPowels,Ioftenwonderedaboutthefol-
lowing:MostoftheconversationswithSouthAfricanleadersaboutCSRshowedmethattheydo
see the need and necessity for CSR activities. Thus, I was askingmyself, if everyone seems to
agreetoCSRas“commonsense”whyisitnot“commonpractice”?
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 56
Ihadtwoassumptionsforit:
The firstassumption is that the interviewed leaderwouldconsciouslyor subconsciously tellme
one thing, e.g., “I believe that CSR is necessary.”On theother hand, theywould actually think
somethingdifferent:e.g.,“Ohhh,whatever,CSRjustisnotmypriority,maybeitisanicetohave
suchathing,butintheend,thenumberscount…..”
The secondassumption is that theultimatemotivation todriveCSR is simplynothighenough,
particularlysincemanyCSRpracticescanbeconflictingwithotherbusinessgoalsoritsimplycost
personalenergythatsomeoneisnotwillingtoinvest.39
Therefore,Iwasaskingmyselfa)whatarethemainpersonalmotivationaldriversandb)howcan
Ihelptoinitiatethem?Idecidedtoapproacheighthigh-levelbusinessleadersfromGermancom-
paniesandaskthemabouttheirpersonalmotivationforCSR.Thelistofleaderscanbefoundin
appendix2.Having learned from the frustrating returnquotawhen I attempted toaddress the
executivesthroughthemoreofficialchanneloftheGermanChamberofCommerce,Idecidedthis
timetousemyinformalconnectionsanditworkedsmoothly.
Inthefollowing,Iwilldescribetheset-upofthefinalroundofphonecalls.Iwillfocusonthese-
lectionoftheinterviewpartner,ontheinquiryquestionsforthecallsaswellastheapproachand
method.Iwillalsotouchuponethicalconsiderationsandlimitationsofthisinquiry.
InterviewPartner:
• Ichoseeightinterviewpartnersfromthecorporateworld.IfocusedonGerman-speaking
companiesbasedinSouthAfricatoreduceculturalcomplexity.
• All interview partners were high-level executives from different industries (automotive
manufacturer,energy,insurance,logistics).
• FourofthemwerewhiteGerman/Swissexpats,threeareSouthAfricans(oneblack,one
white,oneIndiandescent)–allpossessuniversitydegrees,50%comingfromatechnical
background.
• Allwereinleadershippositions–upto1,300employees.
• Allweremale,betweentheirlate30sandearly50s.
Theconnection–asIstatedearlier–wasbyreferralandpersonalcontact.Theformalinvitation
experiencefromthefirstroundobviouslydidnotprovetobehelpful.Thistimepeopleresponded
39MotivationalaspectsinconnectionwithCSRarealsodiscussedlateroninthebackgroundchapter7.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 57
veryquicklyandappearedtobemoreopenandrelaxedandhonestwiththeiranswers.Thiswas
important,particularlysincetheinquiryquestionwasquitepersonal.
InquiryQuestion:
My formal inquiryquestionwas this:Whatmotivateshigh-level leaders in SouthAfrica todrive
CSRintheircompaniesandbeyond?Iknewthatitwouldbedifficulttosimplyasksomeoneabout
hisorhermotivationforCSR;theriskofgettinga“desired”answerwashigh(LauringandThom-
sen2009;ChungandMonroe2003;ZerbeandPaulhus1987),so Ineededtoaskfromdifferent
perspectives.Therefore,Iraisedasetofquestions:
• Myfirstquestionwasstillthedirectone:“WhatmotivatesyoutodriveCSRinyourdaily
leadership practice”? This was followed immediately by, “Or what do you think other
leaders should or aremotivated by to drive CSR in their daily leadership practice”? By
making this a split question (reference to themselves and toothers)myhopewas that
theywouldthinkbroaderandcomeupwithmoreideasandpotentiallyalso“critical”re-
marks.
• Mysecondquestionwas,“Howdoyou/couldyoumotivateyourteam&othersforCSR?
Byhavingthemexplainhowtheymotivatesomeone,thisoftentellsalotabouttheirown
motives.
• My third question was, “How could your companymotivate you to pursue CSR?” This
questionputsthematthereceivingend(e.g.decision,frameworks,structurefromhead-
quarters inGermanyor their local CEO),meaning it also revealswhat theypreferences
aretogetinspired.
• Andlastly,Ialwaysaskedwhattheywouldliketoseeinan“InspirationalCSRbookletfor
leaders.”
ApproachandMethod:
Forthestructureoftheinterview,Ichoseanopenonesimplywiththemainfocusonmotivation
forCSRposingthesethreequestionsatsomepointintime.Thephoneinterviewslastedapproxi-
matelyonehourandallwererecordedandtranscribed.IchosetheGroundedTheoryApproach,
whichIwilldescribethereasonsforinmoredetailinthefollowingparagraphs.Theshortversion
isthatGroundedTheoryallowsthedatainformyouandthenuseswhatiscalledopencoding,ax-
ial coding and selective coding to come up with a theory. “Memoing,” a form of capturing
thoughts along inquirymoments, is used before, during and after the interviews to enrich the
process.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 58
EthicalConsiderations:
PriortostartingtheinterviewsIalwaysinformedtheparticipantsabouttheprocess,useandcon-
fidentiallyofthedataandresults(Kvale1996,110ff.).Imadeitclearthatquotes,unlessspecific
permissionwasgiven,wouldremainanonymous,aswouldthetranscripts.
Limitations:
Iamawarethatmyinquiryisnotrepresentativeduetothequalitativeapproach.Eightpeopleisa
smallsampleandthesamplehasagenderbiasaswell–allparticipantsweremale.Inaddition,I
hadnochancetocompareifwhattheleaderssaidiscongruenttohowtheywalkthetalk.Ican-
notseethemwalking,soitis“immobile”asKvale(1996,292)wouldsay.
Inthebeginning,Ithoughtthatthephonesetupcouldpotentiallybealimitationfortheresults.
Inretrospect, Inoticedthatthesomewhatdistantsettingthroughthephonesetupopenedthe
interview partner up evenmore – as if the distance created openness. The transcribed/proto-
colledandanonymizedinterviewscanbefoundinappendix5.
Inthefollowing,IfirstwillexplainGroundedTheoryinmoredetailandthendiscusstheresultsby
showingtheopencodingsfromallinterviewsaswellasthe“axialcoding”andtheselectivecod-
ing,”whichthenleadstomytheoreticalsummary.
3.5.1 Themethod–GroundedTheory
GroundedTheoryisoftencalledamethodofdiscovery–ofdataandoftheory–thelattereven-
tually emerging through the relationship between data to be defined in categories (Charmaz
2011, 371). Grounded Theory can be based on qualitative and quantitative data and can be
viewedandcarriedoutmorefromapositivistperspectiveorfromaconstructiveperspective.40I
will take–notsurprisingly– themore theconstructive route,whichmeans the following: Iwill
lookatthedifferentstepsincodingandamcuriouswhatthedatawillbringforward.Inthecon-
structiveGroundedTheoryapproach,itisvaluabletoreflectonwhatthedatatellsmeintermsof
whatIamtryingtogenerate.IchosetheGroundedTheoryapproachbecauseIwasnotverifying
anyhypothesisortestinganyexpectedanswers. Iwascuriousaboutwhatwouldemergeand if
thosefindingswouldpotentiallyhelpmefurtherwiththecreationoftheinspirationbooklet.
40 Charmaz(2011,129-132)haselaboratedonthedifferencesinmoredetail.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 59
OverallGroundedTheorydemandsfrom“theresearcherthreeimportantcharacteristics:anabil-
ity toconceptualizedata,anability totoleratesomeconfusion,andanability totolerateconfu-
sion’sattendantregression.Theseattributesarenecessarybecausetheyenabletheresearcherto
waitfortheconceptualsensemakingtoemergefromthedata”(Glaser1999,838).
BarneyG.Glaser–oneofthefoundingfathersnexttoAnselmStrauss–says,“GroundedTheory
tellsuswhatis,notwhatshould,couldoroughttobe”(Glaser1999,840)andthereforegivesus
freedomandempowersustofirst lookatwhat isgoingon, insteadofcomingupwithaprede-
finedhypothesisthatmaylimitourthinkingandpossibilities.41Glaserevenstatesthattostayreal-
lyopentothedata,oneshoulddotheliteratureresearchonlyaftertheresearchisdone.42Taping
and transcribing is also not necessarily needed. Often this is seen as counterproductive and a
wasteoftimeinGroundedTheory.
OftenresearcherscombinetheGroundedTheorymethodwithothermethodssuchasnarrative
orthematicanalysis,yettheprocessstepstakenbyGroundedTheoryareveryuniqueandshould
notbeconfusedwith“simple”clustering.
Over the years, the methodological steps of Grounded Theory have been slightly develop-
ing/adapting.Ralph,BirksandChapmann(2015,2)haveattemptedtoproduceanoverview(Fig.
13)onhowithaschangedovertheyears.
Fig.13: EssentialMethodsofGroundedTheory
Source:(Ralph,Birks,andChapman2015)
41 Seealsohttp://www.groundedtheoryonline.com/what-is-grounded-theory/classic-grounded-theory42 BarneyGlaserinTheLiteratureReviewinGroundedTheoryonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S1kJ0k3yHk
accessedSeptember2015
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 60
Themainstepsofalltheseessentialmethods,however,arefairlysimilarasIattempttodescribe
inthefollowing:
Step1:OpenCoding:Lookingatdatawithanopenmind
Onestartswithidentifyingthefirstbig ideasintheinterview(opencoding).Forthisfirstcoding
phaseitishelpfultolookatthedata“withanopenmind–notanemptyhead”(Dey2011,176).It
isimportanttostickclosetothedatainthisphaseanditishelpfultousethegerundstodetect
processesandaskquestions(Charmaz2011,49).Throughconstantcomparisonandrereadingof
theinterviewanswers,categoriesappear.43
Step2:AxialCoding:Findingrelationshipsintheopencodes
The next step, called axial coding, consists of identifying relationships among the open codes.
StraussandCorbin(2008)dothisinaveryformalandstrictprocess.Overtheyears,howeverthis
stephasbeenadaptedandsometimesneglectedaswell.Theimportantthingtonoticeisthatthis
stephelpstoclarifywhattheconnectionsareamongtheopencodes.
Step3:SelectiveCoding:Findingthecore
Then lastly, the third step, selective coding44discerns the core that includesall of thedataand
provides the basis for the theory. During selective coding, previously identified categories and
phenomenacanbe furtherdefined,developed,andrefinedandthenbrought together to tella
larger story. The results of selective coding can range broadly froman explanation of the phe-
nomenatothecreationofbroadtheoreticalabstractions.Inmycase,Iwasnotattemptingtocre-
ateanewtheory,yetmymaingoalwastoidentifywhatthemainmotivesforCSR“behavior”are
andhowIcanpotentiallyusetheresulttobuildamoresolidinspirationbookletforCSRleaders.
Reflections:
Mynatural inclinationfromthebeginningwastostartaninterviewjustwithonemainquestion
andanopenmind.IwantedtostayawayfromaformalQ&Asettingandattemptedtheconversa-
tiontobecasualandpersonal,asCharmaz(2006,25)quotesLoflandandLofland:“Aninterviewis
adirectedconversation…()…ofaparticulartopicwithapersonwhohastherelevantexperience.”
Followingthisapproach,Inoticedtwothingsaboutmyself:
43“Tocomeupwiththecategories,onefeelsatsomepointacertainsaturation.Sometimesthecategories(e.g.watch-
ing)arealsoconnectedwithproperties(thefrequency,perspective,theintensityofwatching…)”(Charmaz2006,47)44 SeeadviceonselectivecodingfromtheSAGEresearchmethodpage.https://srmo.sagepub.com/view/encyc-of-
case-study-research/n56.xml,accessedNovember2015
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 61
Firstly,inconversationsIlovetostepintotheunknownandletthingsemerge.Thisservesmycu-
riosityandmylong-standingHRexperience, interviewingexecutivesetc.Mycoachingeducation
aswellasmyGestalteducationbackgroundhelpsmetobeelegantwiththisapproachandtoal-
wayscomebacktotheinquiryfocusincasewedeviatefromthetopics.Afterthefirstinterviews,
Ialsofeltthattheunstructuredwayprovidedthemostusefulandrichdata,becauseIcouldfol-
lowmyinstinctsandtheenergyoftheconversation,whichmadetheconversationcontact-and
resourceful(CorbinandStrauss2008).
Nonetheless,IfeltagainIwasnotbeing“scientific”enough,notstructuredenoughandIthereby
didnoticehowstrongmyclassicalresearchbackgroundstillkicksin.Ialsofeltthatsomeofthein-
terviewpartnerswereirritatedbytheopenapproach.Mostofthemwereengineers,workingina
moretechnicalenvironment;theyarecertainlyusedtoamorestructuredandnumbersoriented
approach.However,talkingaboutthereasonformychoiceupfronthelpedtoeradicatethecon-
fusionandirritation.
Duringthewholeanalysisworkandduringtheinterviewsthemselvestheprocessofmemowrit-
ingwasahelpfulone.Memowritingmeansbefore I amactually summarizingmy findings I do
writelittlebitsandpiecestogetherofwhatInotice,feel,think,observe.Lateron,thesememos–
Ihaveoftencalledthemmy“intermediatelearningsnippets”–havebeenenriching,withthelast
stepthesortingandcreatingasummary.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 62
3.5.2 Resultsoftheopencodingprocess
Thefollowingprovidestheopencodingresultsforthedifferentquestions:
Question1:MotivesforCSRintheleaders’leadershippractice
Whatmotivatesyou todriveCSR inyourdaily leadershippractice?Orwhatdoyou thinkother
leadersshouldoraremotivatedbytodriveCSRintheirdailyleadershippractice?
Fig.14: Question1OpenCoding
Opencode Wordsbyinterviewpartner
Havingfun Spass
Doingsomethingphysical,real
DoingBusiness GeschäftlicheMotive
financialincentives
Betterforcompanyintheend
CSRinmeinenZielenstehenzuhaben
Followingrules,regulations NotwendigkeitdurchRegularien
LegalFrameworkBBEE
BBBEE,wasersehrkritischsieht
BBBEE,reducingrisk
Buildingrelation Vertrauenschaffenwollen
SichnichtalsInselbegreifen,sondernkollaborieren
Createscamaraderie(TN),acommonpurpose/feel
BeingandlookingforRolemodels Otherinspiringrolemodels,e.g.Schrempp
Vorbilderkennen
Nevergivinguphope Dreams,hopes
Iwanttocreateanopportunityforsomeoneelses‘dream(Kids)
Makingtheimpossiblepossible–seeMadiba
Loving Love&appreciationforthecountry,identificationwiththecountry
EinMenschenfreundsein(MG),jungeMenscheninArbeitverhelfen
Beingreligious ChristlicherGlaube
Beingpartofanelite,feelinghonored TeilhabeanexklusivenKreisen,dieCSRtreiben(Ehre)
Servingadeeperpurpose TiefererSinn
Leadershiphastohaveabiggerpicture,weneedtocreatetheworldasa
betterplace
InNothelfen–Bangladeshexample
Wenn keine extrinsische Motivation, dann entweder tieferes Interesse
fürdasThemaoderdenMenschen
Contributiontotheenvironment/society
Feelingempathy EigeneEmpfindlichkeit,zuweichherzig
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 63
Opencode Wordsbyinterviewpartner
Followingvalues Istwerteabhängig
BelievethatCSRtherightthing
Myvaluesystem–itisaboutgivingback
BeingFair Schwarzes Unternehmertum schaffen – als Gerechtigkeit für vorher
„disadvantaged”people
Weneed tomake the gap smaller betweenpoor and rich for our own
sustainability
JederhatdasRechtaufeinbesseresLeben
Helpinganunderdevelopedsupplier
Beingcuriousandexperimental Neugier,Experimentierfreude
DabeispannendeMenschentreffenundinteressanteGesprächeführen
Beingfearless Ichhabnichts zu verlieren, ich kannVeränderungenohneSorgevoran-
treiben
Healthyself-interest(Memeetswe) IchmachvielCSRmitSport,wofürichmichinteressiere
Feelinganinnerduty NotwendigkeitdurchinnerePflicht
Feelingpride ShowingCSRresultstoothers–tomyfamily
Followingfamilytraditions Myfatherwasengaged,Iamengagedandloyal
Seeingprogress HilfezurSelbsthilfe
EinFortkommen
EinAufbauen,Wachstumzusehen
Jemandenwachsensehen
Focusforimpact,don‘tdotoomanyproject
Talentaufbau
Ich kann kein Heftpflasterkleben mehr sehen, ich brauche eine
longtermvision
Beingthankful SchonausDankbarkeitheraus,dassesDirselbstbessergeht
Source:AnnetteThum
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 64
Question2:Howdoyou/couldyoumotivateyourteam&othersforCSR?
Fig.15: Question2OpenCoding
Opencode Wordsbyinterviewpartner
Informingpeople Takepeoplefromanignoranttoaninformedposition(factsexampleonAIDSrates
etc.)
Allowingtime GivingtimeforCSR–allowingtimeforCSR
Empowering people /giving
experiences
Believinginmy/theirownpowerandtobewillingtoberesponsibleforotherpeople
Teilhabenlassen,z.B.alsMentorfürCSRThemenfungieren
Don‘tpreachthem,butshareCSRexamplesinManagementmeetings
CSRisnotpossible MiddleManagersindunterWasser–dashatkeinePrio
Ichbinüberrascht,wievieledaskomplettohneSchuldbewusstseinmachen(Ölindie
Kanälelaufenlassen)
Punishing, drawing conse-
quences
Verstössenichtdulden
Being an inspiration, con-
nectingfunwithCSR
Actinspirational,helppeopletoovercomefears
ShowtheexcitementandfunofCSR
MeineBegeisterungzeigen
OfferingpracticalSupport Helpingthemtostart
Helpthemtostaycalmtothinkbetter
PräsentationzuLändern/Themen,GeschenkeausdenLändern
PrioritizeCSR,putitincalendar,havededicatedteamslotsforit
Showingtheimpact HavethemreflecttheirdecisionontheirimpactforCSR
Sharingthevalueandvision Showthemthevalue&visionofCSR
Beingarolemodel Selbsteinfachvornestehenundesleben
Leadbyexample
Vorleben,günstigeHotels,nichtdenMotzMollymachen,kleineDingesindwichtig
Beingacustodian
Showing the relevance for
them
ContextualizeCSRtotheirenvironmentandsituation
Source:AnnetteThum
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 65
Question3:HowcouldyourcompanymotivateyouforCSR?
Fig.16: Question3OpenCoding
Opencode Wordsbyinterviewpartner
Givingfreedom Freiräumelassen
Beingarolemodel MakingEXCOMpeopletoCSRsponsors
UsingCSRforteambuilding Createcamaraderie
Explainingthebiggerpicture ConnectCSRtobiggertopics,e.g.tonationbuilding,SAicon
MakingCSRapriority Putthetopicontopoftheagenda
CSRneedtobeinthegoalsanditneedstobeincentivized
CSRzumTeilderArbeitmachen
WenndieFirmaCSRzumTeilmeinerArbeitmacht,wennesinmeinen
Zielensteht
Thefirmneedstomakeitaprinciple–thatisthejumpcardnexttoall
theBBBEE
MakingCSRtangible Volunteer,sustainabilityday–makesCSRrealandtangible
Creatingaconnectionbetweenmeandtherealityvolunteerprograms
CreatingaCSRStrategy CreateatruestrategicplanforCSR
Involvingyoungerstakeholders Reachoutforyoungergeneration
GivingCSRresources GivemoreresourcestoCSRinthewarforresources...
Tocontinuetoshowmethatmoneyisnotanissue,thatwestaygen-
erous
Source:AnnetteThum
Theopencodingwasanenjoyableprocessforme.Itwasfunandeasytoreadthroughthedocu-
mentsagainandlistentothetapes.Thetoneofvoiceoftenbroughtbackalotofmemoriescon-
nectedwithacallandthushelpedwiththesortingthatsometimescandependonnuances.Iwas
surprisedthat Igot intosuchaneasyflowtofindcategories/opencodessortingtheanswersof
theexecutives.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 66
3.5.3 Fromaxialtoselectivecoding–whatemerged?
Lookingattheopencodesandlookingforconnectionsamongthem,onegetstoaxialcoding(in-
terrelatednessoftheopencodes)–andfromthereonegetstoselectivecoding,meaningsome
high-level cluster laying thebasis for the“theory.” Iword this carefully,because I couldnotbe
moreawareofthemarginalrelevanceofthefindingsduetothelimitednumberofpeople.None-
theless, lookingat the interviews in retrospect, I amstill surprised,howobvious theclustersof
motivationaldriversshowedup intheaxialcoding–see intablebelow–andthattheselective
code“motivationmeansbeingconnectedtoCSR”becamesoapparent.
Fig.17: OpenCoding/AxialCoding/SelectiveCodingacrossallquestions
Opencode=Categories AxialCode=phenomena Selectivecode=(Making sense out of the
phenomena)HavingfunBeing an inspiration, connecting fun with
CSRBeingcuriousandexperimentalBeingfearlessShowingtherelevanceforthemMakingCSRtangibleforthem
MotivationforCSR–Givingenergy for the individu-
al
“Motivation means being
connectedtoCSR”.
DoingbusinessFollowingrulesandregulationBeingpartofanelite,feelinghonoredInformingpeoplePunishing,drawingconsequences
MotivationforCSR–Driven by external rules and
numbers,honors
BuildingrelationsInvolvingyoungstakeholders
UsingCSRforteambuildingBeingandlookingforrolemodelsEmpoweringpeopleandgivingexperiences
MotivationforCSR–Feelingconnectedtoothers
NevergivinguphopeLovingFeelingempathyBeingreligiousServingadeeperpurpose
MotivationforCSR–Being connected to a higher
sense
FeelinganinnerdutyBeingfairFollowinginnervaluesFollowingfamilytradition
MotivationforCSR–Followinganinnerdiscipline
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 67
Opencode=Categories AxialCode=phenomena Selectivecode=(Making sense out of the
phenomena)Seeingandbeinginvolvedinprogress MotivationforCSR–
Seeing and being involved in
progress45SharingthevaluesandvisionofCSRShowingtheimpactofCSRCreatingaCSRStrategyMakingCSRapriorityExplainingthebiggerpicture
MotivationforCSR–Showing and knowing the im-
portanceofCSR
AllowingtimeOfferingpracticalsupportGivingresourcestoCSRExcomservingassponsorsGivingFreedom
MotivationforCSR–Gettingdowntoearth,makeit
happen, just do it, free to
move
CSRisnotpossible MotivationforCSR–CSRisnot/hardlypossible
Source:AnnetteThum
Inthefollowing,Iwillanalyzethemeaningthatthecodesproducedandexplorewhattheresults
couldtellmegoingforward.
3.5.4 Sensemakingofcodingresults
First,Iwilllookintothephenomenafromtheopencoding,seewhattheyareandmakeconnec-
tionstomotivational theoriesthatexist.Then Iwill focusontheselectivecodeandwhat itcan
helpgenerate.
45 Ileftthiscategoryandphenomena“seeingprogress”byitself,becausealotofrawdataexamplesweregivenbyfive
differentpeople–soitdoesseemtobeastrongmotivator.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 68
Axialcodingphenomenaandtheirconnectiontomotivationaltheories46
Movingfromtherawdatathroughtheopencodingcategoriestoaxialcodingphenomena,Ican
saythebelowlistedphenomenaarethemainmotivationaldriversthatshowedinmyinquiry:
Fig.18: MotivationaldriversofselectedexecutivesinSA
Motivationfrom: MotivationaldriversofselectedexecutivesinSA
Extrinsicsources • Drivenbyexternalrulesandnumbers
Intrinsicsources
• Givingenergyfortheindividual
• Followinganinnerdiscipline
• Feelingconnectedtoothers
• Beingconnectedtoahighersense
• Seeingandbeinginvolvedinprogress
• ShowingandknowingtheimportanceofCSR
• Gettingdowntoearth,makingithappen,justtodo,freetomove
Notapplicable • CSRisnot/hardlypossible
Source:AnnetteThum
Icolor-codedthemdifferently,becauseitwasobviousthattheycanbedifferentiatedinto
a) Motivationneedstobe/isextrinsic(orange)
b) Motivationneedstobe/isintrinsic(green)
c) Motivationisnotpossible,becauseCSRisnot/hardlypossibleinabusinessenvironment
(blue)
All interviewpartnersmentioned that itwould be helpful if the companywould offer extrinsic
motivationoratleasthaveCSRgoalsintheleaders’goalportfolioandgetmeasuredbyit.
Tomeitwasinterestingtoseethattheintrinsicmotivationaldriversweremoreoftenmentioned
andingreaterdifferentiationthantheextrinsicones.Itcouldmeandifferentthings,e.g.,thein-
trinsiccategorieswereobservedmoreoften(withinoneselforwithothers)orwereseenasmore
powerful orwerewished formore often as an ideal situation. I, however,would be careful to
evaluatethiswithoutverifyingittogetherwiththeinterviewees.
46 FormotivationaltheoriesandCSRpleasereadchapter7.
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 69
Ididleavethecategory“CSRisnot/hardlypossible”asacategorybyitself,becauseitoftenwas
indirectlymentioned.Onepersonstateditevenexplicitly–hementionedthathehaslosthisbe-
liefinabetterworld.Fivemorepeoplealludedtothecategoryindirectlybysayinghowdifficultit
is to live CSR in the business world (“in the end the numbers dominate”) or they shared that
“withoutrules,regulation–internalandexternalones–thingswillnotchangefundamentally.”In
theseinterviews,Ididnotaskthequestionwhattheyseeashurdlesorwhatholdsthembackto
becomee.g.astronger“rulecreator”withinthecompany.Becauseintheend-theyarethehigh-
levelleadersoftheirfirms,theycouldsetthestandards!47
Additionally,onecouldtrytorefertheidentifiedmotivationaldrivertothedifferentmotivational
content theories. The different content theories are shown below in Fig. 19 as a reminder.
Fig.20thentriestoshowapossiblematch.
Fig.19: Differentmotivationalcontenttheoriesandtheirmainclusters
Source:AnnetteThum(Colorsarerandomlychoosentodifferentiatetheauthors)
47 Ihadonlythisquestion“Whyareyounotsettingthestandards”inthefirstandsecondfieldtrip,butnotinthe
phoneinterviewsandtheanswersthatIreceivedrevealedmoreexternalreasons(notingoalagreements,notinstrategy,notimegiven,numberscomefirst….).Onlyafewreferredtotheirresponsibilityandmentioned“Ijustdon’tmakeitenoughofapriority,Iamnotdisciplinedenoughtotakethetime,Iwouldlovetodomorebutotherthingscomeinbetween…-sotheintrinsicmotivationissimplynotstrongenoughtobalanceoutthemissingexter-nal“pressure”orstructures.
Mo#va#on'
Hygiene'
Self'Actualiza#on'
Esteem'
Social'
Safety'
Physiological'
Growth'
Relatedness'
Existence'
Herzberg' Maslow' Alderfer'McClelland'
Achievement'
Affilia#on'
Power'
Comparison*of*Mo-va-onal*Theories*
Source:'AnneDe'Thum''
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 70
Fig.20: MotivationaldriversofselectedexecutivesinSAmatchedtothecontentmotivationmodels
Motivationaldriversofselectedexecutives Contentmotivationmodels
Drivenbyexternalrulesandnumbers
McClelland(Achievement,Power)Herzberg(Hygiene)Maslow(Safety)Alderfer(Existence)
Givingenergyfortheindividual
McClelland(Affiliation)Herzberg(Motivation)Maslow(Self-actualizationandEsteem)Alderfer(Growth)
Followinganinnerdiscipline
McClelland(Achievement)Herzberg(Motivation)Maslow(Self-actualizationandEsteem)Alderfer(Growth)
Feelingconnectedtoothers
McClelland(Affiliation)Herzberg(Motivation)Maslow(Social)Alderfer(Relatedness)
Beingconnectedtoahighersense
McClelland(Affiliation)Herzberg(Motivation)Maslow(Self-actualizationandRelatedness)Alderfer(Growth)
Seeingandbeinginvolvedinprogress
McClelland(Achievement)Herzberg(Motivation)Maslow(Self-ActualizationandEsteem)Alderfer(GrowthandExistence)
ShowingandknowingtheimportanceofCSR
McClelland(Power)Herzberg(Motivation)Maslow(SocialandEsteem)Alderfer(RelatednessandGrowth)
Gettingdowntoearth,makingithappen,justtodo,freetomove
McClelland(Achievement,Power)Herzberg(Motivation)Maslow(Self-ActualizationandEsteem)Alderfer(GrowthandExistence)
CSRisnot/hardlypossible Notapplicable
Allofthefoundmotivationaldriversaresomehowleadingbacktothewell-researchedmotivation
content theories, often evenwith similar language. Herzberg’s differentiation, however, of hy-
gienefactorsversusmotivationalfactorswasneverexplicitlymentioned.Noneoftheinterview-
eesexplicitlystatedCSRasahygienefactor.Whenexisting, itmotivatesthembutwhenabsent
makesthemnotfeeltoodiscontentorfrustratedenoughtopotentiallychangecompanies.
Reading through the interviews repeatedly, elements of the dynamic/process-orientedmotiva-
tionaltheorieswereonlysubtlyandindirectlymentioned.Ididnotice,forexample,thatthemore
extrinsically motivated leaders for CSR also had as their intrinsic motives seeing and being in-
volvedinprogressorsomekindofaproofthatsituationswillgetbetterinthelongrunthrougha
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 71
CSRfocus.Soheretheconsequencesneededtoberewardingenough.Otherwise,theywouldget
frustratedmoreeasily.
Oneleaderforexamplesharedafrustration:alocalbakerywasbuilttogetherwithcompanyre-
sources and the time and effort of the village people. Yet, when the company involved in the
building left the scene, the interiorof thebakerywasgone/stolenafter6months, thewooden
shelveshadbeenusedasfirewoodandnoonewasusingthebakeryanymore.Onecanspeculate
whythathappenedandwhattheunderlyingreasonswereforthistotakeplace.Mypoint,how-
ever,isthattheleaderofthecompanysupportingthevillage,showedmajorfrustrationanddis-
appointment. For the processmotivation cycle thatmeans in his assessing phase or evaluating
phasehelosestractionandmaynotevenstart(assessingphase)oractCSRconformagain(evalu-
atingphase)–pleaseseechapter7.4.1.
Theselectivecodeanditsmeaningformegoingforward
Whatdoesthisallmeanfortheselectivecode?Meaningwhatismycorefindingtomy“motiva-
tion for CSR” questions? I concluded thatmy overall selective code is this: “Motivation comes
frombeing connected to CSR.” That connection can obviously be stimulated through different
ways-throughexternalnumbersandpressure,KPIs,otherpeople,ahigherpurpose,abiggervi-
sion,specificpragmaticactions,aninnerdisciplineetc.Inanycase,themotivationcomesthrough
connectionandinvolvement.Listeningtothetapesagain,thisalsobecameapparentinthetone
ofvoice,meaningthemomenttheleadersgaveananswerthatseemedmeaningfultothem,that
theyseemconnectedto,theirvoicesgotmoreexcitedandadamant.
If this ismy“observational truth,”whatcanbemy“committedtruth,”as JohnRijsmanputs it?
Theobservationaltruthshowsthe“asis,”astatusquo,asnapshotintime.Yet,itdoesnotoffer
ideasaboutwhatcanbedonewith theobservational findings.Thecommitted truth shouldask
“whatcanbegeneratedduetothefindings,howdoI/wecreateconnectionforleaderstoCSRgo-
ingforward,whatpossibilitiescanbeopenedupandhowdoIpersonallycontinuetocreatecon-
nectiontoCSRformyself?”
Thefollowingideascometomind:
• Tocontinue toengageother leadershipdevelopmentcolleagues forCSR: I remember
talkingtoacolleagueofminewhofiveyearsagowastryingtosetupasustainablecon-
sulting practice. I asked him for his ideas regarding the inspiration booklet. After an
houronthephone,itwasgreattohearandsensehowexcitedhebecameagainwith
theCSRtopic,afterhehad letgoof it twoyears–duetofrustrationabout littlepro-
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 72
gressandsuccess.Whenweclosedourphonecall,hesaidtome:“Iwanttogetback
into this CSR topic, I guesswith a differentmindset, yes, but stillwith the hope and
drivethatIseemtohavelost.”WearestillincontactandIamcuriouswhatwewillde-
veloptogetherinthenextyears.
• To come up with joint CSR program ideas to integrate into leadership development
programs.Iwanttoinspireotherleadershipdevelopmentcolleaguestothinkaboutdif-
ferentCSRformatsandCSRIntellectualProperty.
• Toget inspiredbyCSRmagazines,suchas“Enorm”and lookforsuccessstoriesthat I
canspread.
• To encourage internal company debate between CSR promoters and opponents, e.g.
withthehelpofasetofspecificquestions(Kvale1996,178–179)
• Tofinishtheinspirationbookletandofferitasfreee-bookonline,incorporateintothe
book:humor, fun,numbers& facts, reflectivequestions, successstories forexecutive
toconnectwithCSRetc.
• Tolookforsignificantmultipliers,suchasDukeexecutiveeducationinLondonorCCLin
Brusselstooffertheleadershipmaterialfortheiruseinexecutiveeducationprogram
• ToreachouttoTrialogueinSouthAfricaandthemagazine“Enorm”inGermanytoof-
fertheCSRbooklettothemandhavethemmakeevenmorecountryspecific
• ToconnecttoFredKiel’sresearchon“ReturnonCharacter”andtoRalfThurmconsul-
tancy“Thrivability”tostayclosetothenumberssideofCSRactivitiesaswell
• TocreateBuddynetworksonCSRwithinanorganization;e.g.InoticedwhenIspoketo
thethreeMercedesexecutiveswithinoneweekinterviewingthemontheirmotivation
forCSR,theyhadstartedtospeakamongsteachotherabouttheCSRtopic,reflecting
and exchanging thoughts and ideas.With the interviews, I seemed to have started a
smallinternaldynamic-ideallyasnowballrollingthroughthecompanies’hallways.
• Tocreatespaceinbusinessforprideandemotions.EmotionssuchasLaurentFabius48
hasshownduringtheannouncementofthesignedclimatetreatyinDecember2015in
Parisarerare.Emotionalmoments,momentswhenpeopleshowtheyaretouchedand
movedarestillrareinbusinessandyetthisiswhatoftenconnecteduswithoneanoth-
erothersanditshowsandstrengthensone’sownconnectiontothetopicaswell.
• Toallowtimeforexecutivestomovefromaneutral/distantpositionforCSRtoanin-
volvedone.Toremembertonevergiveuponthattopic,evenwhenhopesare low–
keepconnectingandrememberhowlongsomethingstake–Mandelanevergaveup
48 See:http://www.lemonde.fr/cop21/video/2015/12/12/cop21-fabius-presente-un-texte-ambitieux-et-
equilibre_4830567_4527432.htmlaccessedDecember2015
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 73
hope.Formeasaconsultantor foran internalCSRmanager thatmeans:bepatient,
believeinonestepatatimeandkeepgoing.
3.6 Thecodingresultsandtheirmeaningfor
theinspirationbooklet
Having been inspired through the conversationwith David Powels to create a “CSR Inspiration
bookletforleaders”Iwillnowstartreflectingonhowtheinquiryresultsmayshapeandinfluence
thecontentofthebooklet.ForthisIwillusethecodingresultsaswellastheexplicitstatements
thattheinterviewpartnerssharedwithmewhenIaskedthemintheinterviewwhattheywould
liketoseeinthatkindofbooklet.Thebelowlist(Fig.21)showsthephenomenafromthecoding
processandmyconclusionandideasforthebooklet.
Fig.21: Phenomenafromtheinterviewsleadingtoideasforthebooklet
Phenomenafromtheinterviews Conclusionforthebooklet
Havingfun includehumor,stories,jokesetc.
Doingbusiness show thebusiness sideofCSR, includehard factnum-bersandhowCSRserves thecompany in the long run(benefits)
Buildingrelation share an example where the camaraderie createdthrough CSR shines through, show good ideas on howtoinvolvepeople
Being/lookingforrolemodels list at least two or three role models for CSR(male/female)
Nevergiveuphope/servingadeeperpurpose
includeupliftingpoemsorquotes
Loving includetouching,engagingstories,e.g.Madibastory
Followingvalues,beingfair includeabriefdebateonethicsandvalues
Beingcurious&experimental includefunCSRgamesand/orriddles
Seeingprogress/impact sharingsuccessstories
Informingpeople givehardfactinformationonCSR
Offeringpracticalsupport givepracticaltipsonhowtoincludeCSRbehaviorsintothedailybusiness
Sharingvalueandvision sharewhatispossibleinCSR–showbigvision
MakingCSRapriority givethemimportantquestionstoreflectupon
CreatingaCSRstrategy createachecklistonhowtodothisSource:AnnetteThum
3OnaJourneyofInquiry:Stages,Topic,MethodsandResults 74
Theaboveidealistcanserveasabasisforthebookasdoesthedirectfeedbackoftheleaders.In
thefollowing,Ihavelistedtheiranswerstomyexplicitquestion:“Whatwouldyouliketoreadin
abookletonCSRandleadership?”
• ExplainthatCSRismorethancharity
• OffervariousCSR-themesthatleaderscanfocuson
• ShowwhatCSRmeansintheSouthAfricanCulture
• Demonstratetheimportance&benefitsofCSR
• GivesuccessfulexamplesandrolemodelsforCSR
• ExplainhowtoinvolvepeopleintoCSRtopics
• ListCSRTips-“therealisticandpragmaticonesthatIcanintegrateintomydailybusiness”
• ListCSRcontactpartner
Myideaofthebookletrightnowisthat itwillhavetostrikeabalancebetweenbeingeasyand
funready,presentedindigestibleandquicktoreadsegmentsprovidingenoughinformationand
practicalexamples.IsometimesalsothoughtaboutcreatingaCSRCalendarwith356pages/days
or52weekactivities.Iamcuriousmyselfwhatitwilllooklikeintheend.
Intheappendixofthisthesis,youwillfindafirstdraftofthecurrentmaterial.ThemomentIhad
found“the idea”ofan inspiringandmotivationalmaterial/bookletonCSR, Iknewand felt that
this ismymotivationaldriver.Throughout thisyear Iwill fine-tuneandaddnew ideaswith the
helpofselectedCSRexpertandleadershipcolleaguestothenshareitbacktothem.
Fig.22: Samplepagesfromthebooklet
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 75
Twofriendsatabillionaire'sparty-onesays:Thisguyhaseverything.
Hisfriendreplies:Ihavewhathe'llneverhave:enough.
Anonymous
4 OntheconceptofCorporateSocial
Responsibility
Inthischapter IwillprovideabriefoverviewonthescopeandchallengesofdefiningCSR. Iwill
explainthehistoricdevelopmentofCSR,as ithelpstounderstandtheevolutionoftheconcept,
comingupwithaworkingdefinitionforthis thesis. Inaddition, Iwill lookatthecritiqueonthe
CSRconcept(s)andthensummarizefutureoutlooksandtrends.
4.1 ScopeofDefinitions
Readingthroughthevastamountof literatureonCSR, itbecameobviousthatnumerousdefini-
tionsandrelatedtermsonCSRhavebeencreatedoverthelastdecades.49Theintensivedebates
between academics, international organizations, consultants and corporate executives brought
forwardnumerousvariationsandnotionsof theterm.Thesimpleconclusionis this:there isno
definitedefinitionofCSR.Rather,CSRmeansdifferent things todifferentpeopledependingon
thecontext.Iwillelaborateonthispointlater,butbeforethatIwilldiscussthe–frommyview-
point–mostimportantormaindefinitions.
MaindefinitionsofCSR:
TogetafirstideaandoverviewonhowCSRcanbedefined,IbeginwithArchieB.Carroll’sregu-
larlycitedandwell-knownCSRpyramid(Carroll1991).Becauseofmyfocusoncompanyleaders,I
willthendiscussthemorebusiness-orienteddefinitionsfromtheUN,theEUandfromEklington,
a businessman himself (2002). At this point, I purposely do not focus on exclusively political-
economics (Crifo and Forge 2012), ethical (Goodpaster 2012; Eabrasu 2012), legal (Pitts 2009;
Whitehouse 2005) or philantrophical (Butler and McChesney 2010) CSR definitions to reduce
complexity,butwillrefertothemonthechallengesofdefiningCSRlaterinthischapter.
49Fortheliteraturesearch,IdecidedtostayonlywiththetermCSR,eventhoughrelatedtermspoppedup(seeFig24).
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 76
ArchieB.Carroll’sPyramid
ThemostreferredtodefinitionofCSRisArchieB.Carroll’s(1991,42)CSRpyramid.Carrollwas
thefirstonetorankvariousaspectswithintheCSRconceptintoapyramid.Theoriginalpyramid
from1991wasbasedonanormativeapproachandhaseconomicresponsibilitiesatthebottom
(“Beprofitable”), followedby legalresponsibilities (“Obeythe law”),withethicalresponsibilities
abovethat(“Beethical”)andatthetipofthepyramidshowingphilanthropicresponsibilities(“Be
agoodcorporatecitizen”).
InCarroll(2016),theauthorupdatedhisoriginalpyramidversion,retainingthefourresponsibili-
tiesbutstressingamoreholisticapproach.Henowseesthefourresponsibilitiesmoreasanequa-
tion, addingup to a “Total Responsibility”without focusingon the sequence. Ethics permeates
thewholepyramidandpointstotensionsandtrade-offsbetweenthefourclusters.50Onecould
debatewhyCarroll retainedthepyramid to illustrate thesechanges insteadofusing,e.g.,apie
chart or focusing more clearly on his newly introduced element of permeating ethics and
tradeoffs.Inanycase,Carrollhasincludedinhisoriginal(aswellasinhislatestdefinition)thedif-
ferentdimensionmadethedefinitionforthelongesttimethemostcomprehensiveone.
Fig.23: CSRPyramidbyCarroll(2016)
Source:Carroll2016
50 InterestingresearchonCarroll’spyramidwasconductedbyDeniseBaden(2016).ShetookCarroll’snormativepyr-
amidwithitsinternalrankingofresponsibilitiesandchallengeditfromanempiricalanddescriptiveway,asking400participants(173businesspeople)onhowtheywouldassessthefourresponsibilityareastoday.Herresultscon-cludeadifferentorder:ethicalasthebase,followedbylegal,followedbyeconomicandthenphilanthropic.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 77
Giventhatmythesisinquiryisconcernedwithcompanyleaders,IwillalsochooseCSRdefinitions
fromtheUnitedNationsandtheEuropeanUnionaswellas thetriplebottomlinedefinitionby
Elkington(2002),whichoffermorebusiness-orienteddefinitionsofCSR:
• TheUnitedNationsdefinesCSR in theUNGlobalCompact51 from2000as theirmission
“to create a sustainable and inclusive global economy that delivers lasting benefits to
people,communitiesandmarkets.”Readingtheirdescription,Iwouldsaythatitismuch
morethanadefinition;rather,itisaglobalcall.TheGlobalCompact"askscompaniesto
embrace,supportandenact,withintheirsphereofinfluence,asetofcorevaluesinthe
areas of human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption. "52With
over12,000corporateparticipantsandotherstakeholdersfromover145countries, it is
thelargestvoluntarycorporateresponsibilityinitiativeintheworld.
• TheEuropeanCommissiondefinesCSRas"theresponsibilityofenterprisesfortheir im-
pactsonsociety"(Williamsonetal.2014,7).TheCommissionencouragesthat"enterpris-
esshouldhaveinplaceaprocesstointegratesocial,environmental,ethicalhumanrights
andconsumerconcernsintotheirbusinessoperationsandcorestrategyinclosecollabo-
rationwiththeirstakeholders."
• WhendefiningCSR,themorebusiness-orientedtriplebottomlinedefinition(abbreviat-
ed as TBL or 3 BL) iswell established. It is an accounting framework coined by John T.
Elkington(2002)andreferstocorporateactivitiesinthreeareas,namelysocial,environ-
mentandfinancial,or–putinamorecatchymanner–people,planet,profit.
51 Seehttps://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/missionaccessedagaininJanuary2015.Whenintheyear2000
theUnitedNationalGlobalCompactwaslaunched,theUNSecretaryGeneralKofiAnancalledtobusinessleaderstoworkwiththeUNto“initiateaglobalcompactofsharedvaluesandprincipleswhichwillgiveahumanfacetotheglobalmarket.”44companieshadsignedin2000by2013therewereover7000participants.In2011theUNinitiat-edthesocalledGlobalCompactLEADwhichwasanelectronicplatform/processtoprovidecollaborativespacetogenerateandimplementadvancedcorporatesustainabilityandtoreviewfor2years(from2011–2013)howcom-panieshadimplementedtheGlobalCompactandiftheplatformwouldbeofhelptodoso.55firmsparticipated,onlinesurveysandinterviewswerecarriedoutwiththeresultthattheplatformexistsuntiltodayconnectingfirmsworldwidetobetterimplementtheirsustainabilityandCSRpractices.(see:ReviewofUnitedGlobalCompactLEADPilotPhase–January2011-December2014,ExecutiveSummaryhttp://www.abis-global.org/content/documents/2014/un-global-compact-lead-pilot-phase-review-final.pdf,accessedinJanuary2014)
52 SeetheTenPrinciplesoftheUnitedNationsGlobalCompacthttp://www.valeo.com/cwscontent/www.valeo.com/medias/fichiers/engagements/en/sustainable_development/The_Ten_principles.pdf,accessedJanuary2014
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 78
ThechallengewithageneralCSRdefinition
Asmentionedabove,thecomplexityofperspectivesindefiningCSRisalsooftenreferredtoinac-
ademic discussions. Already in 1973, Votaw and Sethi (1973, 22) described the term social re-
sponsibilityas“…abrilliantone–itissomething,butnotalwaysthesamething,toeverybody.”
Over time, numerous authors such as Carroll (1999), Göbbels (2002), Marrewijk (2003) and
Sheehy (2015)haveattempted togiveanoverviewon thegrowingdefinition jungleofCSR, al-
ways coming to the conclusion that thereare far toomanydifferent angles andapproaches to
settleononefinitedefinition.
Hamidu,Haron,Amran(2015)aswellasDahlsrud(2008)attemptedtoclusterthevariousdefini-
tions intocategories.Dahlsrud, forexample, identified37definitions from27academicauthors
mainlyfromtheUSandEurope,coveringthetimeframefrom1989-2003.Heclusteredthedefini-
tionsintofivedimensions:thestakeholder,thesocial,theeconomic,thevoluntariness/(ethical),
andtheenvironmentaldimension.
MattenandMoon(2004)offerthreereasonsforwhyCSRisnoteasytodefine.First,theyseeCSR
asacomplexandopenconceptthatfollowsnosimple,applicablerules.Moreover,CSRoverlaps
withmanyother similar conceptsand terms (from“CorporateGovernment” to“Sustainability,”
seeFig.24:).Thirdly,CSRisalwaysadynamicprocessanddependsuponthenationalcontext.
Aftertheaboveanalysesofthevariousdefinitions, Iwould liketosuggestthatthedefinitionof
CSRcanbebetterdeterminedwiththesupportofCicero’srhetoricconceptofquestionsonatop-
ic,the"who,when,where,whyandwhat”(Copeland1995,66ff.).Thesequestionshelptobetter
understandandputintoperspectivethecontextofdifferingCSRdefinitions:
• Whoisdefiningit?Isitaresearcherinthefieldofeconomy,agreentechnologyactivist,aCSR
managerfromacompany,etc.?Doesthedefiningpersoncomefromtheschoolofnaturalsci-
ences,economy,philosophy,etc.?Dependingonthepersonalbackgroundoftheauthor,one
willmostlikelyreceiveadifferentlybiaseddefinition.Sheehy(2015)referstothevariousan-
gles, complexities and complicationswith their respective academic origins and assesses for
theabove“Who”aspectalonefivedifferentfoci.53
53 Sheehy(2015)mentionsthefollowingfivefoci:-Economicswiththeaspectsoffirmtheory,ofagencytheoryand
marketfailure,-ManagementorBusinesswiththeaspectsofmoralobligation/ethics,sustainability,licensetooper-ateandreputation,-LegalfocusingmainlyonCSRbeyondcompliance,-Politicalsciencewiththeanalysisofcorpo-ratecitizenship,privatepowerandcritiqueofCSR,-Institutionalismwiththefocusonregulations,reportingandhigherholisticpoliticalcontexts.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 79
• Whenwasthedefinitiongiven?Inthe19thcentury,thetermCSRdidnotevenexist,whilein
the20thcenturyitunderwentseveralfundamentalchangesdependingonthedecade(seelat-
eronin4.2HistoricalDevelopment)
• Wherearewelookingat?TheUSdefinitionofCSRmaybeslightlydifferentthanaEuropean
orAfricanone,althoughitseemsthatanexplicit(South)Africandefinitioncurrentlydoesnot
exist–seechapter5.
• WhyandforwhatpurposeisthedefinitionofCSRmade?Isittoengagepeople,toacademi-
callydefineit,tomakeiteconomicallymeasurable?Isitcreatedtosetstandards(normative)
orisitdescriptive?Thedefinitionwillvarydependingonthepurpose.
• WhatdimensionistheCSRdefinitionusedfor?Isitusedtofocusonsocialelementsortode-
scribeenvironmentaltopics?Isitaboutstakeholderworkorethicstraining?Therangeoftop-
icssubsumedunderthetermCSRishugeasi.e.theCSRwire.compageshows.
LookingatCSRthroughaSocialConstructionLense
Visser54oncestatedthatCSRisaratheroutdatedtermanditshouldbecalledCollaborativeSus-
tainableResponsibility,whichnicelylinksbacktoSocialConstructionandtoKenGergen’sremark
on“productivecollaboration”for“relationalwell-being”(Gergen2009b,402-403).
LookingattheCSRdefinitionjunglethroughsocialconstructioneyes,Ionlyfoundonedefinition,
whichisfromBasuandPalazzo(2008,130),anddescribesCSRas“theprocessbywhichmanagers
withinanorganizationthinkaboutanddiscussrelationshipstostakeholdersaswellastheirroles
inrelationtothecommongood,alongwiththeirbehavioraldispositionwithrespect tothe ful-
fillmentandachievementofthese.”Withthisdefinition,astrongfocusisputonco-creation,joint
sensemakingandprocessratherthanonaspecificCSRcontent.
Applying the social construction concept of “multi-being” (Gergen 2009, 134-150), CSR can be
perceivedordescribedasfollows:Throughoutourlives,someofushumanbeingshavehaddif-
ferentrelationshipswiththetopicofCSR.Thus, the individualhasand isabundleof“CSRrela-
tionships.”TheolderwebecomethemorewemighthaverelatedtoCSR.Forexample,asakid
welearnedtokeepnaturecleanorCSRmeantthataschoolwasbuiltforus.Inourteenageyears,
wemayhaveprotestedformorehumaneworkingconditions,and/orasaparentwetaughtabout
itor livedupto itasrolemodels forourchildren.Soweareaddingdifferenttruthswithinour-
54WayneVisserinhispresentationtotheMVOVlaanderenforuminGhent,Belgiumin2014,accessedSept.2015.
http://www.waynevisser.com/video/csr-is-failing-how-can-we-make-it-succeed-video
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 80
selves andwhenwemeet other people with other experiences to CSR, we jointly create new
truthsaroundtheCSRtopic.
Inshort,itmeansmanydifferenttruthshavebeencreatedandareconstantlycreatedaroundthe
topicofCSR.Ifindthisapositiveevolution,becauseitmeansthatthereismovementaroundthis
topic; it shows thatmanypeople arebusy researching, co-creating andultimately bringingCSR
forward,whichisgoodnewsregardlessofhowexactlyCSRisdefined.
GoingforwardwiththisPhDthesis,however,Iwillchoosetherathersimpledefinitionfromthe
EU(Williamsonetal.2014,7),whichstatesthat“CSRistheresponsibilityofenterprisesfortheir
impactsonsocietyandenvironment”andadd“economics”toitbecauseIamconvincedthatthe
triplebottomlineapproachisverypowerful.IselectedtheEUdefinitionformyinquiry(withthe
slightadaptation),becauseitsbrevitybringsouttheessenceoftheCSRconceptandatthesame
time–givenitsbroadness–allowsittofunctionasanumbrellaforotherdefinitions.
4.2 HistoricalDevelopmentoftheCSRconcept
Besidesthemaindefinitionsdiscussedbefore,avarietyofdefinitionsandideasexistaroundthe
conceptofCSR.Thischapterwillofferanoverviewofthehistorytoshowhowthisvarietyhasde-
velopedoverrecentdecades.Theoverviewisbasedupontheresearchofvariousauthors(Carroll
2008;Frederick2006;SchmidpeterandPalz2008;Goodpaster1983)andcan’tbebyanymeans
comprehensive,yetshowsthehistoricaldevelopmentoftheCSRconceptinacondensedway.
Priorto1950
Intheearly20thcentury,twoimportantprecursorstoCSRemerged,oneofwhichwascreatedby
theindustrialrevolution,becausebusinesseswanted“better”–namelymoreproductive–work-
ers.Thus,companiesstartedtooffertheirworkersbenefitssuchasbathhouses,lunchroomsand
profit sharing. This approach was more internally focused (Wren 2005, 269–270). The second
streamthatemergedcouldbecalled“individual”philanthropy,becauseintheearly20thcenturyit
wasoftenindividualslikeVanderbilt,RockefellerorPullmanratherthanactualcorporationswho
investedmoney into society. Pullmanwasevenbuildinga rolemodel city aroundhis facility to
showcaseatownwithamoderninfrastructure,greenparks,greathousing,etc.,notonlytogive
somethingbacktosocietybutalsotoattractandretaingoodworkers(Carroll2008).Overall,one
couldsaythatpriortothe1950s,therewasmainlyphilanthropyhappening,withindividualsand
companiesdonatingmoneyforachosencause.Whilethisapproachcontinuestobevitaltoday,it
isincreasinglyaccompaniedbystrategicCSRapproaches.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 81
The1950s
Theformalbirthofsocialresponsibilitiesofcorporationstookplaceinthe1950s.Inhis1953book
“SocialResponsibilityoftheBusinessman”,HowardBowen(2013,6)offersanearlydefinitionof
companies’socialresponsibility(SR):“SRreferstotheobligationofbusinessmentopursuethose
policies,tomakethosedecision,tofollowthoselinesofactionwhicharedesirableintermsofthe
objectivesandvalueofoursociety”(ibid.).Bowenisoftenmentionedasthe“fatherofCSR”and
startedinthe1950sthedecadeofCSRawarenesscreation,whichmeansthe1950srepresentra-
therthe“talkingaboutCSRera”thanthe“takingCSRactionsera”.
The1960s
Inthe1960s,morescholarsbecameinterestedinthephenomenonofCSR,includingcontributors
such as Keith Davis (1960),William Frederick (1988 [1968]) and ClarenceWalton (1967). They
addedanimportantelementtothediscussionsaroundCSR,namelythatresourcesshouldnoton-
ly serve companiesorprivatepersons, but alsobroad social ends. Thesenewcontributors also
drew attention to the closely intertwined relationship between society and corporations. The
conceptofvoluntarism-thephenomenonwherebypeopleoffertheirpersonaltime,energyand
resources foracertaincauseatnocost -wasalso introduced (Walton,1967).Forexample, the
PeaceCorpsintheUSwerefoundedin1961,yetitwasnotincorporatedintocompanies’CSRap-
proaches.Thus,philanthropy-whichlargelymeantcompaniesspendingmoneytocharities-ul-
timatelyremainedthepredominantapproach.
The1970s
The1970sbroughtthecallforamanagerialapproachtoCSR,wherebyastrongerlinkofsocialis-
sues to business processeswas demanded.Managerswere asked to apply traditionalmanage-
mentmethods to CSR, such as planning and forecasting, providing the right internal structure,
measuringperformanceandmonitoring.SandraHolmes(1976)ranabroadinterview-basedstudy
toascertainwhathigh-levelexecutivesconsideredasimportantCSRtopicsatthetime.According
toCarroll (2008, 29) theCommittee for EconomicDevelopment (CED)made a ground-breaking
contributiontotheemergingconceptofCSRbylistingthreeconcentriccirclesofsocialresponsi-
bility fora company: the innercircleof clear cutprofit responsibility, the intermediatecircleof
complyingwiththeprofitdemand–albeitwithasensitivityforCSR,andfinallytheoutercircle,
whichentailsanewresponsibilityofactivelyimprovingsociety.PrestonandPost(1975,102)even
suggestedreplacingthewordsocialwithpublic“tostressmoretheimportanceofthepublicpoli-
cyprocessratherthanindividualopinionandconscience”.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 82
Theacademicworld introducednew ideasandconcepts to thediscussionaroundCSR,and -as
statedinthepreviouschapter-atruedefinitionjungleemerged.Forexample,Carroll(1979)pro-
posedthatcompaniesshouldembedsocialresponsibilityintheirstrategyandperformancemod-
els.HedemandedeachfirmtohaveacleardefinitionofCSRandmeasurementtools.However,
there was not much sizable action among the companies themselves, although governments
startedtoplacelegislativepressureuponcompanieswithrespecttoCSRissues.
Overall,the1970swasclearlyadecadeinwhichacademiastartedtodemandthatbusinessesin-
tegratedCSRintotheirentirecompanystructureandstrategy.
The1980s
In the1980s,businessesslowlybegantorespondtothecall to integrateCSR intotheir internal
processesanddevelopedanalyticalframeworkstooperationalizeandfacilitateCSR.Profitwasno
longer theonlybenchmarkandmanagers started tobeevaluatednotonlyonbusiness results,
butalsoaccordingtohowtheyachievedthoseveryresults(Jones1980).
Thesedevelopmentswerealsospurredbythefactthatthe1980sisoftenreferredtoasthedec-
adeofgreed.Forexample,the1984UnionCarbideBhopalexplosioninIndia-killingthousandsof
people-showedthatcompaniesdidnotinvestenoughinsafetymeasures.Furthermore,thecon-
troversiesoverdoingbusinesswiththeApartheidregimeinSouthAfricacreateadividebetween
moreorlessresponsiblecountriesandcompanies.
Inresponsetothesedevelopments,itisunsurprisingthatstakeholdertheorystartedtoperceive
communitiesasrelevantstakeholdersandtheoriesofbusinessethicsemerged.
The1990s
Inthe1990s,bigplayersliketheBodyShop,Nike,UBSandPatagoniastartedtotrulyembracethe
CSRtopic,addingCSRdepartmentsandmanagerstotheirorganizationalcharts, introducingkey
performanceindicatorstomeasureCSRoutcomes.ItwasincreasinglyunderstoodthatCSRcanbe
beneficialtoacompany’sreputation.Whilepreviousdecadessawbasicacademicresearchonthe
ideologies,facetsandstreamsofCSR,the1990sweredominatedbyempiricalresearchoncom-
panies’newbusinesspracticesinthefieldofCSR(Carroll2008).
Movingintothe2000s
Moving into the 2000s, empirical research continued to be in the focus and CSR also became
stronglytiedtootherbusinesstopics.Forexample,employerattractiveness(GreeningandTurban
2000)isconnectedtoCSR,asaremarketingaspects(MaignanandFerrell2004)anddiversityis-
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 83
sues (Hansen2014), just tomention a few. CSRbest practices andmeasures are collected and
publishedandthefinancialbenefitsofsuchpracticesarecontinuouslyemphasized.Withtherise
andfalloftheInterneteconomyandthebankingcrisisin2008,legalandethicalcompliancehas
becomeanessentialandevenmandatorytopicinmostcompanies.CSRumbrellaorganizationsas
wellasconsultancieshavebeenfoundedanduniversitieshavestartedtoadopttheCSRtopicinto
theircurriculum.Atpresent,CSRisatrueglobalphenomenon.WiththeestablishmentoftheUN
GlobalCompactin2000,ithasbecomeatopicontheglobalagendaforgovernments,industries
andNGOsaroundtheworld.
Summary
Lookingatthehistoricaldevelopment,itseemsthattheresponsibility–oratleasttheawareness
for the responsibility – of enterprises concerning their impacts on society and environment is
growing.Ofcourse,legislationispartlyforcingthem,yetcompaniesseemtoincreasinglyacceptit
notasaburdenbutratherasanecessityandevenabenefit. Italsobecameobviousthatmany
differentstakeholdergroupsfrombusiness,politics, legalorsocietyhadandhavean interest in
theCSRsubjectwhichaddstothecontinuing livelydebatearoundthesubjectandexplainsalso
themanyrelatedtermstoCSR.
Manyof these related termswerealreadyexistingorevolving inparallelorwerederived from
CSR. The terms range from “business ethics” to “sustainability”, from “corporate social perfor-
mance” to “corporate volunteering” to “corporate social investment”, etc. Various authors at-
tempted to differentiate the terms (Carroll 1999; Crane, Andrew et al. 2008; Schneider and
Schmidpeter2012;BennandBolton2011;vanMarrewijk2003)55.Idecidedtonotdivedeeperin-
tothedetaileddifferentiationanddefinitionofit,foritdidnotseemtoaddvalueforthepurpos-
esofmythesis.Yet,Fig.24isanapproach–certainlynotcomplete-toshowthespreadofCSR
relatedwordsandconcepts.
55 -Carroll(1999)providesaninsightfuloverviewarticle.
- Craneet.al.(2008)offerintheir600pagesstrongbookasolidoverviewofferingwellacademicallyresearchedperspectives,critiques,actionitemsandinthelastchapteranoutlookonCSR.
- BennandBolton(2011)assemblevariousmajorCSRconcepts,yetwithoutanyguidingclustering/structureorcoher-entconnectionbetweenthealphabeticallylistedkeyconceptsfrom“AgentTheory”to“VoluntaryRegulation”.ThebookseemstobelikeadictionarysupportingCSRmanagerstobetterunderstandvariousCSRconcepts.
- VanMarrewijk(2003),thisarticlecomparesallrelevantdefinitionstoconcludethataonesizefitsalldefinitiondoesnotwork.
- “CSRImpact–FromCSRtoCIAM:CorporateImpactAssessmentandManagement”apublicationundertheIMPACTprojectfundedbytheEuropeanCommunity’sSeventhFrameworkProgramFP7/2007-2013undergrantagreementn24461.Thisdocumentfrom2012isapracticalworkbookforpeoplefromthefieldhelpingtomeasureCSRanditsperformance.ItisrunbytheImpactresearchanditisinterestingtomentionthattheTilburgUniversityalsohasbeenaconsortiumpartnerinthisthree-yeareffortanalyzingmanydifferentcasestudies,interviewnumerousstakehold-erstoproduceasanoutcomeinputonstrategicCSRtopicsandapracticalguidanceonCSRimpactmeasurement.Onlineavailable:http://www.oeko.de/oekodoc/2100/2014-658-en.pdf,accessedJune2014.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 84
Fig.24: WordCloudonCorporateSocialResponsibilityandrelatedterms
Source:AnnetteThum,http://www.wordclouds.com
4.3 CritiqueofCSR
Ofcourse,withtheriseofCSR,therehavebeenandalwaysarecriticalvoicesaboutthetopic.The
ongoingscientificdiscourseismostlybasedonseveralpointsofcritique,whichIwilldiscussnow
inmoredetail.Typically,thescopeofthecritiquerangesfromeconomic,toethicaltopoliticalas-
pects,whichareunderstandablyofteninterconnected.
EconomiccritiqueofCSR
The longest standing critique states, that CSR cannot be of concern to companies, because a
companyisonlyresponsibletoitsshareholdersbysecuringprofitmaximization.Thus,companies
donotneedtoserveanyotherstakeholdersorinterests.In1958,TheodoreLevitt(1958)elabo-
ratedon the“Dangersof SocialResponsibility”encouragingbusinesspeople to stay focusedon
businessandnottobuyintotheneworthodoxyofcreatingan“almostspirituallyblissfulstateof
acooperativeandresponsibleenterprise”(ibid,42).
In1962MiltonFriedman(1962),thefamousUSeconomistandNobelPrizewinner,alsoopposed
theideathatbusinesspeopleareresponsibleforsocietalorenvironmentalissues.Thepointthat
leaderswouldhaveasocialresponsibilitybeyondservingtheirstakeholders“showsafundamen-
talmisconceptionofcharacterandnatureofafreeeconomy”(Friedmann,1962,133).Friedman
(1970)evensawbusinesspeoplewhowouldact“ascivilservants”asathreatandbetrayaltoa
company,becausetheironlyinterestsshouldbethecompany.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 85
Iacknowledgethiscritiquebecauseonecannotgivemoneyonedoesnothavetooutsidepeople
orcauseswithoutbeing legitimizedtodoso.However, I considerFriedman’sviewasoutdated,
becausemanycompaniesincorporateCSRintheirstrategicroadmapandperceiveitasabusiness
goaltosupportsocietyand/ortheenvironment,thusactingwiththeauthorizationofthecompa-
ny.
Nonetheless,Khan,KakabadseandKakabadse(2015)seeCSRevenbecomingasignificanttrade
barrierbetweencountrieswithdivergentgovernancesystemsandlevelsofCSRimplementation.
TheystatethatCSRwouldhinderfreetrade:IfacountryensureshighstandardsofCSR,compa-
niesinothercountriescouldhesitatetodealwiththemortoinvestinsuchcountries.
CSR itself can evenbe counterproductive, especiallywhen it comes CSR reporting. Particularly
smallormediumsizedcompaniessee itasachallengeofCSRtodevotetoomanyresources in-
ternallytoCSRreporting,insteadofdoingsomethinggoodfortheoutsideworld(Fassin2008).
EthicalcritiqueofCSR
Another rather fundamental critique is stated by J. Hans van Osterhout and Pursey Heugens
(2008)inanarticleentitled“Muchadoaboutnothing.”TheycriticizethatCSRcannotbeseenas
atheoreticalconcept insocialoreconomicsciencesas itdoesnotholduptoacademicstand-
ards.Bycontrast,theyseeCSRasonlyhaving“mobilizingqualities,”whileitactsasa“realworld
focalpointformanagerialinitiativesatthebusinesssocietyinterface”(ibid.215).
PeterFlemingandMarcV.Jones(2013)negatetheabovestatement,arguingthatCSRhaseven
lostitsmobilizingqualities,teethandradicalismbybecomingaservanttocompaniesinsteadof
reformingthem.CSR,astheystate,israther“astepbackwardsthanaprimarymoveforwardsto
somefuturestateofsocialjustice”(FlemingandJones2013,position386).
Banerjee(2007,64)criticizesCSRasaformofhubrisbecause“CSRstakeholdermanagementisto
keep the stakeholders quietwhile decisions aremade elsewhere.” The argument that CSR has
overtimebecomeabandaid(Fleming2009)or“opiumforthemasses”(FlemingandJones,2013
position 1036) is supported by claims about themisuse of CSR as amere public relations tool
(Hopkins2008)withoutrealorsignificantimpactonsociety.
Connected to the above argument is the complaint that CSR is only relevant for corporations
when they can see an economic advantage for themselves (Bowen 2014;Delmas and Burbano
2011; Cho and Roberts 2010). Or even more radically, CSR is mainly about green- or blue-
washingacompany’simage(HeidbrinkandSeele2007;PopeandWæraas2016).
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 86
For example, companies pretend to produce eco-friendly products to gain customers (e.g.
Bluemotioncars fromVolkswagenAG),butuponcloser inspectionone learns that theproducts
do not hold true to real eco-friendly standards. Such examples includeOpel and VW,which in
2010 used green and blue slogans thatwere deceptive andmisleading. VWused an advertise-
ment of its Phaeton sedan, stating that the carwouldonly produceminimal air pollution, thus
keepingone’sconscienceclear.However,thisadvertisementwasonlyincomparisontotheprior
Phaetonmodel,whichproducedmassiveamountsofCO2,nottomentionthemostcurrentemis-
sionscandalstartingwithVW.56
AnotherexampleisNestle,whichseesitselfasengagedinwaterpreservationandboastsofmany
such initiatives on its CSR website (see: http://www.nestle.com/csv/water). However, Nestles’
waterbottlingactivitiesandextensivedrillinginPakistancausednearbyvillagestohavelesswa-
terbecausetheirlocalwellsdriedasthewaterlevelfellfrom90mto130munderground.57
Ahelpful resource todetectandchallengeunethicalbehaviorofbusinessesanda thorough re-
portingistheinitiative“PublicEyeonDavos,”whichsince2000hasbeenacountereventtothe
WorldEconomicForum“awarding”poorbusinesspractices.58
PoliticalcritiqueofCSR
Onaratherindividuallevel,criticalvoicesdonotseecorporateleadersaspoliticallycompetent,
empathicoragileenoughtoactuallytakeuptheroleofasocialorenvironmentalagent(Davis
1973; Carroll and Buchholtz 2002;Mintzberg 1983). They argue thatmanagers know about fi-
nanceandoperations,butdonothavethenecessarypracticalandemotionalexpertisetohandle
CSRrelatedtopics.Iseethisargumentasoutdated,becausemanagersparticularlyinthelastdec-
adehavehadto–likepoliticians–dealwithmanyissues,fromthecomplexityofglobalization,to
thespeedofdigitalizationandtheambiguityofchange.
Furtherpoliticalcritique is focusedonCSRstillnotbeing integratedenough.SuccessfulCSRap-
proachestoday–asAhenandZettinig(2015)argue–needtobemorepragmaticandintegrated
into a context-bound “sustainable value co-creation.” Additionally, internal multi-stakeholder
companystructuresshouldbe implementedtobettersupportCSRpurposes (HussainandMori-
arty2016;SchererandPalazzo2007).
Lastly,most of the current critiquesof CSR argue fromamoreholistic and radical perspective.
Theydemand fundamental changes in thepowerdynamicsandbalanceswithinandbetween56https://www.nachhaltigkeit.info/artikel/greenwashing_1710.htm,March25,201557 seeMovie:http://www.bottledlifefilm.com/index.php/home-en.html58 http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Eye_on_DavosaccessesMarch31,2015
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 87
corporations, governments and civil society tomake CSRwork (Fougère and Solitander 2009;
Banerjee 2014; Sandoval 2015; Ahen and Zettinig 2015; Hussain andMoriarty 2016). Banerjee
(2014)callsforamoredemocraticcontroloverglobaleconomicpoliciesandtheneedtocreatea
new species of organizations integrating the social into the economic, ultimately as Sandoval
states(2015,12)turningcompaniesinto“RSCs,”responsiblesocialcorporations”.
4.4 TrendsofCSR
Frommypracticalexperienceandencounterswithjuniorleaders,italsoseemsthattheup-and-
coming generations understand CSR as an integral part of doing business. Accordingly, the so-
called “Generation Y” has a very strong set of values that support CSR topics which in the
Deloitte's2016MillennialsurveyresultscanbereviewedandisshownalsoinFig.25.
Fig.25: 2016DeloitteMillennialSurvey:Millennialswouldprioritizethesenseofpurposearound
peopleratherthangrowthorprofitmaximization
Source:2016DeloitteMillenialReportavailableonlinehttp://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-millenial-survey-2016-exec-summary.pdf-accessedJuly,2016.
Italsoseemsthatnon-academicmagazines,handbooks,conferences,websites,etc.regardingCSR
areincreasinglygrowing,asifthereissocietalpressureoncompaniestoactmoreresponsibly.For
instance, the German magazine “enorm” (enorm-magazin.de) uses since 2010 the slogan
“Wirtschaft.Gemeinsam.Denken”meaning“Tothink.Economy.Together”.
In India,the“CSRTimes.com”,amagazinethatexclusivelyfocusesonCSRtopics,hasbeenrun-
ningsince2013. InSouthAfrica, theconsulting firm“Trialogue” (www.trialogue.co.za)produces
anannualhandbookoncorporatesocial investments,summarizingprogressandshowingstatis-
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 88
tics.Inaddition,increasinglymoreconferencesandCSR-relatedwebsitesseemtobeemergingin
allregionsoftheworld.
AlloftheseandmanyotheractivitiesalikeshowthatCSRtopicsreachawideraudienceandcon-
tinuetobecomemore“mainstream”,whichIconsideraspromisingdespiteallthechallenges.
It is also interesting to observe the introduction of new organizational structure in companies.
Thatmeans firmsparticularly larger firmsfromAmazontoUnileverhavededicatedCSRdepart-
ments or the function of a Chief Sustainability Officer or a Chief Caring Officer (Robert Strand
2013).
CSRmaturity
This speaks to growingmaturity of the CSR concept which is referred to by Schneider (2012).
Schneiderpointsout,thatCSRcanbeforsomecompaniesonlyaboutcompliance,adheringtoin-
ternalandexternalregulations.Forothers,CSRcanbemainlyaboutphilanthropy,spendingchari-
tymoneytotheircommunity.Morematurecompanies,however,applyCSRasanembeddedap-
proachintheircompanystrategy(Galbreath2009).ThismeansthatCSRisarelevantfactorcon-
cerninghowbusinessisdone,itiscompletelyintegratedintothecompany’svaluechainandbe-
longstotheDNAoftheorganization.
Schneider’smodel (2012,29)ascanbeseen inFig.26belowprovidesanoverviewofdifferent
maturitylevelsforCSR.Thelevelsareideallynotexclusivebutratheradditive,startingwithpure-
ly legal CSR and growing to proactive CSR,meaning that a company can be a relevant political
playerinshapingCSRforthebenefitofsocietywhileadheringtolegalregulations,beingphilan-
thropicandcreatingCSRvaluethroughinternalsystematicstrategiesandmanagement.
Fig.26: MaturitylevelsofCSR
Source:adaptedfromSchneider2012,29
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 89
FurthermaturitydescriptionsbyStrandberg(2002,6)andVisser(2011)alsodescribeCSRmaturi-
ty indifferentstages.Themessage,however,staysthesame:Themorecorporationsandother
organizationsunderstandthemselvesasholistic,collaborative,(pro)-activeandinternallyaswell
asexternallyinvolved,themoreimpactCSRwillhave.Carroll’s(2016)ownrevisionofhispyramid
asstatedearlierinthischapteralsoprovesthistrendaswellasthechallengeandconstructivecri-
tiquesfromBanerjee(2014)andSandoval(2015).
CSRTrendsForecast
The trends forecast for CSR is debated lively in the academic and business world (Riess 2012;
Steger2008;Harwood,Humby,andHarwood2011).WayneVisser’s(2012)descriptionofthefol-
lowing10trendsforCSRsummarizesthempointedlyandmakesupforagoodconclusiononthis
chapteronchangesandtrends:
“Trend 1 – In the future, wewill seemost large, international companies havingmoved
throughthefirstfourtypesorstagesofCSR(defensive,charitable,promotionalandstrate-
gic)andpracticing,tovaryingdegrees,transformativeCSR,orCSR2.0.
Trend2–Inthefuture,relianceonCSRcodes,standardsandguidelinesliketheUNGlobal
Compact,ISO14001,SA8000,etc.,willbeseenasanecessarybutinsufficientwaytoprac-
ticeCSR.Instead,companieswillbejudgedonhowinnovativetheyareinusingtheirprod-
uctsandprocessestotacklesocialandenvironmentalproblems.
Trend 3 – In the future, self-selecting ‘ethical consumers’ will become less relevant as a
forceforchange.Companies–stronglyencouragedbygovernmentpoliciesandincentives
–willscaleuptheirchoice-editing,i.e.ceasingtooffer‘lessethical’productranges,thusal-
lowingguilt-freeshopping.
Trend4–Inthefuture,cross-sectorpartnershipswillbeattheheartofallCSRapproaches.
Thesewillincreasinglybedefinedbybusinessbringingitscorecompetenciesandskills(ra-
therthanjustitsfinancialresources)totheparty,asWal-Martdidwithitslogisticscapabil-
ityinhelpingtodistributeaidduringHurricaneKatrina.
Trend5–Inthefuture,companiespracticingCSR2.0willbeexpectedtocomplywithglobal
best practice principles, such as those in the UN Global Compact or the Ruggie Human
RightsFramework,butsimultaneouslydemonstratesensitivitytolocalissuesandpriorities.
AnexampleisminingandmetalsgiantBHPBilliton,whichhavestrongclimatechangepoli-
ciesglobally,aswellasmalariapreventionprogramsinSouthernAfrica.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 90
Trend6–Inthefuture,progressivecompanieswillberequiredtodemonstratefulllifecycle
management of their products, from cradle-to-cradle.Wewill seemost large companies
committing to thegoalof zero-waste, carbon-neutral andwater-neutral production,with
mandatedtake-backschemesformostproducts.
Trend 7 – In the future, much like the Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP),
some formofGenerallyAcceptedSustainabilityPractices (GASP)willbeagreed, including
consensusprinciples,methods,approachesandrulesformeasuringanddisclosingCSR.Fur-
thermore,asetofcredibleCSRratingagencieswillhaveemerged.
Trend 8 – In the future,many of today’s CSR practiceswill bemandatory requirements.
However,CSRwillremainavoluntarypractice–aninnovationanddifferentiationfrontier–
forthosecompaniesthatareeitherwillingandable,orpushedandproddedthroughnon-
governmentalmeans, togoaheadof the legislation to improvequalityof lifearound the
world.
Trend9– Inthefuture,corporatetransparencywilltakeformofpubliclyavailablesetsof
mandatory disclosed social, environmental and governance data – available down to a
product lifecycle impact level–aswellasWeb2.0collaborativeCSRfeedbackplatforms,
WikiLeaks type whistleblowing sites and product rating applications (like the GoodGuide
iPhoneapp).
Trend 10 – In the future, CSRwill have diversified back into its specialist disciplines and
functions, leaving littleornoCSRdepartmentsbehind,yethavingmorespecialists inpar-
ticularareas(climate,biodiversity,humanrights,communityinvolvement,etc.),andmore
employeeswithknowledgeofhowto integrateCSRissues intotheirfunctionalareas(HR,
marketing,finance,etc.)”
4.5 Summary
Goingforward,IwouldwishforthetopicofCSRamoresolidscientificbasis.Inmyopinion,CSR
willalsohavetocontinuouslyfightthestruggletobeimplementedinanhonestandtrulysocially
contributingway.Companieswillneedtoassessinwhatwaytheywanttobepartofchangingthe
economiccontexttheyareoperatingintogivethesuccessfulimplementationofCSRachance.
Nonetheless, despite all such challenges,CSR is vital in the realworld today and its continued
successwillbedecidedbyhowinvolved leaderswillengage inthistopicandhowwell theywill
handlethetensionofservingsocietyandenvironmentwhileaddingtotheircompanies’value.
4OntheconceptofCorporateSocialResponsibility 91
Sometimesthiswillnotonlymeancompromisesbetweenthetwopoles,butinsomesituationsa
cleardecisiontowardsoneortheotherpole,albeitneverleaningtoomuchtooneextreme.
Theimageofatightropewalkercomestomind,whoalsohastocontinuouslymoveandremainin
motion,becauseanextrememovementwillcausehimtolosehisbalance.Accordingly,livingCSR
asacompanyisquiteabalancingact,whichrequiresbothcourageandfocus.
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 92
OneofthesayingsinourcountryisUbuntu….wethinkofourselvesfartoofre-
quentlyasjustindividuals,separatedfromoneanother,whereasyouarecon-
nectedandwhatyoudoaffectsthewholeworld.Whenyoudowell,itspreads
out;itisforthewholeofhumanity.
DesmondTutu
5 CorporateSocialResponsibilityin
SouthAfrica
IchoseSouthAfricaformyinquiryfortwomainreasons:Firstly, Ihavegreatexperiences,fond
memoriesandstillpersonaltiestowardsthiscountry.Intheyear2000IspenthalfayearinSouth
AfricaworkingforMercedesBenzinEastLondonandPretoria.SincethenIhavereturnednumer-
oustimesforprivatetripsandforbusinessreasonsandacuriousinterestandlovehasgrownand
isstillgrowing.Iamimpressedwiththecountry'snaturalbeauty,withitshelpfulandkindpeople,
while Iamequallyawareabout its struggleonmanysocietal,politicalandeconomic levels.My
hopeinchoosingSouthAfricaforthisinquirywastocollaboratewithdifferentCSRmanagersand
lineleadersinordertocreatesomethingbeneficialthatcouldstrengthenCSRpracticesinSouth
Africaandthuscontributetothecountry’shealthygrowth.
SecondlyIchoseSouthAfricaforitsuniquepositionamongstotheremergingmarketsontheAf-
ricancontinent.Sincetheendofapartheid,thecountry'seconomicdevelopmenthasbeenquite
uniqueandasuccessstoryforfastgrowth.59SouthAfrica’seconomyhasbeenthelargestinAfri-
ca for decades, only to be surpassed by Nigeria in early 2014. South Africa, despite its slower
growth in the last 4 years, is still regardedas the “go to country”when it comes to foreign in-
vestmentandtouristtravelsontheAfricancontinent60.
In emergingmarkets like SouthAfrica companymanagers are often required to quickly deliver
high growth rates, thus they feel pressured to perform strongly. In addition, emergingmarket
countries often are known for high corruption, thus the temptation formanagersmay also be
59 http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/southafrica/overviewand
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG,bothaccessed6September201560 „NigeriasurpassesSouthAfricaascontinent'sbiggesteconomy“,6April2014,
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/04/06/nigeria-gdp-idINDEEA3506J20140406,accessed8August2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 93
highertobendcompliancerulesinordertomakequickmoney.61AtthesametimeCSRtopicsare
on the rise in emergingmarkets, often pushed by international headquarters. Thus, managers
mustandhopefully alsowant tobemoreawareofCSRbehaviorand compliantwith rulesand
regulations.Inmyview,managersinemergingmarketslikeSouthAfricafacethedifficulttaskto
handlethetensionbetweendeliveringfastgrowthnumbersanddemonstratingCSRbehavior.My
particular interest was to find out whatmotivates leaders in South Africa to comply with CSR
normsneverthelessandwhatmotivatesthemtodriveCSRintheirorganizations.
SouthAfrica’spoliticalbackgroundisalsouniquewiththeApartheidregimerulingfrom1948until
1994. The firstdemocratic elections in1994broughtabout important legislative changesanda
rangeof innovativelaws.Thenewlyadoptedandverymodernconstitutioniscomplementedby
variousactsandcodesofconduct.Aswewillseelater,thesecodesarefrequentlyrelatedtoCSR
topics,turningSouthAfricaintoaforerunnerwithregardstoCSRontheAfricancontinent.
Lastbutnotleast,theleadershipofNelsonMandelawasmarkedbymanycharacteristicsthatare
alsoknownasCSRleadershipqualities,suchasbeingvisionary,nevergivingup,showingendur-
ance,gritanddetermination,practicingforgivenessandunderstanding,beinghumbleandhaving
amissionbeyondoneself,suchasbelievinginthepeacefulco-existenceofdiverseopinionsand
cultures (Wilson, LenssenandHind2006;Angus-Leppan,Metcalf, andBenn2010;Visser2008).
StartingmyinquiryprojectIassumedthatwithsuchaleadershiprolemodel,CSRwouldprobably
bemoreprominentinSouthAfricathaninanyotherAfricancountry.
Theremainderofthischapterisstructuredasfollows.AtfirstIwilllistafewgeneralfactsabout
thecountry.ThenIwillelaborateontheuseandmeaningofthetermCSR intheSouthAfrican
context.Subsequently,Iwilltalkaboutthepoliticalandlegalcontext,aswellastheeconomical,
andsocial&culturalsituationinSouthAfricaandIwilldelineatehowthesecountry-specificcir-
cumstancesaffectthedevelopmentofCSR.Trends,aswellassupportiveandhinderingfactorsfor
thepromotionofCSRinSouthAfricawillbeidentifiedandwillclosethischapter.
61 SouthAfricahasacorruptionindexof44(=beinghighlycorrupt,100beingveryclean).Itranksonposition67outof
175states,thuslocatedinthemiddle:https://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results,accessed6September2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 94
5.1 SouthAfricacountryfacts
SouthAfricaispartofSub-SarahAfricaandtodayhasroughly54millioninhabitants,outofwhich
80.2%areBlackAfricans,8.8%Colored,8.4%Whitesand2.5%IndiansorAsians.62Themajorityof
thepopulation(closeto80%)isChristianandthecountryhaselevenofficiallanguages.SouthAf-
ricaisaboutthreetimesthesizeofGermanyanditssurfaceareaof1.200.000sqkmisdividedin-
to9provinces.TheadministrativecapitalisPretoria.
SouthAfricaisaparliamentaryrepublic.TheAfricanNationalCongress(ANC)hasbeentheruling
partysince theendofapartheid in1994. Itmainly representsblackvoters. In the lastelections
heldinMay2014,theANCwon62.2%ofthevotes,whilethemainoppositionparty,theDemo-
craticAlliance(DA)andtheEconomicFreedomFightersSouthAfrica,won22.2%and6.4%ofthe
votes63.InrecentyearstheANChasconstantlybeenlosingforce.Itwillbeinterestingtoseeifthe
partycankeeptheloyaltyofitsconstituency,giventhetougheconomicsituationinthecountry
andthecontinuingcorruptionissuesaroundPresidentZuma.
5.2 DefiningCSRinSouthAfrica
IwascurioustofindoutwhetherdefinitionsofCSRinSouthAfricadifferedfromotherregionsin
anyspecificway.However, therelevantacademic literature (Hamannetal.2005;Ramlall2012;
Visser,Magureanu,andKarina2015)doesnotpointtoanyparticulardifference.ThetermCSRis
used inageneralmannerwithoutanyspecification for theSouthAfricancase.Yet,when Iwas
lookingforothersources,suchascompanyorNGOwebsites,IfoundoutthatthetermCorporate
SocialInvestment(CSI)isinfactmorefrequentlyusedthanthetermCSR.Andnotonlytheword-
ingisdifferent.LookingathowCSIisusedasatermandappliedbycompanies,itbecomesclear
thatCSIisprimarilyaboutphilanthropicactivitiesandcharity.Onlyaminorfractionoftheactivi-
tiesisconcernedwithacompany'sownvaluechain,andcanthusbeclassifiedasCSRmeasures.
JonathanHanks(2009),whoisengagedinsharedvalueconsultinginSouthAfrica,summarizesthe
differencebetween themore 'inward looking' approachofCSRand themore 'outward-looking'
approach of CSI as follows: “While CSR refers to how an organizationmakes itsmoney, CSI is
abouthowitspendssomeofitsmoney”.
62 Cf.http://beta2.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0302/P03022014.pdf,accessed6September201563 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa,accessed6September2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 95
Themore 'outward-looking'philanthropic approach of SouthAfrican companies is for example
clearly reflected in theCSIdefinitionofMondi, abig SouthAfricanpaper company: “Corporate
social investment (CSI) is defined as contributions (either monetary, employee time and re-
sources,orgifts inkind)whichbringbenefitsoverandabovethosedirectlyassociatedwithour
corebusinessactivities”64Nedbank,oneofthelargestbanksinSouthAfrica,alsostatesonitsCSR
websitehowmuchitexternallyinvested:“TheNedbankFoundationisresponsibleforthelargest
portionofthebank’sCSIdisbursement,whichis42.5millionRandin2012,or41%oftotalcontri-
butions.”65Again,nointernalreferenceismade;thefocusisonlyonexternalspendings.
NotwithstandingthedifferencebetweenwhatisinternationallyunderstoodtobeCSRandwhatis
locallydefinedasCSIprograms,duringmytwofieldtripsIrealizedthatSouthAfricancompanies
in factequatetheirCSIactivitieswithCSRandsustainability,eventhoughtheseactivitiesmight
simplybeactsofcharity,unrelatedtobusinesspractices.Thus,youmightforexamplefindatex-
tilecompany that runsextensiveCSIprograms targetingHIVorphansor fundingeducationpro-
grams,whilemostoftheirclothesaremanufacturedbyunderpaidchildrenorillegalimmigrants;
their factories are polluting water and their business practices foster corruption. Hence, the
awarenessthatCSRisnotonlyaboutactsofcharitybutratheraboutrunningabusinessinasus-
tainablemanner,isnotyetfullyintegratedintotheSouthAfricanbusinesslandscape.Thismight
partlybeduetothe longhistoryofcorporatephilanthropicspending inthecountry. Infact,ac-
cordingtotheGrantThorntonreport(GrantThornton2014)SouthAfricancompaniesrankhigh-
estintheworldwhenitcomestothe“spiritofgiving”,evenbeforeUSAmericancompanies,that
likewisehavealongphilanthropictraditionasyoucanseeinfigure27.
Fig.27: DonatedMoneyperCountrytoCommunityCauses/Charities(TopTen)
Source:seeGrantThorntonreport2014,2
64 http://sd-report.mondigroup.com/2012/social/society/corporate-social-investment,accessed6September201565 http://www.csi.nedbank.co.za/csi/foundation,accessed6September
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 96
Furthermore,allmyinterviewpartnersfrombigmultinationalfirmsinSouthAfricatoldmethat
socialactivitieshavetraditionallybeenimportantforthem,evenbeforetherewereanynational
orinternationalcodesthaturgecompaniestocomplywithethicalstandards.Eventodaythis'in-
trinsicmotivation' toengage in social activities seems to liveon. In a survey conducted for the
GrantThorntonreport,only35%ofSouthAfricanfirmsstatedthateitherlegalpoliciesorpublic
pressurewereat thebaseof their corporate social activities (GrantThornton2014).Of course,
thiswidespread 'spiritofgiving'mightpartlybe inducedbythefactthattheSouthAfricangov-
ernment isneitheradequatelyorganizednorwellequipped toattend to socialneeds ina suffi-
cientmanner(Waldmanetal.2006).Agreatexamplewasthe inaugurationoftheNelsonMan-
delaSchoolinMay2014.SiemenshadfinancetheschoolandIcouldfeelthebuzzandprideofat
Siemens’employeesaboutitwhileIwasthereduringmysecondfieldtrip.
Tosumup,wecannotethatwhilethetermsCSRandCSIareoftenusedinterchangeablyinthe
SouthAfricanbusinessenvironment,themajorityofcompanies'CSIprogramsstillratherprovide
socialservicestocommunitiesthantargettheirownbusinesspracticestoreflectCSRstandards.
This legacyofphilanthropic spending isonly slowly changingwith thediffusionof international
CSRstandardsandinstrumentsinthecountry.Thus,IobservedthattheSouthAfricanbranchesof
internationalplayerssuchasVW,MercedesorGEseemedtobemoreconsciousofthedifference
betweenCSRandcharity,duetotheirEuropeanorAmericanmothercompanies.Thesecompa-
niesapply theprinciplesof international reporting standards suchasGlobalReporting Initiative
(GRI)66andrequestthatalsotheirlocalsubsidiariesactinaccordancewiththesestandards.Slow-
lybutsteadily,theseinternationalinfluencesarechangingthegeneralmeaningofCSIinSouth
Africa,movingawayfromthephilanthropicconnotationtoamorestrategic,internalandproac-
tive approach (Matthews 2014). As we will see in the following section, legislation in post-
apartheidSouthAfricahasinfactcreatedafertilegroundforthedevelopmentofmorestrategic
andsustainableCSRactivities.
66 FormoreinformationaboutGRIseehttps://www.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx,accessed8August2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 97
5.3 Thepoliticalandlegal/policycontextforCSRinpost-apartheidSouthAfrica
ThePreambletoSouthAfrica’s1994constitutionnotonlylaysthegroundfordemocracyinSouth
Africa,butalsofortheimplementationofmorestructuredandstrategicCSRapproaches,asStella
Vettori(2005)pointsout.Thepreamblestatesthattheconstitutionhasbeenadoptedinorderto
„improvethequalityofthelifeofallcitizens“67.This'promise'hasledtothecreationofcertain
codesofconductthatwereintroducedtofosterequalityinthepopulation,toimprovetheeduca-
tionandhealthsystemandtoboostthesocio-economicdevelopment.
InthefollowingIwillfocusonafewmajorpost-1994policiesthatareimportanttonotefortheir
impactonthedevelopmentofCSRinSouthAfricawhichMatthews(2014)andRamlall(2012)de-
scribeinmoredetail.
In1994NelsonMandelainitiatedthesocalledReconstructionandDevelopmentProgram(RDP)
whichwasintendedtohelpboosteconomicgrowthandcorrectinequalitiesresultingfromapart-
heid (Ramlall 2012,274 ff.). TheRDP, focusingonhousing, cleanwater, electrification, land re-
formandhealthcarewouldlinkgrowth,development,reconstruction,redistributionandrecon-
ciliationintoaunifiedprogram.68
In the same year, The King Report on Corporate Governance came to life. Issued by the King
CommitteeonCorporateGovernance,namedafterMervynE.King,aretiredsupremecourtjudge
whopresidedoverthecommittee,itwasthefirstcorporategovernancecodeinSouthAfricaand
thusgroundbreaking.Thereport isanon-legallybinding instrumentbasedonprinciplessuchas
leadership,sustainabilityandgoodcorporatecitizenship.Thus,theconnectiontoCSRactivitiesis
quiteobviousbecause itmeansthatthedutyofdirectorsofcompanies istoactnotonly inthe
bestinterestoftheirfirmsbutforagreatergood.
Compliance with the King Reports is a requirement for companies listed on the Johannesburg
StockExchange.The reporthasbeencitedas"themosteffectivesummaryof thebest interna-
tional governance practices in corporate governance“ (Smart and Creelman 2013, 221). In the
meantime,theKingReporthasbeenevolving,withKingIIissuedin2002andKingIIIin2009.The
mainchanges introducedbyKing III relate to thecompositionand roleof theboard, theboard
committeesand thenew topicon IT governanceand theneed topublishan integrated report.
67 ConstitutionoftheRepublicofSouthAfrica–Preamble,http://www.gov.za/documents/constitution-republic-south-
africa-1996-preamble,accessed6September201568 Formoredetailsee:“RDP-APolicyFramework”
https://www.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/index.php/site/q/03lv02039/04lv02103/05lv02120/06lv02126.htm,ac-cessed6September2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 98
Thoughdiscussed in different chapters, King III has emphasized the link and interplay between
ethics,corporatesocialresponsibility,governingstakeholderrelationshipsandintegratedreport-
ing.Inadditiontotheabove,themostcontentiouschangeisprobablytheapplicabilityofKingIII
toallentitiesregardlessofformofincorporation(Muwandi2010)69.
In 2003, a successor program toMandela's Reconstruction andDevelopment Programwas im-
plemented. Thenewprogram, calledBlackEconomicEmpowerment (BEE),was specifically de-
signedtoencourageblackownershipofcompanies,byarangeofmeasuresfromentrepreneurial
coursestofinancialsupportforstartups(Jackson,AllessandriandBlack2005)70.AsJennyCargill
(1999,34)explains:„In1995blacksstillownedlessthan1%ofthetotalmarketvalueoftheJo-
hannesburgStockExchange(JSE)andthusafocuswasputonthisfieldtochangethisinequality.
However, after a short time it became clear that BEEwould only help a few individuals to get
aheadandthemajorityofblackpeoplewouldnotbeabletobenefitfromtheprogram.Thus,in
2007theprogramwasextendedtotheBBBEEprogram(BroadBasedBlackEconomicEmpower-
ment).AsacornerstoneoftheSouthAfricanGovernment’seffortstoeducateandtrainthelarge
sectorof thepopulationthatwasdisadvantagedunderapartheid rule, itaimstoaccelerate the
participationofblackpeopleintheeconomybyencouragingchangeinthefollowingkeyareasof
business:
• Ownership:Theextenttowhichblackpeoplecaninfluencethestrategicdirectionofthe
business through their shareholding (ie, their voting rights in relationship to the total
shareholdervote).
• Managementandcontrol:Thisreferstotheproportionofblackpeoplewhocontrolthe
directionofthebusinessaswellasthoseintopmanagementwhocontrolday-to-dayop-
erations.
• Employmentequity:Itmeasurestherepresentationofblackpeopleateachmanagement
levelinabusiness.
• Skillsdevelopment:Itmeasuresabusiness’sinvestmentinthetraininganddevelopment
ofitsblackemployees.
• Preferentialprocurement:Thisfocusesontheaspectofonlybuyingfrombusinessesthat
have a high BBBEE score. Your suppliers’ ratings in turn depend on the ratings of their
69 ThefulltextofKingIIandKingIIIisavailableunder
https://www.saica.co.za/Technical/LegalandGovernance/King/tabid/2938/language/en-ZA/Default.aspx,accessed6September2015.FormoredetailsseealsoRossouw,VanderWattandMalanRossouw(2002)andMcGregor(2011).
70 ThiswasalsomentionedinaninterviewwithCordeliaSiegert,GermanChamberofCommerce,January15,2014,Jo-hannesburg.
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 99
suppliers,andsothepressuretobecomeBBBEEcompliantisspreadallthewaydownthe
valuechain.
• Enterprisedevelopment:Hereitcountshowmuchabusinessdoestosupportthecrea-
tionorgrowthofanotherBBBEEbusiness.
• Socio-Economic Development: The final element of the BBBEE scorecard is socio-
economicdevelopment–alsoreferredtoascorporatesocial investment.Generally,this
includes a company’s donations to charity, or involvement in industry-specific charity-
basedinitiatives.
Sevenyears later, inMay2015,theDepartmentofTradeandIndustry(DTI),responsibleforthe
BBBEEcode,consolidatedthecategoriesagain71.ThenowrelevantB-BBEERevisedCodesofGood
Practice(RCoGP)categoriesentail:
• Ownership
• ManagementControl(includingEmploymentEquity)
• SkillsDevelopment
• EnterpriseandSupplierDevelopment(formerlyPreferentialProcurementandEnterprise
Development)
• Socio-EconomicDevelopment72
Thisreductionwasdone“toensurethatownershipbyblackindividualswasgivengreaterpriority
bythebusinesscommunity”asChiefdirectoroftheDepartmentofTradeandIndustry,Takalani
Tambani said73. Thus, thisdevelopment implicatesgoingback to squareone,meaning to2003,
whenBEEhadfirstbeenintroducedwiththeintentiontotransfereconomicownershiptothema-
jorityofpeopleinthecountry,theblackpeople.
ItisimportanttonotethatBBBEEisnotlegallybindingfortheprivatesector.However,ifcompa-
niesdonotcomplywiththeBBBEEregulations,theywillmissoutonalotofbusinessopportuni-
ties, because the public and governmental sectors can only collaboratewith organizations that
adhere to the BBBEE regulations. Thus, the private sector is indirectly bound to BBBEE if they
want to be considered for businesswith public and governmental organizations (Ramlall 2012,
JackandHarris2007;AryaandBassi2011)74.
71 https://www.thedti.gov.za/gazzettes/B_BBEE_38799.pdf,accessed6September201572 LargecompaniesneedtoputaspecialfocusonOwnership,SkillsDevelopment,Enterprise&SupplierDevelopment73 „BBEcodechangeshocksindustry“byCarolPatoninBusinessDayLive,7May2015,
http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/trade/2015/05/07/bee-code-change-shocks-industry,accessed6Sept.201574 FormoredetailsontheBBBEEseetheofficialwebsite:
https://www.thedti.gov.za/economic_empowerment/bee.jsp,accessed6September2015.
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 100
I canandwillnotdive further into theBBBEEscorecardsystem.This systemhascreateda tre-
mendousconsultancyindustryinSouthAfricaduetoitscomplexity.Particularlythelatestversion
of2015hascreatedquitesomeconfusionthatisstillbeingsolved(Steynt2015).Thiscomplexity
and confusionholds also true for international CSR related scoring systems, such as theGlobal
ReportingInitiative(GRI).Whilethepositivesideofsuchreportinginitiativesisthattheyhelpto
focusonandmonitorCSRissues,thedownsideisthatcompaniesoftenfeeloverburdenedwith
the reporting standards and reporting is sometimes just done to check the boxes of voluntary
compliance.AttheFirstAnnualConferenceonGlobalReporting3.0that IattendedinBerlinon
September6,2013,thiswasalsooneofthemajordiscussionpoints.TheSouthAfricanBBBEEre-
portingseemstobebesetbythesameproblem.InSouthAfricaRalfHamannevenspeaksabouta
“conductfatigue”(Hamann2008,6).
The success of the BBBEE code was and still is controversially debated (Mbeki 2009; Jackson,
Alessandri,andBlack2005).Somecommentatorspointoutthepositiveeffectssuchas„training,
training,training”75,„rigorandfocus“toworkagainstinequality76orsimplyawareness(Jackand
Harris2007).Othersidentifyproblems,suchasthelimitedrangeofbeneficiariesorthefactthat
theBBBEEcausedanunhealthyquotasystemthatputs insufficientlyqualifiedblackpeople into
managerial positions. Hamann even states provocatively that the BBBEE has become an “elite
pact” between the new governing elite and the corporate sector “sidelining the poor” (see
Hamann2008).Opponentsof theBBBEE systemargue thatdue to thecurrent lackofqualified
blackpeoplecompaniesstruggletofindsuitablecandidates.Thus,eitherunqualifiedpeopleare
tryingtodothework,asmentionedabove,orevenworse:blackemployeesgetofficiallyhiredin-
tomanagementpositionsbutdonotreallydothework.Sometimescompaniesusefalsecreden-
tialstocomplywiththeguidelines.Thispracticeiscalled“fronting“andisillegal77.
Alsoamongmyconversationduring the fieldtrips,BBBEEwasdebatedverydifferently.Noneof
theexecutiveshowever,nomatter,ifblackornon-blackwerefullysupportingthelatestchanges.
Theyarguedthatsomeoftheregulationshadreachedadegreethatcausesre-discriminationand
arenotreallycreatingaddedvalue.AnexecutivefromMunichRE78sharedanexampleofwherea
blackmiddlemanfirmhadtobeused(togainBBBEEpoints),yetfromabusinesspointofviewit
wouldhavebeenmuchcheaperifMunichRehadcontinuetodotheactivityitself.Inthatsense
hesaid,this isnotsustainablevaluecreation,butartificialworkemploymentthatwillnotbring
thecountryforward.75 InterviewwithRalfFranke,seniorexecutiveatKühne&Nagel,January11,2014,Johannesburg76 InterviewwiththeCSRManagerofBMW,January28,2014Johannesburg77 InterviewwithlegalcounselAvanade,January24,2014inJohannesburgandRamlall(2012,277)78 InterviewwithRolfWeber,MunichRe,February2014inJohannesburg.
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 101
Tosumup,theimplementationoftheabovedescribedpoliciesandcodesofconducthavegiven
CSRamoreprominent role inSouthAfricacompared tootherAfricancountries.TheBlackEm-
powerment history has been amajor driver for the initiation of CSRprojects particularly those
onesintheareaofsocio-economicdevelopment(Chahoudetal.2011).The2015revisionofthe
BBBEEprogramcouldprospectively leadtoamorematureandstrategicCSRapproach inSouth
Africa,awayfromthephilanthropicorientation.Amongotherthings,thegovernmentisnowpri-
oritizing the professionalization of organizations. This puts the internal processes of companies
andtheirsuppliersunderincreasedscrutiny.
BesidestheBBBEEprogram,however,thepublicsectorisnotmuchinvolvedinthemonitoringof
CSRactivities(Schaller2007).Thereisalackofcompetenceandcoordinationatthegovernment
levelandprivateconsultanciesandresearchinstitutesaremoreandmorefillingthisgap.
5.4 Economictransitionandcompanies'CSRinvolvement
SouthAfrica isthesecondrichestcountry inAfrica,constantlyfightingwithNigeriaforthepole
position.AtthesametimeSouthAfricahasaveryhighGini-coefficient,indicatingsevereinequal-
ity.In2014,theGini-coefficientreached65outof100andwasinfactthehighestintheworld.79
In the graph below theGini-coefficient is correlatedwith South Africa's unemployment rate of
36%ofthelaborforce.Comparedtoothercountriesthatsufferfromhighinequalityandunem-
ployment,SouthAfricascoresbyfartheworst.
79http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI,accessed19August2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 102
Fig.28: SouthAfrica’sunemploymentincontext
Source:20YearsofFreedom,AGoldmannSachsPublicationfromNovember2013,page32,availableonline,accessedJanuary2015
DuringmytimeinSouthAfricaInoticedconcernandirritationaboutthisfact.Businesspeopleare
gettingimpatient,externalinvestorswonderwhereallthespendingandinvestmentisgoingand
PresidentZumaandhiscabinetisunderpressurebecauseoftheongoinginequality,highunem-
ploymentandcorruption.
SouthAfrica'seconomyhastraditionallybeenbasedontheso-calledprimarysector,theexploi-
tationofnaturalresources.Thisincludesagriculture,forestry,fishingandmining.Manufacturing,
as the secondary sector, is quite stableand still plays an important role. Since theearly1990s,
however,theserviceindustry,theso-calledtertiarysector,hasgainedimportance,slowlydirect-
ingSouthAfricatowardsa“knowledge-basedeconomy”.80
Theunionmovement is quite powerful in SouthAfrica anddoes fight for (Hamann2004). The
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), founded in 1985, organizes half a million
workersin33unions.ItisinterestingtonotethatunderNelsonMandela’spresidencytherewasa
timeof complete laborpeacewhereasunderThaboMbeki and JacobZuma laborunrestshave
beenrising.OverallthepresidencyofMr.Mandelahadapeacefulinfluenceonthecountrywhere
underZumas’presidencythecountryseemstobeinggoingbackwardsonmanylevels,economi-
callyandethically.
80 „SouthAfrica’seconomy:keysectors“,MediaClubSouthAfrica,
http://www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com/component/content/article/37-economy/economy-bg/111-sa-economy-key-sectors#ixzz3WqQPDWxN,accessed6September2015andInternationalDevelopmentCorporation(2013)
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 103
TheJohannesburgStockExchange(JSE)isthefirstofitskindinanemergingmarkettodevelopa
sustainabilityindexforitstop160listedcompanies.TheJSESociallyResponsibleInvestment(SRI)
Indexpromotessustainableandtransparentbusinesspracticesandhasevolvedconstantlysinceit
waslaunchedinMay2004.ListedcompaniesintheFTSE(FinancialTimesStockExchange)/JSEAll
Shareindexarereviewedannuallyforasetofenvironmental,socialandgovernance(ESG)stand-
ards. In2013, the companies that scoredhighestwereAngloAmericanPlatinumLimited, Illovo
Sugar Limited, Nedbank Limited, Standard Bank Group, Steinhoff International and Vodacom
GroupLimited.81WiththisongoingeffortoftheJSE,theSouthAfricanStockexchangehopesto
enhancethesocialresponsibilityofitsmembers(DawkinsandNgunjiri2008).
After almost two decades of transition from apartheid to democracy, South Africa is still in a
stateofeconomic transition.Onlyaminorityofpeoplehasbenefited fromeconomicgrowth in
thecountryandtheeconomyiscurrentlystagnating.Onamacrolevel,theNationalDevelopment
Planfor2030(NationalPlanningCommission2012)stillseestheprioritiesinthreeareas82:
• Raisingemploymentthroughfastereconomicgrowth
• Improvingthequalityofeducation,skillsdevelopmentandinnovation
• Buildingthecapabilityofthestatetoplayadevelopmental,transformativerole.
WithrespecttoCSRdevelopmentsinthecountry,thesethreeobjectivesstillleavemuchroomfor
theprivatesector toprovide financial supportanddonations.Most likely,companieswill try to
combinetheirclassicalCSRinvestmentwithgainingpointsintheBBBEEsystem.WhenIspoke,for
examplewith Siemens,Mercedes andVWabout howmy inquiry could benefit them, I noticed
thattheywouldappreciateideasthathelpedthemtogainasmanyBBBEEpointsaspossible83.
DuetothefactthatmanySouthAfricanministerialdepartmentsdonotseemtomakeconsidera-
bleprogressintheeducationorhealthsector,manyprivatecompaniesstillfeelobligedtofillthe
gap.A2013/2014studyfromTrialogue,involving99companiesactiveinSouthAfrica,foundout
81 The2015winnerswillbeannouncedendof2016.Seehttps://www.jse.co.za/services/market-data/indices/socially-
responsible-investment-index,accessed22August201682 Ourfuture:Makeitwork.TheNationalDevelopmentPlan2030,ExecutiveSummaryproducedbytheNationalPlan-
ningCommitteein2012. http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/Executive%20Summary-NDP%202030%20-%20Our%20future%20-%20make%20it%20work.pdfaccessedinSeptember2015,page17.
83 TheseconversationscreatedmyideatocombineHRandCSRactivitiestogainmoreBBBEEpointsandofferaprojectthatcouldmaximizeBBBEEpoints.IwroteadraftandpresentedittotheCSRmanagerswhotookitupforconsider-ation-seedocumentinappendix8.
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 104
thatCSRspendingismostlydirectedateducation84,communitydevelopmentandhealth,andis
motivatedbymoralimperative,reputationalconcernsandtheBBBEEcode(Matthews2014).
Fig.29: DriversforCorporateSocialInvestment
Source:CSIHandbookfromTrialogueonlineavailablehttp://trialogue.co.zaaccessedFebruary2015
ThisfitsagaintomyfindingsfromtheconversationswiththeCSRManagerswhosharedwithme
thatbesidethepressureofBBBEE,theircompanieshadalwaysbeeninvolvedinCSRactivities,
themomenttheirstartingdoingbusinessinSouthAfrica.TherelentlessdrivefromaGermanex-
ecutiveatKühne&NagelwhoresidesinSouthAfricasince20yearsmarriedtoaSouthAfricanis
alsoagreatexample.Hecontinuestoinfluencewithcertainnationalpartnerstheintroductionof
adualapprenticeshipsystem,becauseasoftodayschoolstudentswhofinishtheMatric(South
Africanhighschooldiploma)canonlygotouniversityortheydonothaveachanceforanother
qualifiednexteducationlevel.
Multinationaland inparticularGermancompanies,consideringpost-apartheidSouthAfricaasa
safehavenfortheirbusinessactivitiesontheAfricancontinent,haveplayedanimportantrolein
theeconomicdevelopmentof thecountry.Manyof these internationalplayershave started to
employ local CSR managers (Strand 2013), as do local companies. However, according to the
companiesthatIspoke,theCSRdepartment isusuallyrathersmall.Thereisoftenonlyoneem-
ployee,eitherreportingtoHR,FinanceorCommunications.Theprofessionalqualificationofthe
84 SearchingandcomparingtheCSRwebsitesofBayer,BMW,Mercedes,SiemensandVW,itwasobviousthatthema-
jorityoftheirprojectsisinthefieldofeducationandlearning,e.g.the7outofthe12CSRinitiativesMercedesarefocusedoneducation.
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 105
CSRmanagerswasinmyviewquitediverseandIwassometimeswondering,iflocalCSRstaffhad
simplybeenhiredtoadheretothequota.However,asoneoftheCSRresponsiblesatMercedes
said: “OurCSRdepartmentwasbrought intoexistence about6 years agoand this has led to a
muchmore strategicpushofour activities”. This effect ismost likely true for all otherCSRde-
partmentsandthusencouragingnewstowardsamorestrategicCSRdialogue.
5.5 SocialandculturalinfluencesonCSRinSouthAfrica
SouthAfricaischaracterizedbyahighculturalandsocialdiversity.Inadditiontotheindigenous
majority there are people of European, Indian andMalaysian descent.With eleven official lan-
guages,SouthAfricaisoftenreferredtoastherainbownation.Theagedistributionisquitetypi-
calofanemergingmarket.Youngeragepopulationisdominantinthepyramid,whereasinmore
saturatedmarkets,suchasGermany,thepyramidisputupsidedown.Asyoucanseeinthegraph
below,themajorityofpeopleinSouthAfricaareagedbetween20and30years.Accordingtomy
opinion, this isan interestingaspect, since it is the firstgeneration thatdidnotgrowup in the
apartheidsystem.Hence, thisgenerationmightnotbeas influencedbytheracediscussionand
black empowermentmovement as previous generations, leaving room for the discussionof di-
versesocietalissues,includingCSR.
Fig.30: SouthAfrica’sPopulationPyramidin2014
Source:CIAWorldFactbookfromJune2015availableonlineonwww.indexmuni.com,accessedJuly2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 106
Comparedtootheremergingmarkets,thewelfaresystemofSouthAfricaisquitewellfunctioning
(Bhoratetal.2014)85. It focusesonchildsupportandpensionfor theelderlypopulation.Public
hospitalsandclinicsprovidea limiteddegreeof freemedical careand thegovernment runsan
unemploymentinsurancefund.Despiteallthat,manyCSR-NGOplayersalsoworkintheseareas.
Thereisamajordifferencebetweenruralandurbanculture,theformerbeingmorecommunal
andreligious,whilethelatterisratherindividualistic.Irememberthatduringmyinquirytripsin
SouthAfricaconversationsoftenendedwith“Godblessyou”frommyinterviewcounterpart,and
two times people alsomentioned tome that their religious belief was amajormotivation for
theirengagementinCSRactivities.Infact,nexttotherealmofreligion,othersocialandcultural
originsof'giving'and'beingresponsibleforoneanother'canbeidentified,thatmighthaveanin-
fluenceonthedevelopmentofCSRinthecountry.Onabroaderscale,Africanmovementssuch
astheKenyan“Harambee”,promoting 'mutualassistanceand jointeffort',aswellasAfrican Is-
lamicconceptssuchas“Tsekada”and“Zekat”,callingforthefulfillmentofobligationstosociety
andgivingtothepoor,shouldbementionedhere(VisserandTolhurst2010,3). InSouthAfrica
this tradition is knownas „Ubuntu” reflectingan interdependent, communal,harmonious, rela-
tionship-awareandrespectfulcommunityculture.Accordingtothisconcept,eachpersoncanon-
lybefullyfunctioningthroughotherpeople(Nussbaum2003).
OrasEze(2010,190-191)putsit:
Apersonisapersonthroughotherpeople-thisstrikesanaffirmationofone’shu-
manitythroughrecognitionofan‘other’inhisorheruniquenessanddifference.Itisa
demandforacreativeintersubjectiveformationinwhichthe‘other’becomesamirror
(butonlyamirror)formysubjectivity.Thisidealismsuggeststousthathumanityis
notembeddedinmypersonsolelyasanindividual;myhumanityisco-substantively
bestowedupontheotherandme.Humanityisaqualityweowetoeachother.We
createeachotherandneedtosustainthisothernesscreation.Andifwebelongto
eachother,weparticipateinourcreations:wearebecauseyouare,andsinceyou
are,definitelyIam.The‘Iam’isnotarigidsubject,butadynamicself-constitution
dependentonthisothernesscreationofrelationanddistance.
NelsonMandeladuringhispresidencyoftenreferredtotheconceptofUbuntuasabuildingblock
for his “rainbow society”, emphasizing that respect and goodwill for each other is crucial86. As
mentioned earlier I alsowas surprised about the big role of religion and spirituality inmodern85 EspeciallythechaptersbyArdenFinn,MurrayLeibbrandtandVimalRanchodgiveinsightsonthattopic.86 Seealsohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HED4h00xPPA,accessed6September2015.IfwelookatSocialCon-
structionprinciples(KenGergen)Ubuntuisinlinewithprinciplesofco-creatingmeaningorjointsense-making
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 107
SouthAfricaasmotivatoranddriverforpersonalCSRengagementandactivities.Inoneinterview,
aCSRmanagerexplicitlystatedherreligionbeingherpersonaldriver.Shesaidthat“sheowesthis
toherreligiousbeliefs”andIrememberhowemotionalshegotwhenshesaidit.Alsoeverytime
we spoke, she closedour conversationswith “Godbless you”which you encounter sometimes
whenpeoplearesaying“GoodBye”inSouthAfrica.
In addition to religious beliefs and cultural concepts such asUbuntu, CSR developments in the
countryarealsoshapedbyaveryvibrantcivilsocietywitharound100.000activeorganizations
(Schaller 2007, 123). The peaceful transition to democracywas led by a joint effort of society,
governmentandbusinessandalotofcommunicationplatformswereinstalledtosupportthetri-
partitedialogue,alsodealingwithCSRrelatedmatters.In1995,NelsonMandelainitiatedtheNa-
tional Business Initiative (NBI), a SouthAfricannot-for-profit development organization that in-
cludesanextendedgroupofleadingSouthAfricanandmultinationalcompanies,workingtogeth-
ertowardssustainablegrowthanddevelopmentinSouthAfrica.Throughthecollectivepowerof
itsmembercompanies, theNBI isabletocreateasustainableeconomic futurethroughthe im-
plementationofresponsiblebusinessleadership;henceitplaysakeyroleforCSRconcernsinthe
country.
Nedlac,theNationalEconomicDevelopmentandLabourCouncil,isanotherdialogueforuminiti-
atedbytheMandelagovernmentin1994.AtNedlac,Governmentcomestogetherwithorganized
business,labourandcommunitygroupsonanationalleveltodiscussandtrytoreachconsensus
on issues of social and economic policy. This is called "social dialogue”.87 Universities and re-
searchinstitutesarefurthermorerelevantCSRplayers.ProfessorArnoldSmit,DirectorattheCen-
treforBusiness inSocietyattheUniversityofStellenboschandRalphHamann,Professoratthe
Business School of Cape TownUniversity, conduct important CSR research.When I spokewith
ProfessorArnoldSmithesaidthatitisencouragingtoseehowmuchmoneyisinvestedintothe
universities, yet he would “love to see more business ethic education at universities so that
economieswouldgetamorehumanface”88.
AlsotheBenchMarksCenterforCSR,headedbyProfessorCronjéandfoundedin201289,should
likewisebementionedhere.WhendoingmyinquiryIreceivedgreatsupportfromtheseuniversi-
ties,eitherthroughpersonalconversationsorlibraryaccess,helpingmetofindrelevantmasteror
PhDthesesonthistopic.
87 http://new.nedlac.org.za/,accessed22August201588 InterviewwithProf.Dr.ArnoldSmitinMay2014attheBusinessSchoolatUniversityStellenbosch.89http://nbs.net/sustainability-centres-directory/bench-marks-centre-for-corporate-social-responsibility/,accessed
September2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 108
LastbutnotleastIwouldliketomentionTrialogue,aprivateconsultancy inSouthAfrica,asan
important 'dialoguesupporting'player.Offering research, trainingandconferencesonCSR, it is
seenbybusinessasthe‘gotopartner’inwhenitcomestopracticalresearchonCSR90.
IwillclosethischapteronCSRinSouthAfricawithasummaryofrecentCSRtrendsandIwillfur-
thermoreidentifyhelpingandhinderingfactorsforthepromotionofCSRinSouthAfrica.
5.6 CSRTrendsinSouthAfricainthelast20years
Inthefirsttenyearsafterthedemocraticelection,from1994to2004,theCSRlandscapeinSouth
Africabegantoprofessionalizeandformalizeitself.Whilephilanthropicactivitieswerepreviously
oftenshapedbytheindividualinterestsofacertaindonor,companiesstartedthentohavemore
formalCSIprograms thatwereconnected to theircorebusiness. Theystarted tobehavemore
pro-activelyratherthansimplyrespondingtorequests(Matthews2014,97).Theautomobilesec-
tor,forexample,startedtofocusontrainingschoolpupilsonsecurityonthestreetsandsenior
executives became increasingly involved and more and more companies introduced volunteer
programs(Riess2012;Bertelsmann2012).91Theideaofmulti-sectorpartnershipsalsogrewand
ratherthanrunningseveralprojects,companiesstartedtofocusonafewpartners,e.g. in2011
theSouthAfricanDepartmentofHealthinitiateda14yearlongmulti-sectorHIVandAIDSpreven-
tionprograminvolvingnationalandprovincialAIDScouncils,NGOsanddifferentbusinesses.92
Intheyearsfrom2004to2009,theimplementationoftheBBBEEcodedemandedbusinesscom-
plianceand led to the initiationofevermoreCSRrelated initiatives.CSRmanagers received in-
creased formal training and contributed to a strengthening of the internal organization struc-
turesofcompanies,forexamplefromtheCentreforCorporateCitizenshipatUNISA(Ahmad,Aras
andCrowther2013).MoreemphasiswasputonlongtermpartnershipswithselectedNGOsand
the professionalization of themanagement of jointly run projects. CSR communication and re-
portingwasoptimized,followingmoreandmoreinternationalguidelinesinadditiontonational
reportingstandards.
From2009-2014 theimplementationoftheKingsCodeIIIdemandedevenmorecorporategov-
ernance,meaningthatexecutiveleadersoforganizationshadtobecomeincreasinglyinvolvedin
CSRactivities.Visser(Visser,Magureanu,andYadav2015)statesthatintegratingCSRandcorpo-
90 Foramoredetailedlistonimportantinternational,nationalandregionalkeyplayersingovernment,businessand
societypromotingtheSouthAfricancaseofCSRyoumayrefertoBertelsmann/GTZ(2007).91 SeealsointerviewwithEstherLange,CSRManager,BMW,January201492 “GIZinSouthAfrica.ProgrammesandProjects“,https://www.giz.de/de/downloads/giz2013-en-giz-programmes-
projects-south-africa.pdf,accessedSeptember2015
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 109
rategovernancerequiresstrongandsociallyawareleadership.OrganizationsliketheInstituteof
Directors become evenmore relevant, offering trainings andmentorships for executives to in-
creaseawarenessforCSRtopics93.ThiswayCSRmattersarehopefullymoreroutinelydiscussed
atboardlevelandbuiltintothecompanies’corebusinesspractices.
However,byusingCSRmainlyforexternalbrandingpurposes,thedangerofCSRbeingdominat-
edbypublic relationsdepartmentsbecomesapparent (Hamann,Khagram,andRohan2008). In
addition to the above mentioned multi-sector partnerships, also more Public Private Partner-
ships,overseenbytheSouthAfricanNationalTreasury,gotinstalled(Fombad2014).
Inthelast5yearsthefocusonCSRcollaborationwithasmanystakeholdersaspossiblegreweven
strongerwhichissoneededtosolvethestillpressingsocietalissuesinSouthAfrica.Therearestill
a lotofuntappedopportunities toget small andmedium-sizedcompanies to implementmore
strategicCSRbehavior.AccordingtoaresearchcarriedoutbytheGermanOrganizationforInter-
nationalCollaboration(SmitandGIZ942013)strongercross-sectorcollaborationscanbealeading
rolemodel for these small andmedium firms but also for international companies residing in
SouthAfrica.
5.7 WhathelpsorhindersCSRgoingforward?
In 2009 the German Agency for Technical Collaboration (GTZ 2009)95 conducted a survey on
“HelpingandHinderingFactors”forthedevelopmentofCSRinSouthAfricainordertobetteral-
locateresources.Thestudy(ibid.104)detectedfivefactorsthatarekeyfortheimplementation
ofsustainableandsuccessfulCSRactivities:
• Thesupportandparticipationofkeytopleadership
• AlignmentofCSRactivitieswiththecompany’scorebusiness
• Theimpactofgovernmentlegislationandsectorcharterguidelines
• Partnershipswithotherstakeholders,includinggovernmentandNGO’s
• ManagementofCSRactivitiesbyspecializedserviceproviders,includingNGO’s
The study (GTZ2009,104) also found five factors thathinder CSR implementationand impact,
especiallyinthesocialandenvironmentalcontext:
93 http://www.iodsa.co.za/?page=DirectorDevelopment,accessed22August201594GesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit-GIZ95NowGIZ
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 110
• LackofasharedgoalsandcommitmenttoCSRprojectsfromtherecipientcommunities,
aswellasfromotherkeypartners
• Lackofcapacityandexperience-manyCSRmanagershadotherrolesapartfromCSR
• CSRisnotsufficientlysupportedanddrivenbythetopmanagement–thisisthecasees-
peciallywithmultinationalswherethepolicydirectivesarenotconsistentwithlocalsitua-
tions
• Poor management of partner NGO’s, as well as poorly trained, equipped or illiterate
communitypartners
• PooridentificationofCSRprojects,aswellasalackoffocusinprojectselection
Thestudypointstothefactthatthesupportandparticipationofthetopmanagementofacom-
panyiscrucialforthesuccessofCSRinitiatives.Thus,Ifeelthatmyinquirycanbeahelpfulcon-
tributionsinceitisspecificallydesignedtofindoutwhatmotivatesSouthAfricanleaderstosup-
portCSRactivities.
ToclosethischapterIwouldliketostatethatSouthAfricastillhasalotof'CSRwork'todo,yet
comparedtoothercountriesworldwide it isdoing fairlygood (BertelsmannStiftung/GTZ2007).
ThiscomparativestudyonCSRclassifiestheSouthAfricancaseas“SecondGenerationMaturity
Level”whichisshowninFig.31.ThismeansSouthAfricacanbeproudtohavebasicCSRpolicies
inplace,thatgovernmentaswellaslargerbusinessesdoworkwithcoreCSRinstrumentsandtry
toliveinitialpartnershipsacrosssectors.
Fig.31: SouthAfrica’sCSRisonaSecondGenerationMaturityLevel
Source:BertelsmannStiftung/GTZ2007
5CorporateSocialResponsibilityinSouthAfrica 111
Stillwaystogo,butasNelsonMandelawouldsay:“Italwaysseemsimpossibleuntilit’sdone”.So
everyoneshouldfeelinvitedtocontinuethejointefforts.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 112
“Hope”isthethingwithfeathers
Thatperchesinthesoul
Andsingsthetunewithoutthewords
Andneverstopsatall.
EmilyDickenson
6 OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,
ahope?
6.1 WhyamIconnectingCSRwithleadership?
Inthischapter,IwillfocusonCSRleadership.Ifcompanieswanttotakeamajorleapinmoving
towardsintegratingCSRintotheirvaluechains,particularlyinfast-growingregions,theirleaders
have to take action and be (hopefully)motivated for it (motivation is addressed in chapter 7).
Otherwise,theywillremainatthestageofsimplyfulfillinglegalcompliancerequirements.
Inchapter5(CSRinSouthAfrica),aGIZstudyon“HelpingandHinderingFactorsforthedevelop-
mentofCSR”(GTZ2009)statedthatthenumberonefactoristhesupportandparticipationof
(top)management.Schminkeetal.(2002)alsoshowedintheirstudythatif leadersareactively
rolemodelingandencouragingCSRrelatedbehavior,otherswillfollow.
Itisencouragingtoread“thatmoreandmorecompaniesareimprovingthewaytheydobusiness
withpassionateleadership inready-positionanda laserfocusonsystemicchangeoperatingun-
deralicensefromsociety"–asIndriK.Nooyi,ChairmanandCEOofPepsicodescribedit96.
ThischapterelaboratestheconceptsofCSRleadershipandsharesanoverviewofhowandwhy
leadershiptheoriesdevelopedtowardsCSR-relatedleadershiptheories.Itwilldiscussappropriate
definitionsandevaluatesCSRconnectedbehaviors,competenciesandskills.
96NovickO’Keefe,Linda,“DoingGoodIsGoodforBusiness--CorporateSocialResponsibilityin2015”inTheHuffington
Post,21February2015,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-novick-okeefe/doing-good-is-good-for-bu_b_6369242.html,accessedOctober2015
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 113
6.2 CSRandLeadership:Myperspective
Duringmy times as anHRDirector in big corporations, I noticed the pull of leaderswhowere
knowntodisplayintegrity intheir leadership.Particularlyyoungtalentsweredrawntotheirde-
partments.Themoraleandatmosphereintheseteamswassignificantlydifferent,moreopenand
connected,withadesiretoperform,innovateanddeliverresultswithfunandintegrity.
WhenIamfacilitatingleadershipprogramsforlargecorporationsaroundtheworld,Iamalways
curiousandinterestedtohear,howtheseparticipatingleadersdefinetheterm“leadership”.No
matteriftheprogramisinAfrica,EuropeortheMiddleEast,thedebatesaboutthedefinitionis
always controversial. But the main and recurring statements in my workshops are as follows:
Leaderssettherightvision;theyaremoreconcernedwithdoingtherightthingsthandoingthings
right;theyneedtotakemoretimetohandlepeople’sissuesthanfocusonnumbers;theyshould
enternewterritoryandnotjustmanagewhatisexisting.Thesearethethingspeopleoftensay.
When Iamaskingcorporate leaderswhatcomes to theirmindswhen theyhear the term“CSR
Leadership,”Ioftenonlygetblanklooks.Manydonotrecognizetheabbreviationandwhenthey
hearthefullterm“corporatesocialresponsibility,”theymostlyconnectitwithphilanthropicac-
tivities.Ifwecontinuetheconversation,theythenseemtohaveanintuitiveknowledgeofwhata
responsibleleaderdoes,conveyingphrasessuchas“meanswellforthebusinessandforsociety,”
“thinksbiggerthanjustprofit,”“wantstofindwaystomakemoneywithnewecologicalfriendly
innovation,” “treats peoplewith respect and honesty,” “has a high personal integrity,” “makes
ethically right decisions,” “creates alliances to jointly come up with sustainable solutions on a
largerscale,”etc.
ImentionthesevarietiesofunderstandingforbothleadershipandCSRleadershipinthebusiness
world,because in theacademicworld there isanequallydiffusecanopyofdefinitions.Aswith
Corporate Social Responsibility – seen in chapter 4 - there is no single “definition”, neither for
leadership nor for CSR leadership. I will explore how leadership theories in general developed
overtheyearsandwilldiscuss,howthismaybeconnectedtoCSRrelatedleadership.Thus,inthe
followingparagraphsItakethereaderonajourneytowardsCSRleadershipandconcludewithmy
owndefinition,buildingonthegroundworkofBasuandPalazzo(BasuandPalazzo2008).
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 114
6.3 MovingtowardsCSRleadershiptheories(1840-1995)
ThejourneytowardsCSRleadershipconceptsstartswiththe“GreatManTheory”ofThomasCar-
lyle in184097.BasedonCarlyle’svariousdescriptionsofheroescreatinghistory, thenotionthat
“greatleadersareborn,notmade”becamefamous.ThefollowingTraitTheoryofLeadershipfo-
cusesonthedifferentpersonalitytraitsapersonhas,suchastemper,intelligence,willpower,cha-
risma,etc.
Translatingthistheorytomyinquirytopic,thequestionwouldbethis:Whatcharacterstraitsdo
peopleneedtobebornwithtobeagoodCSRleader?Althoughthereappearssomegoodreason
thatsome“charactertraits”,e.g.,openness,agreeablenessmaybemorebeneficialthanothersto
CSRleadershipinthesensethattheyfostercuriosityfornewwaysofleading,forbuildingallianc-
estoencountersocietalchallengesetc.However,thereis–inmypointofview–alimittoCar-
lyle’stheory.Iftoday’sleadershipdevelopmentworldwouldfullyaccepthistheory,therewould
benothingtobedeveloped;itwouldbeuselesstobuildCSRcurriculaatcorporateandbusiness
schools,becausemanagerswouldnotchangebutstayastheyareborn,beit,e.g.,caringornon-
caring.
Therefore,itisnosurprisethatinthe1930sincontrasttotheTraitTheory,theSkillsandBehav-
ioralTheorywasdeveloped.Lewin(Lewin,Lippitt,andWhite1939)andlaterKatz(2008)believed
thatleaderscanbedevelopedby,e.g.,learningtherightskillsandbehaviors98.–Stayingwithmy
CSR inquiryquestion, thiswouldmean that simply identifyingand training the“right”CSRskills
andbehaviorswouldmakeitpossibletocreatetheappropriateleadersforCSR.Inthe1930s,CSR
skillsandbehaviorswerenotyetonthehorizon.Laterinthischapteryouwillseethatsinceabout
2005 a variety of normative and/or empirical descriptions and lists of CSR skills and behaviors
havebeencreated(seechapter6.5.3).
TheContingencyLeadershipModel,developedinthe1960s(Ashour1973),assumesthatleaders
havea fixed style. This concept is goingback to the idea that leadershave inherent leadership
characteristics/traitsandleadstotheconclusion,thatspecificleaderscouldbechosenforcertain
tasks. In translation formyCSRtopic thismeans inspecificsituationsorcountries in theworld,
97 In“OnHeroes,Hero-WorshipandtheHeroicinHistory”ThomasCarlyle(1840)accessedJuly2016
https://www.questia.com/read/1444987/on-heroes-hero-worship-and-the-heroic-in-history98 In1939KurtLewin-asarepresentativeforthebehavioralschool-identifiedthreewaysleaderscanbehave:more
autocratic,moredemocraticorratherlaissezfaire.In1955RobertKatzinhisarticle“SkillsofanEffectiveAdminis-trator”reviewedthatthreeskilltypescomeinhandy:technicalskills,humanskillsandconceptualskills.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 115
whenamoreCSRrelated leadership isrequired,CSR-like leadersshouldbechosentocoverthe
assignments.99
Another importantapproachistheSituationalLeadershipTheory introducedbyHersey(Hersey
1985).Hisperspective is that there isno singlebest leadership style. Instead, thebestormost
successfulleaderssimplyadapttheirbehaviortowardsthepeopletheyaredealingwith.Transfer-
ring thisapproach toCSR, somepeoplemayneedmoreguidance regardinghowtohandleCSR
topicsandbehavioralcodeswhereasotheremployeescanjustbeignitedbytheirleaderswitha
fewhigh-levelvisionsanddirectionsonCSRtopics.
Oneessentialturnintheleadershipdiscussionhappenedin1978whenJamesMacGregorBurns
introduced the differentiation between Transactional and Transformational Leadership (Burns
2010).Burns’differentiationbuildsontheDistinctionbetweenManagingandLeading,aconcept
originallydevelopedbyZalesnikanddeVries(1975,230–253).100Burns’theorycontains,inshort,
theconcept,thatthereisarelationalcharacterofleadership:Whiletransformationalleadersof-
fer a vision and purpose to their followers, which transcends short-term goals and focuses on
longertermintrinsicneedsoftheothers.Transactionalleadersfocusontheshort-termexchange
ofresources.Whiletransformationalleadershipresultsinfollowersidentifyingwiththeneedsof
theleader,transactionalleadersgivefollowerssomethingtheywantinexchangefortheaimsof
theleader.
FormyCSR leadership inquiry,a transactional leaderwouldoffersomething inreturn foraCSR
conformbehaviorwhereasatransformationalleaderwouldunderstandhowtotriggertheintrin-
sicmotivationofhis/herfollowersforCSR.
This rather classical comparisonon thedichotomyofmanagingand leadingor transactional vs.
transformational leadership, I am taking up now and adapt it for CSR leadership purposes.My
summaryislistedinthefollowingtable(Fig.32):
99 ThisremindsmeofmytimesasanHRexecutiveatMercedeswheninoursuccessionplanningroundswedefined
“crisismanagers”asmanagersthatseemedtohaveaspecificfittoleadincrisissituations.SowhynotdoingthisforCSRrelevantpositionsaswell–defineparticularlysuitedleadersforCSRtasks.
100Whiletheminimumman(ortransactionalleader)isseenassomeonewhoisarationalnegotiatorwithaneyefornumbersandtechnicaldetails,managingthepresentoftheorganization,themaximumman(ortransformationalleader)isseenasthecharismaticleader,agreatinnovatorwithveryhighself-esteemdefiningthefutureofthecor-poration.PjotrHesseling(1978,33–34)takesupthisdifferentiationandaddsthatpotentiallyunethicalbehaviorcanbedisplayedbytheminimumandthemaximumman,yetfordifferentreasons:Theminimummanacceptsbriberyifitisanacceptedwayofdoingbusinessandhelpsthecompanytogrownumbers,themaximummanmakesthisde-cisiondependingonhisowninnervaluessystemwithoutanyexternalreference.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 116
Fig.32: Dichotomyofmanagingandleadingandtransactionalvs.transformationalleadershipadaptedfor
CSRLeadership
Managing/(Transactional) Leading/(Transformational)
Process:SettingupCSRprocessesandgoals Vision: Sharing CSR Vision and Strategy with
People
Doing things right: Executing CSR processes seam-
lessly
Doingtherightthings:SettingtherightCSRpri-
orities in theCEOAgendaandhelp shapingCSR
withexternalpartners
Rules:FocusingonCSRrulesandregulations Values:BuildinginternalCSRvalues
Facts:CollectingCSRfactsandfigures Stories: Sharing successfulCSRstoriesandemo-
tionalbestpracticeexamples
Reports: Creating hard fact reporting to comply
with,e.g.,GRPIguidelines
Emotions: Providing volunteer opportunities for
managerstopersonallyexperienceCSRstrategies
implementedinthefield
Position power: ordering and controlling, e.g., the
completionofcompliancetrainings
Persuasionpower:promotingthebenefitsofCSR
togetbuy-inandcommitment,e.g.inleadership
meetings
Problemsolving:Toreactivelycleanup,e.g.,anen-
vironmentalmessthecompanyhascreated
Possibility thinking: To proactively and in part-
nership look for newCSR approaches, e.g.,with
externalstakeholders,tobeabletoholdtheten-
sion between twopoles (profitmaking and sus-
tainability=paradoxmanagement)
Pressure:Have consequences follow for disregard-
ingCSRvaluesandprinciples
Purpose:StoketheinternalfireofpeopleforCSR
byshowingwhatisinforthem
Written communications: Producing CSR material
anddocumentation,describingastatusquo
Verbal communications: Creating space in e.g.,
internalleadershipprogramstofosteraCSRdia-
logueamongpeople,generating jointlynewCSR
approacheswithinanoutsidethecompany
Order: Telling people what CSR KPIs they have to
fulfill.
Participation: Engaging people in dialoguewhat
CSRKPIsthecompanyshouldsetforthemselves
tobeleadtheCSRconversationinthecorporate
world
Standardization:MakingsureCSRprocesses,princi-
plesandvaluesarerolledacrossbusinessunitsand
regions
Innovation: Allowing local and regional units to
create and contribute to innovative CSR ap-
proaches
Source:AnnetteThum
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 117
Theexamplesforthedichotomyofmanagingvs. leading(asshownintheabovetable),givethe
impression, that CSRmanagement andCSR leadership are equally distributed.Archie B. Carroll
(Carroll2003)howevernoted,thatthereisalotofCSRmanagementintoday’sworld,butnore-
alCSRleadership.Icansecondthatand,asmypersonalbeliefandexperiencefrombeinganex-
ecutiveforover15yearsisthatmanagingandleadingshouldnotbeseenasaneither/ordecision
for a company leader but as a both/and one. However,when climbing the hierarchical ladder,
clearlymoreleadershipactivitiesarerequired.
Alsointhe1970sRobertGreenleaf(1977)introducedhisconceptofservantleadershipandwas
definitelyaheadofhistime,asall theothermoreethicallyandCSRrelated leadershipconcepts
havecomeintobeingsince1995.Greenleaf,aformerleadershipdevelopmentmanagerforAT&T,
hadbecomeincreasinglyirritatedwiththeauthoritarianleadershipstyleofUSbusinessesandfelt
thatitwastimeforaparadigmshiftinleading.Greenleafwasinspiredandexcitedabouttheidea
oftheleaderbeingtheservant101andwritesinhisessay:
Theservant-leaderisservantfirst…Itbeginswiththenaturalfeelingthatonewants
toserve,toservefirst.Thenconsciouschoicebringsonetoaspiretolead.Thatperson
issharplydifferentfromonewhoisleaderfirst,perhapsbecauseoftheneedtoas-
suageanunusualpowerdriveortoacquirematerialpossessions…Theleader-firstand
theservant-firstaretwoextremetypes.Betweenthemthereareshadingsandblends
thatarepartoftheinfinitevarietyofhumannature.Thedifferencemanifestsitselfin
thecaretakenbytheservant-firsttomakesurethatotherpeople’shighestpriority
needsarebeingserved.Thebesttest,anddifficulttoadminister,is:Dothoseserved
growaspersons?Dothey,whilebeingserved,becomehealthier,wiser,freer,more
autonomous,morelikelythemselvestobecomeservants?And,whatistheeffecton
theleastprivilegedinsociety?Willtheybenefitoratleastnotbefurtherdeprived?
(Greenleaf1977,7–8)
WithGreenleaf,theleadershipliteraturesawforthefirsttimeamoreethicalandsustainablefo-
cusedleadershipapproachwithmoretofollowasdescribedinthefollowingparagraphs.Iwilldis-
tinguishthetheoriesandexplainmyviewonitsconnectiontoCSRleadership.
101GreenleafhimselfgotinspiredtotheconceptbyHermanHesse’sbook,“JourneytotheEast”whereagroupofmen
areonamythicaljourney.Theyareaccompaniedbythe“Servant”Leo,amanofgreatpresenceandspirit,andthemomentLeodisappearsfromthegroup,thegroupfallsapart.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 118
6.4 RecentleadershiptheoriesandCSR
(1995–today)
AbroadarrayofleadershiptheoriesusingexplicitterminologyconnectedwithCSRhasemerged
mainlysince1995.Manyrelevanttermswereandarediscussed:ethicalleadership(Palmer2015;
Eisenbeiß and Gießner 2012; Bass and Steidlmeier 1999; Brown, Treviño and Harrison 2005;
KanungoandMendonca1996;ManzandSims1995;TreviñoandBrown2004;Treviño,Hartman
and Brown 2000; Treviño and Nelson 2007),moral leadership (Gini 1998; Rhode 2006; Sucher
2008), responsible leadership (Useem2005;Maak2008;MaakandPless2006;DohandStumpf
2005a)orsustainableleadership(HargreavesandFink2006).
Also,authenticleadership(AvolioandGardner2005;Walumbwaetal.2007),mindfulleadership
(Marturano2014;DickmannandStanford-Blair2009;Kabat-Zinn2005;Langer1994),charismatic
leadership(CongerandKanungo1998),spiritualleadership(Fry2003)andfinallyalsoCSRLeader-
ship (Cavico2009;D’Amatoetal.2009) canbe seenas relatedandexplicit concepts leading to
CSRandleadership.ThesetheoriesandtheirgenesisIwilldiscussinmoredetail.
Myattemptisnottodefineeachoftheleadershiptheoriesingreatdetail,buttoshowhowmany
variancesof leadership theorieshavebeenandaredeveloping.AvolioandGardner (2005,323)
describe“thepositivemoralperspective”asthecommondenominatorofallthetheories.102This
positivemoralperspectiveiswhatconnectsthemtoCSRleadershiporCSRleadershiptothem.
6.4.1 Myperspectiveonthedevelopmentofrecentleadershiptheories
Letmefirstshare,whyIbelievetheseleadershiptheorieshavebeendeveloping:Leadershipthe-
oriesinthe1990sandthefirstdecadeofthe2000sreactedtoandreflectedtheriseofmulticul-
turalismandglobalizationaswellastheInternetandsocialmedia,whichamongotherfactors,led
toarealignmentandreconsolidationofeconomicandpoliticalpowersacrosstheworldandwith-
incountries.
Twomajoreconomiccrises,thedot-combubblewithitscrashin2001andthebankingcrisiswith
itsstockmarketcrashin2008,nowsometimesdeemedthe”eraofgreed,”(Rhode2012)ledtoa
growing distrust of the financial markets as well as governments. In addition, ethnic conflicts
emergedinAfrica,EasternEuropeandtheMiddleEast,makingtheworldamorechaoticandun-
stableplace.
102AvioloandGardnerdonotlistmindfulleadership,yetreadingJaniceMarturano’s(2014)definition,Icansafelysay,
thatthepositivemoralperspectiveisincludedaswell.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 119
Thus, itwasnosurprisetoseeriseofthetermVUCA(BennetandLemoine2014)-VUCAisthe
abbreviation for “Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous” - clearly a challenging environ-
mentforanyleadership.Inthis“greedy”VUCAenvironment,theneedforanewbreedofleaders
hasemerged:leaderswhoareabletohandleglobalcomplexityanduncertainty,whocanmanage
the tensions of seemingly paradoxical situations such asmaking profit and following an ethical
code;leaderswhoareabletobuildtrustandalliancesacrossorganizationalandnationalbounda-
riestohelpsolvingbigsocietalissues.
Inthenexttwosub-chaptersIwillexplaintheleadershiptheoriesthatwerearisingintheabove
mentionedglobalcontext.
6.4.2 Ethical,moral,responsibleandsustainableleadership
Ethicalandmoralleadershiphaveasacommongroundthefocuson“deeper”valuesthatshould
guide the decisionmaking of executives.Manz and Sims (1995) elaborated in their study four
sharedstrategicvaluesofasuccessfulethicalleadershipwithinanorganization.Thesefourvalues
are:a)toactwithintegrity,b)tobefair,c)tohavefun,andd)tobesociallyresponsible(Manz
andSims1995,15).
Thechallengeistodeterminewhatis“fair”?Asolutionproposedbytheauthorsincludesaskingif
theroleswerereversedwiththe leaderonthereceivingend?ThisgoeswaybacktoConfucius´
GoldenRule:“Neverimposeonotherswhatyouwouldnotchooseforyourself”(DohandStumpf
2005b,6).Theyalsochallenge leaderswithinorganizationstomakeethics fun,asthis increases
organizationalmoral.
Gini(1998)emphasizesthetensionsthatoccurwhenaleadertriestoimplementethics.Thecen-
tral tension is thatany leader isnaturallyegotisticalduringdecisionmakingandethics requires
himorhertoshedthatnaturaltendency.Theethicalleadermustalsotakeintoaccountexternal
consequenceswhenmakingdecisions.Useem(2005)arguesthatethicaldecisionswillbetheones
thatminimizeharmandmaximizetheoutcomeforallandthatethicaldecisionmakingisanart
andascienceatthesametime.103
Myview: For theseethicalandmoral leadership theories“ethics”and“morale”are thesole
guiding factors,whereas inmypersonalopinion“CSR leadership” isdominatedbybalancing
theaimsofcreatingprofitandfollowingprinciplesofethicsandmorality.Duetothistension,
103TherearefivecriteriaaccordingtoUseem,whichfosterethicaldecisionmaking:Thinkinglikeapresidentmeaning
onalevelhigher,calculatingdeliberately,actingdecisively,bringingself-confidencewithoutoverconfidenceandre-lyingupontheteam(Useem2005,71-86).
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 120
CSRleadershiphasariskofbeinghypocritical.Ifleadersaremainlyorsimply(ab)usingCSRas
abusinesscaseformoreprofitsorsimplyforreputationalbranding,itcancontradictthepro-
motionofthecommongood.“Green-Washing”andwindow-dressingcanoccur,andthe“win-
winsemantics”canbecomea farcewhen largesegmentsofsocietyareexcludedor findout
aboutthetrueintentions.
ResponsibleLeadership isquitesimilartothetermsethicalandmoral leadership:Aresponsible
leader can see himself as a… “weaver of trusting relationships, a facilitator of stakeholder en-
gagement,andonewhobalancespowerbyaligningdifferentvaluestoservebothbusinesssuc-
cessandcommongood” (MaakandPless2006).
Myview:Aswiththeterms“ethical”and“moral,”“responsible”isquiteabroadterm;almost
anythingcanbesubsumedbyit.Yet,inmyopinionresponsibleleadershipislessloadedwith
theconnotationofgoodorbad,haslessa“morallypointingfinger,”andthusitmaybeamore
“neutral”term.Particularlyinthecorporateenvironment,responsibleleadershipisoftenused
interchangeablywithCSRleadership.Itisalsomyassumptionthatthewell-knownGloballyRe-
sponsibleLeadershipInitiative(GRLI)104choosestheterm“responsible”overtheterm“ethical
ormoral”fortheabove-mentionedreasons.
SustainableLeadershipisalsooftensynonymouslyusedtoCSRleadership.Afamousrepresenta-
tiveforthetheoryofsustainableleadershipisAndyHargreaveswithhis“sevenprinciplesofsus-
tainability”(HargreavesandFink2006),highlightingalsotheneedforshort-andlong-termthink-
ing105.
VisserandCourtice(2011)fromtheCambridgeLeadershipInstitutealsospeakaboutSustainabil-
ityLeadership. Inaddition to thetemporalaspect, theyofferamoresystemicoverview in their
model, describing the connectedness of the leadership context, the individual leader’s traits,
styles,skillsandknowledgeaswellasleadershipactionsthatfostersustainability.
104http://www.grli.org/about/history/,accessedOctober6,2015.GRLIisapioneeringgroupof50businessschools,
learninginstitutionsandcompaniesco-foundedin2004byUnitedNationsGlobalCompactandtheEuropeanFoun-dationforManagementDevelopment(EFMD)toengageindevelopinganextgenerationofgloballyresponsibleleaders.
105Hargreavessuggests:forbeingasustainableleaderyouneedtofocuson:1.Depth(learningorganizations),2.Length(actingwithbothlong-andshort-termgoalsinmind,especiallyintermsofsuccession),3.Breadth(collabo-ratinginsteadofcompeting),4.Justice(leadershipthataccountsforthebiggerpictureratherthanonesmallpieceofthepie),5.Diversity(equilibriumequalsdeathinalivingsystem),6.Resourcefulness(usingresourcesandenergy—bothhumanandtraditional—sotheyarenotdepleted),7.Conservation(preservingpurposeandorganizationalwis-domtolearn)
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 121
Fig.33: CambridgeSustainabilityLeadershipModel
Source:VisserandCourtice(2011,4)
MyView:“Sustainability”bringsanewperspective intothescopeofdefinitionsandtheories
byaddressingtheaspectof time in the literalmeaningof theword“tosustain.”Sustainable
leadershiptakesintoaccountandtriestoanticipatetheconsequencesofdecisions.Duringmy
expatriatetimeinPortland,Oregon,IremembertalkingtoaNativeAmericantriballeaderwho
shared with me the seven-generation sustainability of the Iroquois, meaning all decisions
shouldbetakenpreservingalivableplanetfortheseventhgenerationtofollow.
Tosumup:noneofthedescribedleadershiptheoriescontradictCSRleadershipatall.Theyrather
overlapandcomplementeachotherandaresometimesusedsynonymously.Sodothefollowing
leadershiptheories:authentic,mindful,spiritual,andcharismatic,whichwillbereferredtointhe
nextparagraphs.Ididtakethemseparately,becauseinmyopiniontheyfocusmoreontheindi-
vidualleaderandhis/herbehaviors,whichisequallyimportanttothemoresystemic/holisticap-
proach.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 122
6.4.3 Authentic,mindful,spiritualandcharismaticleadership
TheconceptofAuthenticLeadershipisdefinedbyWalumbwaet.al.(2007,94)as...“apatternof
leaderbehaviorthatdrawsuponandpromotesbothpositivepsychologicalcapacitiesandaposi-
tiveethicalclimate,tofostergreaterself-awareness,aninternalizedmoralperspective,balanced
processingofinformation,andrelationaltransparencyonthepartofleadersworkingwithfollow-
ers,fosteringpositiveself-development….”
AlsomindfulleadershipbasedonKabat-Zinn’sresearchworkhasgainedtractioninthebusiness
world. For Kabat-Zinn (2015, 31) “mindfulness is theprocess of deliberately payingattention to
thepresentmomentinanonjudgmentalway.”Mindfulleadersthusneedtoembodyaleadership
presencebycultivatingfocus,clarity,creativity,andcompassionintheserviceofothersasJanice
Marturano(2014)elaborateswhohasbeenpromotingmindfulleadershipinthelastyears.
Mindful leadershiphasacloseconnection tospiritual leadershipwhichLouisFrydefinesas“to
createavisionandvaluecongruenceacrossthestrategic,empoweredteam,andindividuallevels
and,ultimately,tofosterhigherlevelsoforganizationalcommitmentandproductivity”(Fry2003,
693).Similar toMarturano,Fry (2003,704-705)summarizes inhisarticleonspiritual leadership
that being in themoment and living spiritual practiceswould “…help in the continual quest for
personalleadershipandprofessionaldevelopmentandeffectiveness”.
LastbutnotleastCharismaticleadershipinConger’sandKanungo’s(1998)theorymeansarticu-
latingan innovativestrategicvision,showingsensitivitytomemberneeds,displayingunconven-
tionalbehavior,takingpersonalrisksandshowingsensitivitytotheenvironmentwhichconnects
backtoCSRandtriplebottomlineofprofit,peopleandplanet(seechapter4.1).
Myview: Inmany leadership courses in thebusinessworld, theabovementioned theories
havebeenpracticallyapplied(seeexecutivecoursesofHarvard,Duke, INSEADandothers).
Forexample,inglobalcoursesthatIleadforbigmulti-nationalfirms,KevinCashman’sbook
Leadershipfromtheinsideout(Cashman2008)hashadgreatsuccessamongleadersbecause
itoffersaself-awarenessjourneywithverypracticaladvicesandgreatreflectionquestions.It
focusesontheethicalclimateaswelland includesthenotionofan internalizedmoralper-
spective–thisiswheretheconnectiontoCSRcanbemade.Thefactthatin2013and2014
MarturanowasinvitedtospeakattheWorldEconomicForum106totheconceptofmindful-
ness shows that there is a sense, a longing in the corporateworld for a different style of
106JaniceMaturanoyoutubeclip:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CNZLIkIqw,accessedinSeptember2015
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 123
leadership,eventhoughthepracticalrealitywiththemanybusinessscandalscanleaveone
skepticalandsometimespessimistic.
6.4.4 Conclusiononleadershiptheories
Theissuewithalloftheabove-mentionedleadershiptheoriesisthateachofthemlacksacom-
monlyagreedupondefinition“whichmakesempiricalresearchorcomparisontootherleadership
theories difficult, if not impossible” (Doh and Stumpf 2005b, 9).Most of the abovementioned
theoriesincludeconnectedskillsandbehaviors,someofthemoverlapping,othersdonot.Brown
andTrevino(2006,598),forexample,attempttocompareauthentic,spiritualandtransformation
leadership,withthehopetobringmoreclarity.
Mypersonalexperienceasanexecutiveinthecorporateworldisthatformanyleadersandman-
agersthevarietyofdifferentleadershiptheoriesisoftentooabstractthusirrelevantforthebusi-
nessworld.AsMichaelRumsey (2013,456)states:“…thepractical leadershipworldhasstayed
relativelyuntouchedorunimpressedbythetremendousresearchthathasbeendone intheaca-
demicworld.” Isecondthisstatementbecausemyobservationfrombeinginthefieldofleader-
shipdevelopmentandtrainingfortwentyyearsnowisthatthetheoreticalworkcanbehelpful.It
ishelpfulinsofarasittranslatesintoabusiness-likelanguagethatprovokesandstimulatesnew
thinkinganddialogueor createsnew tools that can thenbeapplied forpersonalor communal
growth. If thisdoesnotapply, there isahigh riskof twoparalleluniverses,academiaandbusi-
ness,justco-existing.Ademandforanapplicableandpracticaltheoryisobvious.
If Iwouldhavetoputit inanutshell:Alloftheabove-mentionedleadershiptheoriesareunited
bythefactthattheyaimformorethanjustprofitmaximizationandgoforenvisioningthegreater
goodwith thehelpofongoingconversationanddialogue toenhanceself-awarenessandactive
communitybuilding.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 124
6.5 CSRLeadership–thetermanditsmeaning
TurningnowtowardsCSRleadershipasanexplicitterm,Iwoulddaretosaythatitincludesmost
oftheabove-mentionedapproaches,yetwiththeparticularfocusonleadersinacorporateenvi-
ronment.
6.5.1 Literatureoverviewanddefinition
LiteratureonCSRleadershiphasgrownimmensely,107yetcomparedtootherCSRtopics it isstill
ratherthinasEllenvanVelsor(2009)andRobertStrand(2011)elaborate.Morepapersexiston
theso-calledhard factareasofCSRsuchasbusinesscaseandstrategy (McWilliams,Siegeland
Wright2006)orkeyperformanceindicators(Caspary2009;SzékelyandKnirsch2005),108butfew-
eronCSRleadershipandevenlessonthemotivationforit.Ahelpfulannotatedbibliographyon
CSRleadershipwascreatedbyAllesiad’Amatoetal.(2009),whogivesaprofoundoverviewofac-
ademicresearchonCSRandleadership;sodoesRobertStrand’sarticle(2011),whichreviewsthe
specificconnectionbetweenCSRandleadershipaswell.
Mostoftheacademicresearchismorenormativeinnature(HansenandReichwald2009;Smith
and Rayment 2010;Waldman and Siegel 2008; orWaldman, Siegel and Javidan 2004) and less
empirical. Ifempirical,thenresultsarehardtocomparebecausetheyoperatewithnocommon
assumptions. I mostly found studies that followed qualitative approaches (Visser and Courtice
2011;Kakabadse,KakabadseandLee-Davies2009;QuinnandDalton2009),oftenfocusingonone
company(Lehmannetal.2010;CullensandWaters2013;HargettandWilliams2009;Jonesand
Kramar2010).Quantitative,long-termresearchistheexception(Waldmanetal.2006).Ifthereis
anyappliedresearch,itisoftenproducedbyconsultingfirmsorgovernmentalorganizations,such
asanelaboratedtrainingsetfromtheEU.109
ForadefinitionofCSRleadershipIrefertotheoneofferedbyBasuandPalazzo(2008,130).Basu
andPallazoaretheonlyauthorswhoexplicitlystatethatCSRleadershipisamodelofsensemak-
ing,whichalignsnicelywithSocialConstructionthinking.Theirdefinitionstates:
107Imainlyfocusedmysearchonacademicarticlesofthelasttwentyyears.108Seealso:“CSRImpact–FromCSRtoCIAM:CorporateImpactAssessmentandManagementapublicationunderthe
IMPACTprojectfundedbytheEuropeanCommunity’sSeventhFrameworkProgrammeFP7/2007-2013undergrantagreementn24461.
109“WhatisCSR”–Trainingmaterialproducedbytheproject"InnoTrainCSR"thatisorganizedbyGILDEGmbHandhasbeenfundedwithsupportfromtheEuropeanCommission.Thispublicationreflectstheviewsonlyoftheauthor,andtheCommissioncannotbeheldresponsibleforanyusewhichmaybemadeoftheinformationcontainedtherein.12/2010,accessedJune2014http://www.csrinternational.org/training/eu-training-on-csr/
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 125
“CSRleadershipistheprocessbywhichmanagerswithinanorganizationthinkabout
anddiscussrelationshipstostakeholdersaswellastheirrolesinrelationtothecom-
mongood,alongwiththeirbehavioraldispositionwithrespecttothefulfillmentand
achievementofthese.”
BasuandPallazo (2008)arealso theonlyoneswhoturn theirattention to the linguistic sideof
CSR leadership next to focusing on cognition, behavior andmindset. They point out that some
companiestendtouseaneconomic,legalorscientificwaytotalkaboutCSR.Theyalsoarguethat
companiesoftenusethislanguagetojustifyactions,butnotasaninvitationtostartorcontinuea
dialogue.AnddialogueisessentialnotonlyforCSRleadershiptocreatemotion.
SpecificresearchonCSRleadershipinSouthAfricaexiststoanevenlesserextent;itsmostpromi-
nent representativesare theuniversityprofessorsRalphHamann (2004),well-known forhis re-
searchonminingandCSRinSouthAfrica;ArnoldSmit(2013),whofocusesonbusinessethicsand
leadership;andWayneVisser(2007,2010,2011,2015),whohaswrittennumerousbookonthe
global and South African development of CSR in general. The South African CSR leadership is
stronglydefinedthroughitscontext(seechapter5),whichmeansleadersinSouthAfricaaredriv-
enbyexternalregulation(BBBEEandKingsCode)toadheretorespectivestandards.SouthAfri-
canCSRleadershipisalsoknownforitsphilanthropicstrengthsand“spiritofgiving”asshownin
Fig.27.
6.5.2 MyquestionsforleaderstostimulateCSRleadership
Frommy experience over the last 15 years in international leadership courses, I often ask the
question:“Soleadership-ok,yes-butwhatfor?Aleadercanleadformoreinnovation,formore
diversity,formorerevenue,formoreCSRetc..Whatdoyouwantyourleadershiptoleadtowards
andto?Whatdoyouwantyour leadershiptogenerate?” Idevelopedthefollowingsetofques-
tionstotriggertheclassparticipants’thinkingaroundCSRleadership.Workingwiththoseques-
tions,therearedifferentwaystoputCSRleadershipintomorepracticalperspectivesandtoopen
upopportunitiesforimplementation:
• WhatCSRcontentsdoIwanttofocuson?–DoIasaCSRleaderwanttoengageintopics
thatfocusmoreonsocialactivities(e.g.schooling,health)oronecologicalactivities,(e.g.
water consumption, forest protection) or on economical issues (e.g. how to strengthen
suppliersorsocialentrepreneurs)?Oftenthesedecisionsdependonthecorebusinessof
thecompanyoronthepersonalinterestofaCEO.
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 126
• WhattimeframeamIlookingat?–DoIwanttoseeshort,middleand/orlong-termsuc-
cess?
• WhatqualitylevelofCSRdoIwanttopromote?Isitenoughformetoreachcompliance?
Do Iwant commitment or involvement or am I going to be a co-creator in the field of
CSR?
• WhatperspectiveshouldmyCSRactivitiesfocuson?DoIhaveamoreexternalviewwith
philanthropic charitableactivitiesand/oran internal viewwithe.g. thegoal tooptimize
thevaluechainalongsustainablecriteria?
• WhatorganizationleveldoIwanttofocuson:DoIwanttoinspiretheindividualemploy-
ee?AmItriggeringteamordepartmentactivities,oramIplanningtoinvolvethewhole
organization?
• WhomspecificallydoIwanttoengagewithinaCSRconversation?WillIfocusonmyCSR
managers tostartwith?AmIselectingacertainNGO?Do Iplantoengagewiththere-
spectivegovernmentalbodies?
• WhatlearningprioritiesdoIwanttoset?IsitimportantformetofocusonCSRmindsets,
behaviors, skills, competencies or motivation and how do I want to train and inspire
them?
Inmyexperience,askingandansweringthesequestionsisaveryhelpfulinstrumenttomakeCSR
leadershipwork.Allthosequestionshelpleaderstogetabetterunderstandingandclarityabout
theirCSR leadership.By lookingatthesetofquestions, itbecomesobvious, thatmanyofthem
focusonleadershipbehaviors,whichIamnowgoingtodiscuss.
6.5.3 StudiesonCSRleadershipbehaviors
ThereisresearchonCSRleadershipbehaviors(DenHartogandDeHoogh2009;Kakabadse,Kaka-
badseandLee-Davies2009;D’Amatoet.al.2010;Wilson,LenssenandHind2006)aswellason
skillsandcompetencies (JonesChristensen,MackeyandWhetten2014).Myaim is toshowthe
spreadofidentifiedCSRbehaviorsandcompetenciesthathavebeenidentifiedsofar.Therefore,I
willdiscussthethreeprofoundstudiesonCSRleadershipbehaviors.
D’Amatoetal.(2010)presentsabroadcomparativecasestudyonleadershipbehaviorsforcorpo-
rateglobalresponsibility.Theauthorsidentifiedvariousleadershippracticesthathelpcompanies
successfullyimplementCSRintheirbusinessoperationsworldwide.Byinterviewing54managers
fromfivecompaniesinsemi-structuredinterviews,eightmainpracticeswereidentified:
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 127
• Actingwithintegrity
• DevelopingaglobalCSRvisionandstrategy
• IntegratingCSRwithbusinessdecisionsandoperations
• Topmanagementrolemodeling
• Systematiccommunication
• Engagingacrossboundaries
• Employeedevelopment&empowermentand
• Developingaccountability
TheseCSRbehaviorsappeartobealmost identical tochangemanagementpractices.Forapro-
founddiscussiononchangemanagementpracticesseee.g.Kotter(2012),Senge(1999)orCarucci
andPasmore (2002).Theoverlap isnotsurprising,as leading forCSRmeanstoacertainextent
leadingchangetowardsCSR.
The second important researchpaperon “LeadershipQualitiesandManagementCompetencies
for CorporateResponsibility” (Wilson, Lenssen andHind2006) conductedby theAshridgeBusi-
nessSchoolandtheEuropeanAcademyofBusinessinSocietyappliedabroadrangeofquantita-
tive and qualitative research methods with 100 managers to define important attrib-
utes/behaviors for CSR leadership. A set of in-depth interviewswith different senior executive
fromdifferentcompaniesidentifiedleadershipqualities,managementskillsandreflexiveabilities
asfollows:
• Systemsthinking
• Embracingdiversity
• Managingrisk
• Balancingglobalandlocalperspectives
• Emotionalawareness
• Meaningfuldialogueanddevelopinganewlanguage.
ThelastpointisparticularlyimportantfromaSocialConstructionperspective:Ameaningfuldia-
logueandlanguagedefineswhatkindof“CSRnarrative”iscreatedinanorganization–andmany
questionscanbeasked:WhataretheCSRstories thatarespreadthroughouttheorganization?
Aretheyencouraging,exciting,personal?Or,isthetalkmoreaboutcumbersomereportingpres-
sureandKPIsthatneedtobedelivered?DoestheCSRnarrativeinfluencethebroadercompany
cultureorisitkeptinasingledepartment?IstheCSRnarrativeco-existing,meaningisitonlytol-
eratedaslongasitisnotdisturbingorinfluencingthebroaderculture?
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 128
ForallleadersaswellasfortheCSRdepartmenttheseareimportantquestionstoreflecton–and
thequalityofdialoguearoundthesequestionsgivesagoodimpressiononwheretheorganization
standsintermsofCSRpractices.
ThethirdstudyforCSRleadership,conductedbyProf.ArnoldSmitfromtheCentreforBusinessin
Society at the Stellenbosch Business School, Bellville in South Africa also suggests a variety of
moralcompetenciesforbusinessethicsthatareshowninthelistinFig.34below(Smit2013).
Fig.34: Businessethicsteachingparadigms(adaptedfromRossouw,2004)
Source:AfricanJournalofBusinessEthics,Vol.7,Issue2,2013ConferenceEdition,49
EventhoughthelistfromSmit isnotspecifically labeledunderCSRleadershipbehaviorandit is
forbusiness studentsandnotexecutives, Idecided to include it,because it is important to see
thatin(SouthAfrican)businessschoolstheissueofCSRleadershipisalreadypartofthecurricula.
However, it appearsproblematic that the listed competencies arequitebroadandgeneral and
mayleaveapplicabilityandtransfertoreallifeCSRleadershipdifficult.
Toconclude
TheabovefindingsonCSRleadershipanditsbehaviorsappeartobeatfirstsightquitecommon
sense. It is,however, importanttobeexplicit indefiningthem,sothat leadersdoknowhowto
bringCSRforward110.Itistonotethatacademicresearchhasnotyetprovidedaconsistentdefini-
tiononCSRleadershiporongeneralbehaviorsastheyhardlyoverlap.Common,however,toall
studiesseemtometheattempttosupportandenhancealeadershipwhere“leaderasksfollow-
erstotranscendtheirownself-interestsforthegoodofthegroup,organization,orsociety;tocon-
110Itwouldbegreattotranslatethisknowledgemoreandmoretoleadershiptrainingandtobusinessschoolsetc.
SomeencouragingexamplesexistwiththeAspenInstituteOfferingshttp://www.aspeninstitute.org/leadership-programs-top,theELIASProgramfromMIThttps://www.presencing.com/eliasorFredKiel’sapproach:„ReturnonCharacter“-forfurtherinfo,herecentlyreleasedabookandaHarvardBusinessReviewarticle:„ReturnonCharac-ter“.https://hbr.org/product/return-on-character-the-real-reason-leaders-and-their-companies-win/16899-HBK-ENG
6OnCSRLeadership–onlyavision,ahope? 129
sidertheirlonger-termneedstodevelopthemselves,ratherthantheirneedsofthemoment;and
tobecomemoreawareofwhatisreallyimportant.Hence,followersareconvertedintoleaders.”
Bass(1990,53). Ifthistakesplace,CSRcouldturnintoapositivevirusthatwouldhelptotrans-
formacompany.
Istillhavehopethatmorecorporateconversationswillbe ledby leadersonCSRwiththeircol-
leagues,thatmoreleadersbecomeinterestedinlearningandunderstandinghowCSRcanbenefit
thecorporationandthegreatergood,howtheycanaskthemselvesmorechallengingquestions
andact–alsointoughtimes–asCSRrolemodelsforothers.
WhenIspeakwith leadersoneonone, Ioftensensethis longingforamoremeaningfulprofes-
sionallife,alifethatisnotonlyaboutrevenuesandprofitandmakingshareholdershappy.One
interviewpartner said tome, “you know, it is notonly about chasing thenumbers, butoften I
loosefaithinmyconvictionthatwecouldserveagreatergood”.Whichtriggersmetoask,what
couldbedonetogethertokeepthisconvictionupandburning?
Inbusinesspractice,thereisstillagapbetweenknowingaboutandexecutingCSRleadership:If
we knowwhat todo,whyarewenotdoing it?Certainly theremaybe various reasons– from
economicaltoculturaltopsychological/motivationalreasons–fornotputtingcommonsenseinto
commonpractice.ThroughtheconversationwithDavidPowels,theCEOofanautomotivecom-
panyinSouthAfrica,IbecameparticularlyinterestedtoexplorethemotivationalaspectsforCSR
leadershipfurther.My“ahamoment”–describedinchapter3–wastriggeredthroughhiscom-
ment,“Weknowmostofwhattodo,butIhavetoadmit,Idon’tputitenoughintomydailyfocus.
Thisconversation,however,inspiredmetodothisagain.”–Thequestionofinspirationandmoti-
vationforCSRleadershipbecamethecorefocusofmyinquiry.
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 130
“Leadershipismotivation–ManagementisControl”
L.W.Frey(2003,698)
7 OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR
Myinquiryfocus(seechapter3) isontheindividual leader’smotivation:whatmotivateshimor
herinhisleadershiptodriveCSRintheirorganizationandbeyond?Inaddition,Iwouldliketofind
out,whattheseleaderswouldenjoyreadinginmyplannedmotivationbookletonCSR.Forsome
leadersmotivation forCSRmaybe justcontinuingand reinforcingwhat theyaredoingalready,
forothersitmayinitiateanattitudechange(PettyandDuane,1998)towardspracticingCSR.
To begin this chapter Iwill give an overviewof the existing literature around this topic. I then
wanttoreviewconcepts/definitionsofmotivationsbecausetheseconceptsmaybeofhelpfora
latercomparisontotheanswersofmyinterviewpartners.Inaddition,Iwanttoexploremotiva-
tioninthecontextofsocialconstruction.
7.1 OverviewofresearchonmotivationandCSR
TheresearchonmotivationandCSRisconsiderablysmallercomparedtotheresearchonCSRand
leadership.Isearchedmainlyarticlesfromthelast20years,specificallyonCSRandindividualmo-
tivation,notclaimingcompleteness.Motivation inthesearticles isoftennotclearlydefinedand
sometimesotherwordsareused like“thinkingpatterns”(UlrichandThielmann1993),“drivers”
(MullerandKolk2010)or“reasons”(BronnandVidaver-Cohen2009).Iconsideredthesearticles
aswell,becausetheirresearchhasasimilaraim:toidentifywhatbringsleaderstodriveCSRinto
theirorganizationsandbeyond.Lateron inthischapter, Iwill focusmoreonthedefinitionand
changingconceptsofmotivationitself,butnowwillturntoanalyzingtheliteratureonmotivation
andCSRfirst.
Motivationaldrivers forCSRareoftendescribeddifferently:Arguileraetal. (2007)offer three
CSRmotivesintheirholisticarticle:1)instrumental(needforcontrol),2)relational(needforbe-
longing) and3)moral (as a need formeaningful existence).Graafland andMazereeuw-Vander
DuijnSchouten (2012)alsodistinguish threemotives:onemotivebeingextrinsic (financial) and
twomotivesbeingintrinsic(ethicalandaltruistic).Withanonlinesurveyansweredby473Dutch
executives,theyfoundthat,dependingontheCSRtopic(social,environmentalorfinancialCSR),
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 131
motivesoftheleaderscanbeeitherintrinsic–asforsocialandenvironmentalCSR–orextrinsic–
asforfinanciallyrelatedCSRtopics.
Ditlev-SimeonsenandMidttun(2008,26)developedalongerlistofmotives:
1. Profitmaxim:solelytoincreaseprofit
2. Valuemaxim:tocreatelong-termvalueforshareholders
3. Stakeholdership:tosatisfydifferentstakeholders
4. Cluster-building: tobuildastrongcluster toprovidea favorablebusinesscontext for
thecompany
5. Branding:tobuildapositivereputationandbrandimage
6. Innovation:todevelopnewproductsandbusinessconcepts
7. Copying/imitating:toresembleothercompanies
8. Ethics/morals:todothe‘rightthing’(amoralissue)
9. Managerialdiscretion:tofulfillthepersonalpreferencesandinterestsofthemanager
orpersoninchargeofCR
10. Sustainability:tocontributetolong-termsustainabledevelopment
ThesetenmotiveswerethentestedinNorwaywithcorporateleaders,NGOemployeesandstu-
dents. First, theyaskedwhichof theabovemotivesshould ideallydrive leaders. Secondly, they
askedwhichof the tenmotivesactuallymotivated leaders.Theycall thisdistinction“shouldbe
motives”and“as ismotives.”They foundthat,amongall stakeholdergroups,sustainabilityand
ethicsarethedominant“shouldbemotives,”whereasthebrandimageaspectofCSRisthedom-
inant“asismotive.”111
Insteadof trying to identify a complete set ofmotives, some researchers chooseonlyoneCSR
motivational driver.McGuire, Dow and Argheyd (2003), for example, analyzed and tested the
connectionofCEOincentivestoahighersocialperformanceofthecompany.However,theywere
notabletoprovethathigherincentivesleadtoahigher“socialperformanceoutput.”Inanempir-
icalstudywithbusinessstudents,ontheotherhand,Angelidisand Ibrahim(2004)wereableto
confirmthatreligiouslyorientedpeoplearemorelikelytosupportCSRtopics.
Whiletheempiricalresearchismostlyfocusedonasinglecountry,e.g.,Switzerland(Ulrichand
Thielmann1993),Hongkong (Welford,ChanandMan2008),Norway(Ditlev-SimonsenandMid-
111Some researchers also come more from a normative/theoretical angle (e.g., Hemingway and MacLagan 2004;
Aguilera, Rupp,Williams andGanapathi 2007) or a descriptive/empirical angle (e.g., Ulrich and Thielmann 1993,Welford,ChanandMan2008,VandeVenandGraafland2006,GraaflandandMazereeuw-VanderDuijnSchouten2012)orsometimesfrombothsidesincomparison(Ditlev-SimonsenandMidttun2011)asdescribedabove.
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 132
ttun2011),Netherlands(VandeVenandGraafland2006)orSweden(Miji2011),Icouldnotfind
specificpapersaboutCSRmotivationinSouthAfricanoranycross-culturalresearch.
It isalso interestingtonotethattheempiricalresearchconsidersdifferenttargetgroups:some
consider executives only (Van de Ven and Graafland 2006; Graafland andMazereeuw-Van der
DuijnSchouten2012), somefocusonbusinessstudents (Angelidisand Ibrahim2004), someare
carried out across stakeholders (Welford, Chan and Man 2008) (Ditlev-Simonsen and Midttun
2011), someacross firm levels (Treviño,Weaver andBrown2008). Somepapersonly approach
thetopicfromaconsumerperspective(BasilandWeber2006).
Ditlev-Simsen and Midttun (2011) compared their results on different stakeholder motives in
moredetailwithWelfordetal.(2008).Welfordetal.foundthatthemotivesforCSRdifferamong
different stakeholders. However, Ditlev-Simsen and Midttun (2011) showed that among their
stakeholdergroupstherankingoftheCSRmotivesstayedthesame.
Most articles find that extrinsicmotives aremore significant than intrinsic ones: Lougee and
Wallace(2008)concludethemainCSRmotiveisexternalriskreduction.Miji(2011)alsoseesrisk
management,brandreputationandreceivingcapitalfrominvestorsasthemoreextrinsicdriving
forces.Intheirstudiesof500Norwegianfirms,BronnandVidaver-Cohen(2009)alsofoundthat
theanswersmainlysupportextrinsicmotives,eventhoughmoralleadershipwasmentionedasan
intrinsicmotiveaswell.
On theotherhand,VandeVenandGraafland (2006)aswellasGraaflandandMazereeuw-Van
der Duijn Schouten (2012) show that intrinsic (such as ethical and altruistic) motives have a
strongerinfluenceonCSRactionthanextrinsicones.ThispointissupportedbyGalaskiewiczand
Colman(2006),whofoundintheirliteraturereviewthatmanagershaveanintrinsicmotivationto
contributetoabetterfutureforsociety.
Obviously,therearecontradictoryapproachesandempiricalresearchfindingsonmotivationfor
CSR. Lastly, a theoretical paper by Hemingway andMacLagan (2004) considered differentmo-
tives/valuesforCSR,andelaboratesonthedifferentiationbetweenthecorporation’svaluesand
thevaluesofthe leaderasan individual.Their intent is toremindusthatthe individual leader
can,indeed,makeadifferenceandtocounteratendencytoviewthecorporationastheagent.
This leadsback tomy inquiry journeyonCSRmotivesof the leaderasan individual and I refer
backtochapter3fortheexactmethod,approachandresults.NowIwillgiveadeeperdescription
ofconceptsaboutanddefinitionsofmotivationsothattheanalysisoftheresultsinchapter3is
putintocontext.
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 133
7.2 Motivationalconcepts
WhenIwrotethischapter,Iwasoftenreflectingaboutmyownmotivationcyclesinwritingand
finishingthisPhD.ThereweremomentswhenIfeltstuckandboggeddownintheamountofde-
tail.Atonepoint,thisledmetositdownwithabigflipchartpaperanddrawavisualaskingme
somekeyquestions:WhatdoIwanttogenerate?WhatamIcuriousaboutandwhatmotivates
me?
Asyoucanseeinthepicturesbelow,theheartofmyworkresemblestheinterviewsonmotiva-
tionforCSRleadershipplustheiroutcomefortheCSRbooklet.Regainingthisclarityandrecon-
nectingwithmypassionhelpedmetomoveon.
Fig.35: PhotographsofflipchartonmycoremotivationforthePhD
Source:AnnetteThum
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 134
7.2.1 Definitionsofmotivation
AsmentionedabovetheliteratureinconnectionwithCSRandmotivationoftendoesnotdefine
motivation.Insearchingforadefinition,DeCharmsmademesmileforasecond:"Motivationisa
littlelikeamildformofobsession"(DeCharms,1979).112
Whatappeals tome in thisdefinition is the implicitplaywith theusualpositiveconnotationof
motivation.Itemphasizesthatmotivationorpassionmightbetakentoofar:Apotentialblindsid-
ednessmayoccur;amissionarytouchmaybeaninherentdanger,turningmotivationintoanad-
diction.Thus,motivationinitselfcanhavevariousconnotations.Thismightalsoapplytothemo-
tivationofleaderstoimplementCSR.
Theunderstandingof theconceptofmotivationhas changedover time: From themore static
motivationmodels (e.g.,Maslow2013;McClelland2009) to themoredynamicmodels (e.g.,by
HeckhausenandHeckhausen2006;RheinbergandVollmeyer2012).Motivation,today,isseenas
aprocessinitselfandnotonlybasedonastaticmotivethatinitiatesaction.Iwilldiscussthedif-
ferentmodelsbutnowwillgiveadefinitiononmotivation.
Oneofthemostcurrentdefinitionsof“motivation”wasdevelopedbyRheinbergandVollmeyer
(2012)intheirbookcalledMotivation.Itstatesthatmotivationis“thetargetedmobilizationofa
currentlifeactivitytowardsapositivelyvaluedgoal”(RheinbergandVollmeyer2012,16).
Inthisdefinition,onenoticesthedynamicaspectthatIthinkreflectstheactivenotionofCSRmo-
tivationaswell,becauseCSRmotivationinitselfisnotonlyaone-timedecisionbutalsoadynam-
icprocess.
Inthefollowing,Iwillrefertothegeneralresearchonmotivation,tointrinsicversusextrinsicmo-
tivationaswellastomotivationcontentandprocessmodelslookingthroughthelensofCSR.Fur-
thermore, Iwill reflectonmotivation inconnectionwithmorality,neuroscienceandSocialCon-
struction.
112FalcoRheinbergcitesdeCharmsinaninterview.In:VomMotivzurMotivation,InterviewvordemHintergrundeines
Vortrags,gehaltenaufdemSymposiondesDeutschenHochschulverbandes"WaslenktdenMenschen"am19.Ok-tober2011inBonn.AccessedJuly2015,onlineavailablehttps://www.academics.de/wissenschaft/vom_motiv_zur_motivation_51494.html
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 135
7.2.2 Intrinsicvs.extrinsicmotivation
EdwardL.Deci,ProfessorofPsychologyattheUniversityofRochester,wascurioustosee,what
freechoiceactivitiespeoplearemotivatedtodowhengivingspacetoactandbehavewithoutany
externalcontrolorexpectations(RyanandDeci2000).Thismotivationtoactiscalledintrinsic,a
motivationcomingfrom“withinoneself.”Fromwithincanmeaneitherfromaninnercognitiveor
emotionalstimulus,orfromaninnerexpectation(ibid.).Theothertypeofmotivationiscalledex-
trinsic,meaning either coming froman external positive reinforcement, an incentive or froma
negativereinforcement,athreatoraforce(Swanson2008).
If leaders are intrinsicallymotivated for CSR, e.g. if they are showing CSR engagement even in
their free time are they alsomore likely to implement CSR atwork?On the other hand, there
mightbe leaderswhohaveno intrinsic interest forCSR,yetaremainlydriven throughextrinsic
motivation,suchasbonusesorpressurefromexternalgroupsorinternalboards.
A further interestingphenomenonthatFrey (1997)aswellasLedford,GerhartandFang(2013)
foundisthatinmosttimescontinuedpositiveextrinsicmotivationunderminesintrinsicmotiva-
tion. This phenomenon,which is in science described asmotivation crowding theory (Frey and
Jegen2001)andIalsoobserved,hastobedividedintoseveralphases:Atfirst,aleadervolunteers
foraCSRprojectwithoutany incentive.Thecompanyappreciateshisactivitiesandstarts to in-
centivizehimwithabonuspayment,asaformofextrinsicmotivation.Afterawhile,thecompany
withdrawsthebonusforwhateverreason.Thisisthemomentwhentheleaderwillshowlessin-
trinsicmotivationthanbeforetoengageinhisCSRactivities.AsPink(2011)argues,oftenexternal
incentivesdonotworkinthelongruntomotivatepeoplebutevenstartunderminingvoluntary
performance. Formy inquiryonCSR leadershipmotivation,we canderive from thisdiscussion,
thatbonuspaymentsandanyotherformofextrinsicmotivationmightbeproblematic.Therefore,
intrinsicmotivationmightbeamorevaluableapproach.
However,thedistinctionbetweenintrinsicandextrinsicmotivation–bytheperspectiveofSocial
Construction– is as anything elsenot substantive, it is not “just here,” not beforewemake it.
From a Social Construction perspective, neither intrinsic nor extrinsic is good or bad, it simply
leadstodifferentconversationsanddifferentdiscoursesinbehaviorandaction.Wecansay,phe-
nomenalike“motivation”areemergingandweareobservingandrespondingtothem.
Continuingnowwithmotivationmodels,Iliketodifferentiatebetweencontent-orientedandpro-
cess-orientedmotivationmodels:
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 136
7.3 Motivationascontent
Thecontent-orienteddefinitionsofmotivationcameupwithMaslow’s(1943,1987)well-known
pyramidfrom1943withitsfivelevelsofneeds:physiological,safety,love/belonging,esteemand
self-actualization.
AlsoClaytonPaulAlderfer’sERGmodelfrom1969understandsmotivationascontentandAlder-
fer’soverviewofmotives–existential,relation,growth–isasimplificationorbetteraconsolida-
tionofMaslow’spyramid(Alderfer1972).
FredericHerzberg(Herzberg,Mausner,andSnyderman1993),anotherrepresentativeofclassical
motivationmodelshadwithhis two-factor theoryabig influence in thebusinessworld:His re-
searchledtothedefinitionofhygienefactorsandmotivators.–Hygienefactorsarecontextfac-
torssuchasafairsalary,justcompanypoliciesetc.Whenthesehygienefactorsdonotexistthey
causedissatisfaction.Butwhenexistent,theydonotnecessarilyaddtocontentment.Motivators
arefactorsdirectlyconnectedtothejob,e.g.,fulfillingpurposefultasks,receivingrecognitionetc.
Thosemotivatorsaredrivingthepersontobetterperformanceanddocreatesatisfaction.
McClelland’s (2010,2009)113needsapproach isalsooften referred to in thebusinessworld.He
distinguishesbetweentheneedforachievement,affiliationandpower.
ThedifferentcontenttheoriesareshownbelowinFig.36justtogiveanoverviewoftheirmain
clusters.
113Originalsfrom1961/1987
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 137
Fig.36: Differentmotivationalcontenttheoriesandtheirmainclusters
Source:AnnetteThum(Colorsarerandomlychoosentodifferentiatetheauthors)
Iamcurioustoseefromtheinterviewsinwhichofthesecategoriestheexpressedmotivationfor
CSR will fall in. For some leaders CSRmay be a hygiene factor, like from younger managers I
learnedover the years inmy leadership classes, that theyonlywouldwork for anorganization
that does promote CSR, because otherwise their dissatisfactionwould be too high. For others,
CSR isamotivator,whichgivesthemadditionalmeaning intheirprofessional life.Someleaders
who liveandwork incrisis regionsmaysee theirmotivation forCSRmoreonaphysiological&
safety level (Maslow)or “existential” level (Alderfer), because theyaredriven to create a safer
andhealthierenvironment.OtherleadersmaymentionmoretherelationalaspectofCSRastheir
driver(McClelland=Affiliation/Maslow=Social/Alderfer=Relatedness),becausebycontributing
topeople’swelfaretheyfeelacloserconnectionandthusservetheirownneedforaffiliationand
relatedness.
In1989DavidMcClellandaddedtheaspectofimplicit/basalmotivesandself-attributedmotives,
which introducesanewaspect to themotivediscussion (McClelland,KoestnerandWeinberger
1989, 692).McClelland et al. (ibid.) argues that the implicit, basalmotives towhich he counts
“Achievement,AffiliationandPower”arehighlyconnectedwithemotionsbecausetheyareroot-
ed inearlychildhoodexperiences:anoutcomethat is connectedwithoneof thebasalmotives
bringsmoreemotionalprideandhappinessthanthefulfillmentofself-attributed(“external”)mo-
tiveswhicharelearnedthroughsocializationandexpectationpressure,etc.
Mo#va#on'
Hygiene'
Self'Actualiza#on'
Esteem'
Social'
Safety'
Physiological'
Growth'
Relatedness'
Existence'
Herzberg' Maslow' Alderfer'McClelland'
Achievement'
Affilia#on'
Power'
Comparison*of*Mo-va-onal*Theories*
Source:'AnneDe'Thum''
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 138
Ideally basal and self-attributedmotivesmatch, because then they trigger the highest engage-
mentandhavethemostrewardingeffectforthe individual,whichthenagain ismost impactful
forasuccessfulimplementationofCSRactivities(RheinbergandVollmeyer2012).
7.4 Motivationasprocess
Asmentionedbefore, today’smotivationmodels aremoreprocessoriented.114 FalcoRheinberg
(RheinbergandVollmeyer2012),oneofthewell-knownGermanresearchersonmotivation,ex-
plainsthatmotivationisadynamicprocess:Motivationchangesdependingonsituationandcon-
versation,whereasmotivescanbeconsideredasmorestable–theyarethevaluesanddrivers
behindmotivation.
ThisisanimportantdistinctionandconnectswithamorerecentviewbyPeterConrad(2007,3)
whoseesmotivationas“…anindividualneedsanddecisionprocess,alwaysembeddedincompet-
inggoals.”115Conrademphasizesthatmotivationisnotstablebutmovingandchangingdepend-
ingonmanyvariablesand/orconversations.
7.4.1 Motivationprocessmodel
Conrad is also building on the famous motivation process model from Heckhausen and Heck-
hausen(2006,7),116whichseesthepersonandthesituationasastartingpointforamotivation
processasFig.37belowshows.
114Tothemoreclassicalprocess-orientedmotivationmodelsalsobelong:VictorVroomandhisExpectancyTheoryac-
cordingtowhichhumansactalongtheirconsciousexpectationsthataparticularbehaviorwillleadtospecificdesir-ablegoalsaswellastheEquityTheoryfromJ.StaceyAdams(1969)whichtellsusthatthemorefairwefeeltreatedthemoremotivatedwewillfeeltoact.Inthenextparagraphs,Iwillhoweverfocusmoreonthemodernones.SeeWikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expectancy_theoryandhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equity_theory,bothaccessedJanuary2016.
115Mytranslation.116Anelaboratedmodelistakingintoaccountthepersonandthesituation:“OverviewModeltounderstandtheele-
mentsofmotivatedactions”fromHeckhausenandHeckhausen(2006,5)orConrad(2007,9)
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 139
Fig.37: MotivationalandVolitionalActivitiesduringaMotivationDynamic
Source:Modelbasedon(HeckhausenandHeckhausen2006,7)andtranslatedbyAnnetteThum
Theactualstartingpointisthepersonandthesituation.Thesetwocombinedinitiatethefollow-
ing four phases: assessing, planning, acting, and evaluating. Acting then leads to an action and
evaluatingisassessestwopoints:theoutcomeandtheconsequences.
IamtakingnowaCSRleaderasanexampleandwillgothroughthemodelinmoredetail.Letus
say the leader is apurchasingmanager in abig automotiveorganizationandhas todecidebe-
tweentwosuppliers,onemorecostlybutmoresustainable,theothercheaper,yetmoreunclear
withtheirsustainabilitypractices.
Dependingonthepersonalityandsituationofourexampleleader,thenextstepwillbedifferent:
LetussayourleaderisapersonwithstrongpersonalCSRmotivesandvaluesandoperatesina
tough cost-cutting environment. His pre-decision motivation situation influences the starting
phaseof“assessing”:
If his pre-decisionmotivationwas to buy from the supplierwho ismore costly but in his eyes
moresustainable,hestillneedstoplanhowtosellhisdecisiontotheboard,howtoconnectthis
supplier toothers etc. Thus, hehas to considermany cognitiveoptions andplanningdetails to
managethetensionofmakingprofitandbeingresponsible.
Thisplanningphase,HeckhausenandHeckhausen (2006,5)explain,hasmore todowith sheer
willpower(volition)topushthingsthroughthanwithmotivation.Thisiswhyhedoesnotusethe
termfrom“motivationafterdecision”but“volitionafterdecision.”
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 140
Acting also demands a lot of willpower to push things forward despite many hurdles.117 This
means implementingall contract relevantprocesses (action) leading toanoutcome, the signed
new contract. This new contractwill cause consequences, e.g. a ripple effect to reassess other
suppliersortheleaderreceivinganaward,bonusorgratitude.
Whatever itmaybe in the lastphaseof assessing theoutcomeand consequences, theoriginal
motivationplaysagainabigger role.Dependingonthepersonalmotivation, the leadermayas-
sesstheoutcomeandconsequencesaspositive,e.g.likereceivinganawardfora“stateoftheart
CSRcontract”orhemaydislikeitbecausehehatesbeingthecenterofattention.
Tosummarizethemotivationprocess:Itstartswiththepersoninasituationthatiscalledtheas-
sessingphaseconsideringacertainactivity.Themomentheorshehasdecided,theplanningand
acting/implementingphasestarts,whichneedswillpower(volition).Intheevaluatingphase,out-
comeandconsequencesareassessedagainstthemotivation.
Inmy inquiry, it will be interesting to seewhichmotivational/volition phases getmore or less
mentionedintheinterviewsandifIcanderiveanyconclusionsfromit?
Asstatedbefore,therearenotonly“movingforward”aspectsofmotivationbutalsomotives,for
example,tostop(CSR)activities.Iwouldliketodiscussnowthesesocalled“exitmodels.”
7.4.2 Motivationprocessexitmodel
Derived from Rheinberg’s (Rheinberg and Vollmeyer 2012, 132) expectations scheme, which
statesthatmotivationdependsonwhatoneexpectsfromthesituation,theactivity,theoutcome
andtheconsequence,aCSRleaderfeelsmotivatedtotakeCSRorientedactionswhenthefollow-
ingconsequencesarefulfilled:
1. TheCSRleaderneedstobesurethatwithouthisCSRactionhewillnotachieve,whathe
planstoachieve
2. Heneedstobesurethathecaninfluencehisresultenough
3. Heneedstoknowthatthisresultwillhaveconsequencesand
4. thattheseconsequencesareimportantenoughtohim.
IfoneofthefourconditionsisnotfulfilledthenhewillnotactCSRaccordingly.Thusfourexitrea-
sonscanbediagnosed:
117Conrad(2007)alsowritesthattheactualactioncanbeenjoyedontwolevels:ona“contentlevel”=theleaderen-
joysthefacttohireanewmoresustainablepartneraswellasona“processlevel”=heenjoystheactivityofnegotia-tionwiththefuturesupplierandtheboard.
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 141
1. HisCSRactionseemsnotnecessary.
2. HisCSRactionwillhavenoeffect.
3. HisCSRactionwillhavenoconsequencesor
4. theconsequenceshavenovalueforhim.118
RheinbergandVollmeyer(2012)offeranevenmoredetaileddiagnosticandexitscheme,whichI
amincludingintotheappendix.Theyworkwithacollectionofquestionstofindoutifandhowa
personismotivatedforacertainactivityornot.Theyalsodefinefourtypesofmotivationprob-
lems:acompletemotivationdeficit foratopic,an incentivedeficit,an impactdeficitandawill-
powerdeficit.Formyinspirationbooklet,IwillreflectonhowIcouldoffersupportandinspiring
ideastoavoidthosefourpotentialdeficitareas.
7.5 Motivationandmorality
Untilnow, Ihavefocusedonmotivationmodels–contentandprocess-oriented–yet, Ididnot
connectthemwithmoralityormoraldevelopment.AssoonasImadetheconnection,Iimmedi-
ately came across “moral psychology” with Piaget and Kohlberg as prominent researchers
(Carpendale2000).Theimportanceofthesetworesearchersformyresearchcouldhavebeenin
thequestion,ifinstagesofadulthoodmoralmotivatedjudgmentchanges?
Kohlberg’smodel,however,onlydescribeschangesuntiladulthoodbutdoesnotdifferentiatelat-
er lifephases.Piagetdoesonly focusonchild (moral)development.Nonetheless, thesetwore-
searchers triggered the idea to look for interviewcomments,whether the leaders’CSRengage-
menthaschangeddependingonthelifephase–forfurtherinformationpleaseseechapter3.
118ThusRheinbergandVollmeyer(2012)sayyoucanalsoincreasethevaluebyofferingso-calledactionorientedincen-
tiveand/orresultorientedincentives.Iftheactualactionissomethingaleadertrulydislikes,e.g.heneedstojustifyCSRspendingsinfrontoftheboard,thenmostlikelyhe/shemightnotdoit.Thusacompanycanmaketheactualactionforleadersmore“comfortable”or“interesting”sothatthechancegetshigherthatleaderswillcarryoutaspecificCSRaction.Thecompanycanalsoworkwitharewardthatisconnectedtoapositiveoutcome,thiswouldbetheresults-orientedincentive.
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 142
7.6 Excursus:Motivation,meditationandneuroscience
Comingneitherfromapsychologicalnorsocialapproachbutfromaneuroscienceapproach,Ire-
memberaconferencevisit inZürichinApril2010.TheDalaiLamaandotherpersonalitiesspoke
on “AltruismandCompassion in Economic Systems.”119 Feeling compassionandhavingaltruistic
motiveiscloselyconnectedtoCSRleadership.
Professor Tania Singer (Singer et al. 2015), theDirector of theMax Planck Institute forHuman
CognitiveandBrainSciencesinZürichwasoneofthespeakers.Shehadidentifiedthreemotiva-
tional systems in the human brain: incentive-focused, threat-focused, and (non-)wanting-
affiliation-focused. She talked of experiments to increase compassion buildingwith the help of
meditation.
At theWorld Economic Forum in January 2015, she also presented her ongoing research and
shared promising results: In a large-scalemental training study called ReSource project120, they
hadinvolvedabout300participants,allwithoutanyformerexperienceofmentaltrainingormed-
itation. The results showed that the brain can get trained like a muscle in the gym. Chemical
changeswere observed after threemonths, yet the overall results suggest that such a regular
mental training canchange selfishpreferences into themorealtruisticandpro-socialones that
areneededtoserveaglobalcooperation.This Idoseeasencouragingnews,eventhoughIbe-
lieve itwill takea longer time to really integrate consistent leadershipdevelopment trainingor
businessschoolclassesthatfosterthisskill.121
7.7 MotivationandSocialConstruction
AsmentionedinthebeginningIwanttoconcludewithafewstatementsregardingmotivationfor
CSRandSocialConstruction.
Observation1:Themeaningofmotivation(ordemotivation)isasanythingelsecreatedthrough
thedialoguewithothers.ThemeaningaroundmotivationforCSRwithinanorganizationismost
likelycreatedthroughconversationsbetweenleadersandtheirteammembers,bossesorpeers,
119http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/513-the-mind-and-life-xx-conference-starts-in-zurich120https://www.resource-project.org/home.html121GreatforerunnersinCSRtypetraining/educationformanagerscanbefound,e.g.inthecurriculumoftheAspenIn-
stitutehttp://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/nonprofit-philanthropy/leadership-initiativesoratMITwiththeEliasProgramhttps://www.presencing.com/elias.Thee-bookoncompassionineconomicsfromTaniaSingerisalsoavaluableresource:http://www.compassion-training.org/en/online/index.html?iframe=true&width=100%&height=100%#22
7OnMotivationTheoriesandCSR 143
or between corporate leaders and their counterparts in the supplying organization, non-
governmentalorganizations,etc.
Observation 2: The content-based as well as the process-basedmotivationmodels have been
createdamongagroupofresearchersandexistnowasdifferentoperatingtruths.Thesetruths
arefirstofallratherdescriptive,yetwhenusedinactioncancreatejointmeaningandbecome
asensemakingdiscourse,asJohnRjismanputitoneofourconversations.InMuhammadYunus’
(2007,56–58)conceptofmicro-financing,thisisvividlydemonstrated.Inmyview,partofYunus’
successwiththemicro-financingisbasedontwoofthreemotivesinMcClelland’smotivethemes:
By lendingmoney to poor women, Yunus offered them the opportunity to achieve something
(motiveofachievement). Inaddition,hegavethemasupportingstructuretriggeringthemotive
ofaffiliation:thewomenwerealwaysputintogroupsoffivetohelpeachotherout.Inaddition,
theyhadtomeetonaregularbasiswith10-12othergroupstoexchangeabouttheirsuccesses
and failures. This set up served definitely as a big success factor of theGrameenBank lending
modelandshows,howacertainoperatingtruth–e.g.thetheoryofMcClellandonmotivation–
canbecomeasensemakingdiscourse,e.g.,theinthemicro-financingdynamicsofYunus.
Observation3:Theprocess-orientedmotivationmodels fitbetter toaSocialConstructionper-
spective.Theprocess-orientedmodelstakeintoaccountthecontentmotivesandinadditionde-
scribethemotivationalorvolitionprocesses.ThisdynamicaspectfitswelltotheSocialConstruc-
tion principles of emerging realities, of having to dealwith conflicting forces and solving them
throughjointlylookingfornewpossibilities.Thisisatrulydynamicprocess.
IstartedmyinquirywithacuriosityforCSRandLeadershipinSouthAfricaandnoticedovertime
myexplicitinterestinthemotivationforCSR-Leadership.Simplyspoken–Iwascuriouswhatmo-
tivateshigh-levelleadersinSouthAfricatodriveCSRintheirbusinessandbeyond?Therefore,my
finalroundofinterviewswastoexplorethisquestiononmotivationforCSRasdescribedinchap-
ter3.
8Summary 144
“Comingtogetherisabeginning.
Keepingtogetherisprogress.
Workingtogetherissuccess.”
�HenryFord
8 Summary
Thisthesison“CorporatesocialresponsibilityandleadershipinSouthAfrica”focusesultimately
onthequestionofwhatmotivateshigh-levelbusinessleaderstodriveCorporateSocialResponsi-
bilityintheirorganizationsandbeyond.
Inordertoanswerthisquestion,thethesisisstructuredineightchapters:startingwithanintro-
duction(chapter1),followedbyanexplanationofwhyIchoseSocialConstructionasthetheoret-
ical framework(chapter2), leadingtothecorechapteraboutmy inquiry journey(chapter3), in
whichIdescribeinanarrativestylethedifferentphasesofmyjourney,theultimateinquirytopic
whichdevelopedovertime,aswellasthemethodsandresults.Inshort,Ifoundthatthereareat
leasteightdifferentmotivesforbusinessleaderstobeorfeeltobeconnectedtotheCSRtopic
inordertodriveCSRintheirorganizationsandbeyond.
The analytical and descriptive frame ofmy journeywas provided in four background chapters:
chapterson“CSRconcepts”(chapter4),“CSRinSouthAfrica”(chapter5),“LeadershipandCSR”
(chapter 6), and “Motivation and CSR” (chapter 7) provide an overview on relevant literature,
theories,andhistoricalchanges.
Intheappendix,Iaddedachapteraboutmeasapersontosharemybackground,values,andbi-
ases,whichcertainly–consciouslyorunconsciously–influencedthewayIcarriedoutthisinquiry.
Inaddition,Iwantedtosumupmyfindingsinapracticalsupportformanagers;thus,Idesigneda
“CSR inspiration and activity” calendar for leaders, which can be found in the appendix. I will
sharethefinalbookletwithalltheexecutivesandCSRmanagerswithwhomIhavespoken.It is
mycontributiontothegenerativeresearchapproachandanadditionaloutcomeofthisinquiry.
Iwillnowpresenttheessenceofthethesisfocusingonthemainfindingsaswellonmypersonal
learnings.Iwilldothisperchapter–placingtheinquiryresultsfromthejourneysummaryatthe
end.
8Summary 145
SocialConstructionasthebasisforthisthesis
Socialconstructionisanepistemologicalapproachtohowwegainandcreateknowledgetogeth-
erandthusshapereality,orasGergenandGergen(2004,10)state:“Nothingisrealuntilpeople
agree it is.” This approach opens up a world of possibilities, meanings, and responsibilities in
terms of how we jointly create the world. Berger and Luckmann (2013), Burr (2003), Gergen
(1999),andLockandStrong(2010)giveagreatsummaryoftheevolvementofthetheoryofso-
cialconstruction.
Thecurrentacademicdiscussionsfocusonthetensionsbetweenthemodernistic/positivisticper-
spectiveandtheapproachofsocialconstruction:themodernisticperspectiveismainlybasedon
objectiveanduniversalknowledge,onsciencedescribingreality,onclarityandneutrality,onthe
differentiationbetweenobserverandobserved,andontheindividual.Ontheotherhand,social
construction principles aremore about historically and culturally shaped knowledge, about sci-
ences generatingpossibilities, about ambiguity, plurality, bias, and about seeing relationship as
key(HasleboandHaslebo2012).
Therefore,doingmy thesis applying the social constructionprinciplesmeant that any inquiry is
primarilyanactofrelating.Thelanguageinwhichwearecommunicatingisimportant–storytell-
ing,self-reflection–knowingyourownbiasesandlookingtogetherforpossibilitiesratherthanfor
absolutetruth.Thus,socialconstructioninquirydiffersfromtheclassicalwayofdoingresearch
–notinacompetingsense,butinacomplementaryway.
My learning outcomes: The choice of the TAOS/Tilburg PhD program and with that the
principlesofsocialconstructionprovidedauniqueplatformtocarryoutmyinquiry. Iwas
able to includetheparticipants into theprocess.Self-reflectionwasapartof the journey
andIhadtolearntoembraceambiguity,whichIconsideredenriching.Socialconstruction
becamethebaseofmyinquiryjourney.
CSRDefinitionandConcepts
Doing researchonCSR firstmeansunderstanding the concepts anddefinitions (see chapter 4).
Alas, there isacornucopiaofdifferentCSRdefinitionsdependingupontheauthor, thecontext,
andtime(Carroll1999;vanMarrewijk2003;MattenandMoon2004;Crane,Andrewetal.2008;
Dahlsrud2008;BennandBolton2011;SchneiderandSchmidpeter2012).
8Summary 146
Adefinitionfromasocialconstructionperspective(BasuandPalazzo2008)describesCSRasrela-
tional activities ofmanagers in collaborationwith stakeholders to further the common good
andtodemonstratesupportingCSRbehavior.
Apointeddefinition isgivenbytheEuropeanUnion:CSR is the"responsibilityofenterprises for
theirimpactsonsociety”(Williamsonetal.2014,7).IbuiltuponthisEUdefinitionandenlargedit
bystatingthatCSRisthe"responsibilityofenterprisesfortheirimpactonsociety,environment,
andeconomy”herebyincludingJohnT.Elkington’s(2002)“TripleBottomLine”approachofpeo-
ple,planet,profit.
AsCSRhasmaturedovertime,thereisalsoahistoricalperspectiveonecanapply:goingfromjust
following legalobligations, topracticingphilanthropy, to integratingCSR into the internal value
chains,toactingasaCSRpromoteracrosssectors(e.g.Carroll1991/2016;Schneider2012).
ResearchonCSR trends (Riess2012;Steger2008;Harwood,Humby,andHarwood2011;Visser
2012)showthattheyoungergenerations(GenerationYandZ)aremoreadamantaboutthetopic.
CSRisalsoreachingandinvolvingtheend-consumermorestronglyandispracticedmoreinmulti-
stakeholder projects as well as public private partnerships. CSR reporting gradually became a
standard,a“musthave”forbigcorporations.Also,CSRisbecomingmorespecialized;forexam-
ple,CSRmanagersworkingas teammembersof theresearchanddevelopmentdepartment fo-
cusingonlyonenvironmentalissues.
However,CSRissubjecttocriticism.OnesuchcritiqueisanchoredaroundtheeconomistMilton
Friedman(2002).HedidnotseeCSRasanissueofconcernforcompanies,butratherasendan-
geringthecorebusinesstaskofmakingprofit.OthervoicesblameCSRforonlyhelpingcompanies
to greenwash their image, or see it as a burden because of the extended reporting (Hamann
2008).Somepointoutthewrongintention,thatCSRisonlypracticedtomakeevenmoreprofit
(Fleming and Jones, 2013). Banerjee (2011) and Sandoval (2015) go even further and demand
more radical changes in thepowerbalancebetweenstate,market,andcivil society; theyseea
radicalneedtotransformorganizationstoactuallymakethemcapableofdoingCSRbusiness.
Mylearningoutcomes: IrememberhowoverwhelmedIwasinthebeginningwithallthe
different CSR definitions and approaches. I felt frustrated that it seemed impossible to
structureordifferentiatethedefinitionsproperly.Finally,Iwonderedifadifferentiationor
cleardefinitionisreallynecessary,orwhatmightbetheaddedvalue.Inhindsight,thevari-
etyofdefinitionsandapproachesshowsthatresearchonCSRisvitalandconstantlymoving
anditcertainlytaughtmetohandleambiguity.Istartedtoreflectmoreonthepossibilityor
impossibilityoffirmstotrulyactlikeaCSRagent,challengingmyself–isitaniceillusion?
8Summary 147
Ordoesitjusttaketime?Doesittakemoreconsciousgoalsettingatboardlevelsconsider-
ingCSR?Doesitrequiremoreinformationandinspirationaroundthetopic?And/ordoesit
requirebettercollaborationamongstakeholders?IstillwanttobelievethatCSRcanmake
adifference.
CSRinSouthAfrica
ItheninquiredaboutCSRintheSouthAfricancontext(chapter5).Theformerapartheidsystem
in SouthAfrica has created a unique situation for CSR.Due toBBBEE (“Broad-BasedBlack Eco-
nomicEmpowerment”)–alegalnon-bindingpolicythatempowersblackpeopleinbusiness–as
wellasothercodesofconducts,thefocusonCSRrelatedactivityhasmovedintotheforeground
(JackandHarris2007;AryaandBassi2011).
Ubuntu,aSouthAfricanwayofbeing(meaningapersonisapersonthroughotherpeople)isalso
fosteringthehumanandethicalaspect,andhopefully influences(business)peopleaswell.Reli-
gionwasoftenobservedasadriverforCSRintheliterature(AngelidisandIbrahim2004)asinmy
interviews. Inaddition,sociallyaware leadership (Visser,MagureanuandYadav2015) isan im-
portantfactortomaintainthevibrancyofCSR,whilethespiritofNelsonMandelastillcontributes
toapositiveattituderegardingCSR.
ItisimportanttounderstandthatthereisnospecificdefinitionforCSRinSouthAfrica(Hamann
etal.2005;Ramlall2012;Visser,MagureanuandKarina2015).However,itbecameapparentthat
the SouthAfricanCSR communitymore often uses the termCSImeaning “Corporate Social In-
vestment.”Thisisduetothefocusoncorporategivingorinvestinginlocalcommunities,whichis
seen inSouthAfricaasanactofphilanthropy.MainexternalCSRspendinggoes intoeducation,
followedbyhealth.
Overall,SouthAfricaranksgloballyquitewellwhenitcomestoCSRawarenessandactivities(Ber-
telsmannStiftung/GTZ2007).CSRtrends inSouthAfricaaresimilartothegeneraltrends:CSRis
becomingmorestrategicandismovingawayfromonlycorporategiving.CSRmanagersarestart-
ing tomeasure impact and focus on long-term, selectedmulti-sector partnerships. CSR is sup-
posedtoreachthemoreuntappedopportunities inthesmallandmid-sizedcompanies,yetthe
realityalsoshowsthatmoneyandstatushavestillhighvalueandthereforecanundermineCSR
approaches.
My learning outcome: I was surprised how prominent CSR/CSI is in South Africa. Even
thoughitwasandstillismoreunderstoodasanactofphilanthropy,theresimplywasalot
8Summary 148
activity.Theultimateeffectiveness,however,cansometimesbedoubtedandis–evenby
the CSR managers themselves. They expressed a clear wish to be more professionally
trainedonthetopicofCSRbecauseinmanycasesCSRmanagersarecareerchangerswith
lessknowledgeregardingthesubject.
IhaddefinitelyunderestimatedreligiousbeliefasadriverforpeopletogetinvolvedinCSR
andwassurprisedbyhowactivelythechurchandcommunalgroupssupportCSRactivities;
thecivilsocietyseemsquitealive.IhadalsounderestimatedthepressureofBBBEEwithits
highandsometimesirrationallyhighrequirements.Variousfirmshadbeendebatingtopull
outofthecountryandproduce inadifferent, lessregulatedAfricanstate.Whatalsosur-
prisedmewasthatthefindingsfrommy interviewsdidfitverywell intothegeneralaca-
demicfindingsonCSRinSouthAfrica.
CSRandLeadership
The threeoverarchingand interconnected topicsof this thesisareCSR, leadership,andmotiva-
tion.Thus,chapter6isdedicatedtoCSRandtheconnectiontoleadershiptheories.
Leadershiptheorieshavebeendevelopingsincetheearly1900s,butonlysince1995havediffer-
entterminologiesandconceptsofleadershipappearedthatrelatetobeingaresponsibleleader:
servant,ethical,sustainable,responsible,moral,mindful,authentic,charismatic,orspiritual(see
Chapter6.4).AlltheseconceptstosomeextentdriveorsupportbehaviorsthatfosterCSR. Also,theexplicit termof“CSR leadership”arose (D’Amatoetal.2009),which isnotexcludinganyof
theaboveconcepts,butfocusesontheleaderwithinacorporatesettingwhoisforcedtobalance
profitmakingwithCSRengagement.
Typically, CSR leadership can be expressed through a set of behaviors such assystems think-
ing,embracingdiversity,managingrisk,balancingglobalandlocalperspectives,emotionalaware-
ness, creatingmeaningful dialogue, and developing a new language – to use the list ofWilson,
LenssenandHind (2006).My inquiryconclusion is,however, that therearenoagreeduponbe-
haviorsonhowtodriveCSRforward,yetthatvariousoffersforCSRbehaviorsdoexist.
With thedifferentiationof transactionaland transformational leadership,an interestingdistinc-
tioncanbealsomadebetweenCSR leadershipandCSRmanagement (Carroll2003):CSRman-
agement(suchasmakingsureregulationsarefollowed,collectingdata,producingreports,intro-
ducing (re-active) certain processes) is practicedmore often. CSR Leadership (such as setting a
8Summary 149
role-modelingCSRvision,strategy,behaviorsandvalues,engagingpeopleintoCSRactivities,of-
feringspaceforCSRdialogue)willneedmoreattention.
Overall, IconcludethatcreatingaCSRmindsetanddevelopingcertainCSR-relatedbehaviorina
companyhasa lottodowithsuccessfulchangemanagement,asstatedbyKotter(2012),Senge
(1999)orCarucciandPasmore (2002).Thus,manybehaviors thatdrivesuccessfulchangeman-
agementarelikelytoalsobesuccessfulwhendrivingCSRactivities.
Mylearningoutcomes:IoftenheardtwovoiceswhenIspokewithleadersaboutCSRlead-
ership inSouthAfrica.Aminoritywasnotquitesurewhatexactly thatwould look like in
practice. Themajority, however, had a senseof it andacknowledged its importance, but
noticedthattheysimplydidnotmakeCSRleadershipapriorityintheirdailybusinesswork.
It seemed that theirmotivationwas lacking to beginwith or it got lost on theway. The
moreconversations Ihad,mycuriosity regardingCSR leadershipandthepossible tension
towardsprofitmaking in theSouthAfricanemergingmarketbecamemore irrelevant; in-
stead,thefocusofmyinquiryshiftedtowardstheindividual.Ilearnedthattheexecutives’
strugglesdependedmoreontheirpersonalityand lessonexternalenvironmentspecifics.
Nonetheless, the classical tension between global headquarters sending around certain
standardizedCSRguidelinesanda localorganizationhaving to implement themwaspre-
sent.
CSRandMotivation
ThereisagrowingamountofresearchonCSRandLeadership,yetalotlessmaterialonCSRand
Motivation(seechapter7.1)–eventhoughmotivationiscrucialforsuccessfulCSRimplementa-
tion. Inparticular, thepersonalmotivationofhigh-level leadersseems importantbecausethose
leadersaretheoneswhoareabletoactivelyshapeCSR inanorganization. (GraaflandandMa-
zereeuw-VanderDuijnSchouten2012;Ditlev-SimeonsenandMidttun2008;BronnandVidaver-
Cohen2009).
Oneofthemostcurrentdefinitionsof“motivation”wasdevelopedbyRheinbergandVollmeyer
(2012,16). They state thatmotivation is“the targetedmobilizationof a current life activity to-
wardsapositivelyvaluedgoal.”
Researchshowsthatonemajordifferentiationismadebetweenintrinsicandextrinsicmotiva-
tion(RyanandDeci2000;Swanson2008).Afurtherimportantdistinctionismadebetweencon-
tentbasedmodelsofmotivation(Maslow1943;Herzberg1993;Alderfer1972;McCelland2009),
8Summary 150
whichfocusonthemotivesbehindanactionandprocess-basedmodels(RheinbergandVollmey-
er2012;Conrad2007;HeckhausenandHeckhausen2006),whichseemotivationasadynamicact
andaprocesswithdifferentstages.
MyconversationswiththeexecutivesshowedthatthemainmotivesforCSRleadershipinSouth
Africaareintrinsicallymotivated.Themotivescanbetracedbacktotheclassicalcontentresearch
models,meaningthemaindriversarebasedonachievement,power,oraffiliation.Theprocess-
basedmodelscouldnotbeverifiedbecauseIdidnotobserveleadersduringaCSRactivity.
Mylearningoutcomes:Iwassurprisedbyhowdiverseandsometimesevencontradictorythere-
sultsofthemajorempiricalmotivationstudiesonCSRwere.Thiscanmostlikelybeattributedto
thedifferentmethodologies, target groups, company sizes, and regions. Further research could
focusonaccompanyingleadersintheirdailypracticeandanalyzingatwhatpointinthedynamic
processofmotivationtheirmotivationwasparticularlyhighorlow.Thiscouldbehelpfultosup-
portthematthesepivotalmomentstokeepongoingdespiteallchallenges.Inaddition,further
researchontheeffectivenessofCSRtraininganddialoguecouldbeinitiatedtofindoutifeduca-
tionalactivitiesnurtureahigherintrinsicmotivationlevelforCSR.
OnaJourney:Stages,Question,Methods,andResults
Toarriveatmyinquiryquestionwasajourney,whichdeepenedmyunderstandingforCSR,lead-
ership,andmotivation–notonly inSouthAfrica(seechapter3). Iamawareofmypassionand
bias for theCSR topic in connectionwith leadership. Evenbeforeworkingon this thesis I have
beenconvincedthatcorporate leadersneedtobeapartofcollaborativeactionsanddialogues,
solving societal, economic, and environmental issues (see Appendix 1). This is particularly im-
portantbecausecompanieshavethefinancial resourcesand influentialpowertomakeadiffer-
ence.
Ittooktwothirds(almosttwoyears)ofmyPhDjourneyexploringthelandscapeofCSR, leader-
ship,andSouthAfricabeforeIidentifiedthefinalinquirytopic.Onlyinthelastyeardidmyspecif-
icquestionontheleader’smotivationforCSRinSouthAfricabecomeclear,thankstoaninsight-
ful“Aha”momentduringaninterview(seechapter3.4).
Inthebeginningofmy journey, I interviewedfiveCSRmanagersofGermancorporations inJo-
hannesburgaboutwhatCSRmeanstothem,whatleadershipbehaviorstheyviewassupportive,
andwhathurdlesandvisionstheyseeforCSRinSouthAfrica(seechapter3.2).Ialsospokewith
eightotherexpertsandacademicsinSouthAfricainordertosharpenmyunderstandingofCSRin
SouthAfricaandtodefinemyinquirytopic.
8Summary 151
Forthecoreinquiryonthequestionof“whatmotivateshighlevelbusinessleaderstodriveCor-
porateSocialResponsibilityintheirorganizationsandbeyond?”Idecidedtoagainfocusonlead-
ers from large German/German Swiss corporations to reduce cultural complexity. I connected
witheighthigh-level leadersworking in SouthAfrica atMercedes,MunichRe, Kühne&Nagel,
STEAGandSwissRe.Allofthemweremale,intheirmid30stolate50s,ofdifferentdescentand
leadingupto1,500employeesintheirspecificdifferingfunctions(seechapter3.2.2).
AllinterviewswerecarriedoutoverthephoneandanalyzedwiththehelpoftheGroundedTheo-
rymethodgoingfromopencodingtoaxialcodingtoselectivecoding(seechapter3.5.3).Using
axialcoding,IwasabletoidentifyeightmotivesthatdrivebusinessleaderstoimplementCSR
(seechapter3.6):
• Drivenbyexternalrulesandnumbers(whichistheonlyextrinsicmotive)
• Givingenergyfortheindividual
• Followinganinnerdiscipline
• Feelingconnectedtoothers
• Beingconnectedtoahighersense
• Seeingandbeinginvolvedinprogress
• ShowingandknowingtheimportanceofCSR
• Gettingdowntoearthandmakingithappen
Thelattersevenareobviouslyintrinsicmotivesandfallintodifferentcategoriessuchasachieve-
ment,power,andaffiliation.Theoverarchingmotive(ortheselectivecoding)fromallinterviews
was“tobeconnectedtoCSR,”eitherthroughexternalrulesandnumbers,orbytheabovelisted
seveninternaldrivers.
Intheinterviews,IalsoimplicitlyorexplicitlyheardthatimplementingCSRisseenasnotorhardly
possible because ofmissing external support structures. The executives criticized that CSRwas
neitherprominentlypositionedenough inthecompanystrategy,norpartof theirpersonalgoal
agreements,nordiscussedenoughatboardmeetings.Particularly,external supportwascrucial
forintervieweeswhoshowedlessintrinsicmotivation.However,allintervieweesmentionedthat
moreexternalsupportwouldnonethelesshelptobetterimplementCSR(seechapter3.2.4).
Inaddition,Ihadaskedtheexecutivesabouttheirinterestinamotivationbookletorcalendaron
CSR(seeAppendix6).IreceivedalistofcreativesuggestionsfromshowingthebigvisionofCSR
includingthebusinesscase,topracticalbehavioraltipsandexamples,toincludinghumor,jokes,
upliftingpoemsand stories, to listing relevantquestions and short checklist regardingCSR (see
8Summary 152
chapter3.6).Thisdefinitelymotivatedmetodevelopsuchacalendar,whichcanbefoundinthe
appendix.
Mylearningoutcomes:While Iwasabletodeterminethedifferent intrinsicandextrinsic
motivesforbusinessleaders,thereseemstobeagapbetweentalkingandwalking.While
mostmanagerswouldliketodomoreaboutCSR,theyfindithardtointegrateitintotheir
dailybusinessdecisions.Acombinationofexternalpressuresandstructures,ofenoughin-
formation and training about CSR, and a high intrinsicmotivation appears to be a viable
combinationinordertoevolveCSRinorganizationstoahighermaturitylevel.Anaturalfol-
lowupofthisinquirywouldbetogobacktotheexecutiveswiththeresultsandseeifthey
resonatewith them; another crucial stepwould thenbe tohave themactout their own
recommendations,andmoreconsciouslyandpro-activelystartinspiringothersaboutCSR.
GoingforwardwiththetopicofCSRLeadershipandthemotivationforit,itisencouragingtosee
thattheagendaofthe2016WorldEconomicForuminDavosdidcontaincorporategovernance,
ethicalstandards,andthenewUnitedNationalSustainableDevelopmentalGoals.122Theseseven-
teenglobalgoals(asshowninFig.38)canserveasthefundamentalbasisforCSRandleadership.
Fig.38: TheGlobalGoalsforSustainableDevelopmentuntil2030
Source:UnitedNations
122http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
8Summary 153
So, for leadersengaging inCorporateSocialResponsibility inSouthAfricaandelsewhere, itwill
remainacontinuousefforttoengagethemselves,differentpartners,andstakeholderstoachieve
theabove-shownglobalgoalsforsustainabledevelopmentandCSR.
Particularly innovative social and environmental entrepreneurs give hope. Young founders like
Boyan Slat, who works on cleaning the world's oceans of floating plastic (see
http://www.theoceancleanup.com),areencouragingrolemodels.Maybetheyinspirethebigcor-
porateleadersofwhatispossibleandwhatchangecanlooklike!
Forthe leaders inSouthAfricawhomIspoketo, it isclearthatCSR ismostlydrivenby intrinsic
motives,eventhoughtheyacknowledgedaneedforexternalregulation.Withthedeteriorating
economyinSouthAfricaandthecontinuingburdenofpoverty, illiteracy,andsoforth,thechal-
lenges for leaders inthiscountryremainthesameorhavebecomeevenbigger.Havingalready
achievedmorethanmostoftheotherAfricanstates,SouthAfricacanbeproudofitscurrentCSR
maturity level.Nevertheless,thepressureisonandleaderscancontinuetoaskandreflecthow
theyinspirenotonlythemselves,butalsootherstodriveCSRintheirorganizationsandbeyond.
ListofFigures 154
ListofFigures
Fig.1: RolemodelCEORayAnderson..............................................................................................8Fig.2: TheBanana-Ape-Story.........................................................................................................16Fig.3: ComparisonofModernism/PositivismandSocialConstruction.........................................18Fig.4: HandprintofNelsonMandelaaswellasapaintingofhisviewfromhiscell.....................35Fig.5: PrinciplesofAppreciativeInquiry........................................................................................36Fig.6: InterviewQuestionsforCSRManagers...............................................................................37Fig.7: InformalemailtoCSRManagers(2014)..............................................................................39Fig.8: InterviewlistforCSRManagersworkingatGermancompaniesinSouthAfrica................40Fig.9: Overviewoflocalexpertconversationsconductedformyinquiryjourney........................41Fig.10:LearningSnippetsfromleadersinterviews-Commentsenrichingmy
understandingforCSRinSouthAfrica(SA).........................................................................47Fig.11:PhotographiestakenattheTrialogueConference2014.....................................................53Fig.12:AgendaoftheTwo-DayTrialogueConferenceonCSRinSouthAfrica...............................54Fig.13:EssentialMethodsofGroundedTheory..............................................................................59Fig.14:Question1OpenCoding.....................................................................................................62Fig.15:Question2OpenCoding.....................................................................................................64Fig.16:Question3OpenCoding.....................................................................................................65Fig.17:OpenCoding/AxialCoding/SelectiveCodingacrossallquestions......................................66Fig.18:MotivationaldriversofselectedexecutivesinSA...............................................................68Fig.19:Differentmotivationalcontenttheoriesandtheirmainclusters........................................69Fig.20:MotivationaldriversofselectedexecutivesinSAmatchedtothecontent
motivationmodels..............................................................................................................70Fig.21:Phenomenafromtheinterviewsleadingtoideasforthebooklet.....................................73Fig.22:Samplepagesfromthebooklet..........................................................................................74Fig.23:CSRPyramidbyCarroll(2016).............................................................................................76Fig.24:WordCloudonCorporateSocialResponsibilityandrelatedterms....................................84Fig.25:2016DeloitteMillennialSurvey:Millennialswouldprioritizethesenseof
purposearoundpeopleratherthengrowthorprofitmaximization..................................87Fig.26:MaturitylevelsofCSR.........................................................................................................88Fig.27:DonatedMoneyperCountrytoCommunityCauses/Charities(TopTen)...........................95Fig.28:SouthAfrica’sunemploymentincontext..........................................................................102Fig.29:DriversforCorporateSocialInvestment...........................................................................104
ListofFigures 155
Fig.30:SouthAfrica’sPopulationPyramidin2014.......................................................................105Fig.31:SouthAfrica’sCSRisonaSecondGenerationMaturityLevel..........................................110Fig.32:Dichotomyofmanagingandleadingandtransactionalvs.transformational
leadershipadaptedforCSRLeadership.............................................................................116Fig.33:CambridgeSustainabilityLeadershipModel.....................................................................121Fig.34:Businessethicsteachingparadigms(adaptedfromRossouw,2004)................................128Fig.35:PhotographsofflipchartonmycoremotivationforthePhD...........................................133Fig.36:Differentmotivationalcontenttheoriesandtheirmainclusters......................................137Fig.37:MotivationalandVolitionalActivitiesduringaMotivationDynamic................................139Fig.38:TheGlobalGoalsforSustainableDevelopmentuntil2030...............................................152
Literature 156
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Appendix
“Ifyouthinkyouaretoosmalltomakeadifference,
trysleepingwithamosquitoinaroom.”
DalaiLamaXIV
Appendix1 Reachout-Thisisme
“...whatifwecloseoureyesandbegantoimaginetheworldsofourhopes”(...)This
wouldbetoplacetheresearchersvaluesintheforefrontofhis/heractivities..(…)and
purposefulandpassionatevisionswouldsupplyatransparentsourceofaction.”123
ResonatingwiththissentencefromKenGergen’sarticleon“FromMirroringandtoWorldMak-
ing”andhavingjustfinishedtheintroductionchapterofCarlRogers’book“Onbecomingaper-
son”(CarlRogers1995),itstruckmethatitisimportantforthisinquirytobrieflydescribewhoI
am.
Iconsideritworthwhiletoreflectandsharemyvalues,mybeliefs,andmydefiningmomentsasI
amawarethatallofthisisbiasingthisthesis.Bydescribingit,ithopefullygivesyou,thereader,
somecontextaboutmeasapersonandthusabetterunderstandingofhowIconductedmyin-
quiry.Asanybody,Iamconstructingmyrealitylargelybasedonmyvalues,basedonwhoIhave
becomeandwanttobecome–andallthisininteractionandalignment,ordifferentiationwithor
fromothers.
Writingthis,InoticedthatIamnotusedtopresentingmyselfinsuchapersonalwayandittakes
somecourageformetodoso.
GrowingUp
Igrewup insmall town insouthernGermany inatypicalmiddleclasshouseholdwithtwokids,
beingtheoldersistertomy3.5yearsyoungerbrother.Welivedinamulti-familyresidencewith
fiveotherfamiliesandahugegarden.Ihavefondmemoriesofthefirstyears,myparentswere
verycaringandrelaxed,andastherewereotherslivinginthehouse,therewasalwayssomeone
123ThequotecanbefoundontheTaosWebsiteinanotebyKenGergenfromNovember2013:
http://www.taosinstitute.net/Websites/taos/images/DegreeStudentResources/Gergen,_Ken_-_Mirroring_to_World-Making_2014.pdfaccessedagainSeptember2015.Itintroducedatthattimeaworkingpaper.Theofficiallyreleasedandawardedarticleisnowcalled„FromMirroringtoWorld-Making:ResearchasFutureForm-ing“byKenGergen,Taos,2014andcanbefoundontheTaosWebsiteaswell.
Appendix 173
around.Thedoorswereoftenopenandifyouhadbeenintroublewithmom,dad,oryourbroth-
er, you couldwalk down to “Auntie Sander” and get some candy. Thehuge gardenwith all its
treesservedalsoasaperfectplaygroundforusandtheotherkidsinthehouse.
Myparents come fromverydifferentbackgrounds,which Ibelievehas influencedmeearlyon.
Mydadcomesfromafarmwitharoughandheartyenvironment;mymomwasraisedinanaca-
demichousehold,hermotherbeingadentist,wheredisciplineandetiquetteplayedabigrole.As
akid,Irememberthetwodifferentcutlerydrawersinmygrandparents’kitchens:thedraweron
thefarmwastightanddifficulttoopen,youhadtopullhardwithallyourstrengthandthenin-
sideyoufoundknives,forks,spoons,everythingfloatingaroundinchaos,sometimesotherstuff
mixedin,too.Inthedentisthousehold,anoiselessdrawerthatyoualmostdidnothavetotouch
would reveal neatly sorted and huddled next to each other forks, spoons, and knives. I called
them“mytwoworlds”andIlovedbothofthemforwhattheyrepresentedandwhattheytaught
me:Ineverhadaninterestindecidingwhattolikemoreorless;thesedifferentworldswereboth
valuableandenrichingtome.
SchoolTime
School years passed by without major events; my parents supported but never pressured my
brotherandmeintoanything.Myupbringingwasnot“intellectual”butratherpragmaticandeasy
going.Inmyteens,myparentsownedarepairshopforfarmingequipmentandmachines.Given
thatitwasalotofworkandlonghours,itstrainedmyparent’srelationshipquiteabit.Itwasa
painfuleye-openerformetorealizethatrelationshipsofadultscanbecumbersomeandthatlife
isnotalways“heileWelt”,meaningmyhappyworlddidgetsomerealitydents.
During these timesmyGerman and ethics teacher became important formy development be-
causeheopenedthedoortophilosophy,todifferentschoolsofthought,andtomyeclecticap-
proachthatIstillbelieveintoday.However,Iwouldnotconsidermyselfanintellectualprimarily.
Idohavegreat instinctsandan intuition forsituationsandpeople,butstill,written language is
notmyfavoritechannelofcommunication.Nevertheless,Ilovereadingbookswithbeautifuland
preciselanguageasitgivesmewordstodescribewhatIsenseandfeel.AnduntiltodayIhavea
greatthirstforlearningandgrowingpersonallyandtogetherwithpeoplearoundme.
UniversityYears
Beforegoingtouniversity,IwentabroadforayeartoFranceandtotheUS,whichIbothtrulyen-
joyed. I lovedthedifferences;varietymakesmefeelalive– itevokesdifferentsides inme.The
loveforvarietyiswhyitwasnoteasyformetomakeachoicewithmystudies.Itookclassesina
Appendix 174
lotofdifferentsubjects:inanthropology,inpolitics,inpsychology,ineconomics,inGermanand
American literature,untiloneday the ladyat the studentoffice said, “Young lady, youneed to
makeadecisionnow,Iamnotchangingyourstudybookagain.”
Then after 6 years I finished with a Master’s degree in International Politics, Economics, and
Americanstudies. Iowemyaccomplishments tomyoneyearstudying in theUS.Theacademic
teaching style there was much more personal and motivating. It boosted my self-confidence.
From theGerman education system andmy parents’ upbringing I learned not to overestimate
myself,tobehumble,andtonotthinkIamspecial.Thiswasneverexplicitlyexpressed,butitruns
inthefamilysincebothofmyparentshavebeenraisedthatwayaswell.IntheUS,Ilearnedtobe
proudofthatwhichIamgood.IlearnedthatIcanchangethingsandtothinkbig;Ilearnedthatit
isOKtoshareyourstrengthsandtotalkaboutthem.Nonetheless, this isstillhardformeuntil
today.
Findingmyplaceinprofessionalandprivatelife
Choosingmyworkenvironmentafteruniversitywasnoteasy–againIwasspoiltforchoice.One
ofmymentorsoncesaidtome:“Annette,youarelikeadonkeyamidstmanyhaystacksandIsee
youstarvingbecauseyoucan’tdecidefromwhichonetoeat.”Ioriginallyneverwantedtowork
in business, but rather for theUN, the EU, or anNGO, thus servingmybig ideals tomake the
worldabetterplace.
Yet, during my internships at those governmental and nongovernmental bodies I experienced
suchtremendousamountsofbureaucracyandchaosthatitscaredmeaway.Myfantasyatthat
point intimewasthattheglobalcorporateworldworksmoreprofessionallyandalsooffersac-
cesstoaninternationalenvironment.So,Istartedworkinginthehumanresources(HR)depart-
mentatDaimlerHeadquarters in Stuttgart. Today I amverygrateful for this life turnbecause I
founda functionalarena that Iamreallygood in–workingwithpeople. Iamendlesslycurious
aboutwhotheyare,whytheydowhattheydo,howtheygrow,howtheyresist,andsoforth. I
simplyhaveagenuineinterestinhumanbeings.
MydecadelongcareeratDaimlerallowedmetoseealldifferentHRfunctions.Ilivedandworked
indifferentpartsoftheglobe–includingSouthAfrica–whilelearningtoplaywellinthecorpo-
rateworld.AndIaddedmanydifferentqualificationsfromthepsychologicalfield,suchasafour-
yearGestaltqualification,systemsthinkingclasses,theNLPPractitioner,ProvocativeTherapycer-
tification,constellationwork,ritualwork–justtomentionafew.Ontheprivateside,myfirstbig
lovebrokeapartafter12years,withmebecomingmoreandmoreassuredofwhoIwasandwhat
Appendix 175
Iwantedfromlife:tolearn,toreflectandgrow,tobringthebestoutofmyselfandeachother,
andtohaveapartnerwhowantedthisaswell.
MytimeintheUS
Intheyear2000,achallengingworkassignmentattheUStruckcompanyFreightlineraswellasa
newlovebroughtmetoPortland,Oregonforfiveyears.IlovethePacificNorthWest,thenature
isjustbeautifulandeventodayIenjoythelaidbackstyle.Despitethefantasticenvironmentand
mynew love–whobecamemyhusband– Iworkedextremely longhours.Reflectingon this, I
think Iworkedsohardmainly for two reasons.Firstly, I felt responsible to fulfillmy jobassign-
ments;Iwantedtoco-createandleadthisculturalturnaroundwithallmypassionandmyvision
tocreateabetterworkingplacetogether.Secondly, Iwasambitiously livingtheegoofmythir-
ties.Iwantedtoprovethat“Icandoit”,thatIcaninspireotherstojoinintheculturechangeas
well–weachievedalotduringthismostintenseworkingtimeofmylife.Afterfiveyears,Iwas
readyforatwelvemonthssabbatical.
BackinEurope
NotgoingbacktoDaimlerwasoneofmybiglifedecisions.OntheonehandwiththisdecisionI
hopedformorefreetimetostartafamily;ontheotherhandIwantedtoworkforasmallerfirm,
focusinglessonHRandinternalpolitics,butmoreonleadershipinvariousdifferentcontexts.
Thefirsthopedidnotquiteworkout:pregnancystayedawayandmymarriagefellapart.These-
condcametruewithmeworkingfirstfull-timeataleadershipconsultancyfirmandsince2010in-
dependentlyasagloballeadershipconsultantandcoachacrosssectorsandindustries.Ifeelvery
blessedthatIfoundmyprofessionalcalling!Thedifferentworksettingsservemyinterestforva-
riety and learning. Nomatter if I serve theUnitedNationsWorld Food Program togetherwith
othercolleaguesdesigningandfacilitatinganemergencyplanningmeeting,orifIruninternation-
alleadershipprogramsforGeneralElectricinEurope,theMiddleEast,andAfrica,orifIsupporta
privateGermanTVstationwiththeirinternalchangeprocess–IfeelthisiswhereIcancontribute
andlivemytalentsandpersonalitytothebest.
Thelastthreeyearsalsohavebeentreatingmeverywellinmyprivatelife.Ifoundasoulmatein
Berlinandheandhistwodaughtersaremydearhomebase.Wearecreatingagoodlifetogether
bychallengingandsupportingeachother,byopenlyandwillinglygoingthroughupsanddownsof
lifetogether,andbycommunicatingandnegotiatingourneeds.TomethisiswhatIcallbringing
bestoutofeachotherandwritingthisputsabigsmileonmyface.
Appendix 176
Ihope that theabovedescriptiongaveyouabetter ideaofwho I am.Nonetheless in thenext
paragraphsIwilldescribeformyownclarityandreflectionwhereIseemyvalues/biasesandlife
principles.
Mybiasesandprinciples
IamcomingfromtheworldofbusinesslivingthePrussianvalues:workhard,bedisciplined,fight
forwhatyoubelievein,nevergiveup!
AndIbelieve inparadoxesorpolaritymanagement:globalversus local,speedversusquality,or
knowledgeversusbelief.I learnedthatthetensionbetweenthesepoleswillnevergoaway,but
need to bemanaged. This learning relievedme, because suddenly I understoodwhy the same
problemscamebackagainandagain.Becausethesearenoproblemstobesolved,butparadoxes.
PolesthatneedtobemanagedaslongasIlive.
Ioftenhearmyselfsay:thereisnotnecessarilyrightorwrong;allbehaviorsusuallyhavea“func-
tion”andthisfunctionisimportanttoexplore.
Iexperienceeverydaythatcuriosityfordifferencesbringsusmuchfurther.Ialsolearnedabout
myself,thatIoftenstoplisteningtooearly,assumingIknowalready.Thus,Itrytostayincuriosity
modeaslongaspossible.
Ienjoyaesthetics,clearstyles,andoccasionallyfeelguiltyforit.Itcanbethebeautyofasimple
flower inagarden,butsometimesaestheticsareconnectedwith luxury–andinaworldwhere
stillalotofpeoplesufferfrompoverty,thisisahardbalancingactforme.
I have abias for “fairness” –my idealistic tendencies are sometimes abit toonaïve.As I think
therearewaystomaketheworldabetterplaceandthatIcancontribute.Ontheotherhand,my
idealskeepmegoingandletmyselfnotgetfrustratedtooquickly.
Ienjoypragmatism–meaningIhavethetendencytomakelearningapplicableandusable.
…..andtherearemore,yetIwillleaveitherefornow.
Appendix 177
Appendix2 SummaryofinterviewswithselectedCSRmanagersinSouthAfrica
Name,Company,
InterviewDate
BriefindividualBackgroundInfor-mation
DefinitionofCSR PersonalPrideCSRbehaviorsandrelevantquestionsleaderscouldask
FactorsHinderingCSR VisionforCSR Ratings
BeautyJack,
Mercedes,27.1.2014
Female,CSICoordinatoratMercedes,5yearsintheposition,black
Givingbacktosociety Lovesalltheprojects,e.g.Madibaday,earlychildhooddevelopment,educationprojectforteachersetc.
Beinginvolved,e.g.throughvolunteerism,roadshowsthroughcommunicatingaboutCSR
NothavingadedicatedCSRdepartment(wehaveoneonlysince6years)
Strongerexecutivecom-mitteeinvolvement,moremeasuring,morestrategy,
Doesnotdaretoassess
EsterLange,
BMW
28.1.2014
Female,CSImanageratBMW,black,10yearsinposition,noDR
CSImeansinvestinginourcommunitytohelpthemdevelopandtomakethembetter–astheANCphrasesaid„tomakepeople’slifebetter
CSIismoreoutsideori-entedversusCSRismoreinside
Shewasproudbutshortandhumblereferringtomentioned–allofourprojectsonthewebsiteandsmiled;shealsosaidIwouldwantpeopletosayinthesamebreathBMWmakeswonderfulcarsandtheydogreatsocialvibrantprojectsthatworkagainstine-quality
CSIleadersshouldspeakaboutthistopicsandpromoteitactively;theyshouldseeitasacorebusiness,asafocusnexttomanufacturingpremi-umcars;theyshoulden-courageinoneononeconversationandinstaffmeetings;theyshouldknowwhattheemployeeisinterestedin/Volunteerism)andtrytoconnecthimorhertotheirinterestviaCSI.Theyshouldbecaring
SeeingCSRastickingabox,notenoughbuyin,poorarticulation,poorsupportfrommanydif-ferentsides,nomentor-ing,notenoughCSRre-sources,mindsetis“notright”meaningtooprof-it-maximizationoriented
HaveCSRtrainingmate-rialthatHRcoulduse:aguidingCSRmentoringhandbook,somethingthatinspiretheleadersto“upliftthemselvesandtheirneighbors”,focuswithprojectsonruralar-eaandkeepyoungpeo-pleoutofthecities–toomuchcrime
7CSRDep
6overall
TasnienPatel,Bayer,6.2.2014
Female,HeadofCom-munication,BayerinJoburg,responsibleforCSR,2employees,col-oredIndianbackground,comesfromJournalism,13yearsofworkexperi-ence
Howanorganizationissociallyandenvironmen-tallyresponsible.Howitcontributestosociety.ShemakesnodifferencebetweenCSIandCSR,didnotevenhearthetermCSIbefore
Schooldevelopmentalprojectinmathandsci-ence
Didnotreallyknow,onlysaysthenitisnotaniso-latedbehaviorbutacombination.
Askq:HowdoesCSRre-latetothebusiness,whatimpactshallithave,whatcanwegain,whataretherisks
Selfishness,notbeingstrategicaboutCSR
HavingaCSRcommittee,offeringmoreinfor-mationonCSRandvol-unteeringprojects
dofewerprojectswithmoreimpact,BBBEEishelpinginbeingaframe
5(CSRDep)
7overall
Appendix 178
Name,Company,
InterviewDate
BriefindividualBackgroundInfor-mation
DefinitionofCSR PersonalPrideCSRbehaviorsandrelevantquestionsleaderscouldask
FactorsHinderingCSR VisionforCSR Ratings
EmilyMolefe,Siemens,
7.2.2014
Female,CSRManagerSiemens,black
Investinginecological,socialandeconomicalprojectsthatupliftourcommunity
TheopeningoftheMan-delaSchoolforScienceandTechnologymakesmeveryproud–longplanning,hugeproject
Didnotreallyanswerthequestions,focusedmoreonprojectsthanbehav-ior;repeatedthatexecu-tivesshouldbe“engage”
DisinterestinCSR,put-tingprofitALWAYSfirst,seeingCSRasaddonandnotaspartofdoingbusi-ness
CSRwouldneedtobealotmoreconnectedwithotherfunctions,e.g.HR,wecouldthencollectal-somoreBBBEEpoints
5forboth
NobuntuLange,VW
7.2.2014
Female,StrategicStake-holderConsultant,black,2years,noDR,BAincommunications
Tocontributetoeconom-ic&socialprogressofourcommunitiesbyinvestingineducation,youthde-velopment,health,com-munityofwellbeingandtheenvironment
Sheproudlyshowsawell-prepareddocumentofprojects;herpersonalpreferenceistheem-ployeevolunteerismandmentoringproject–wasstronglyinvolvedinthat.VWhas33leadersasmentorsand39pupilmentees
LeaderscontinuetopromotethatVWhasal-waysbeenandshouldbeapeople’scompany,sharingVWvalues,creat-ingdialogueonCSR,begoodatchangeman-agementforCSR,coach&guide,befairandcou-rageous
NotfollowingourTrans-formationVisionfor2018(seedocument),every-thingistherewejustneedtodoit
Connectsocialandcor-poratebenefit,havemorestrategicpartner-ships,alignwithnationalpriorities,supportlocalchampions
ReferredtoherbosstoanswerthisQ.
Source:AnnetteThum-Longersummariesofeachinterviewuponrequest124.
124CSRWebsitesoftheinterviewees’companies–justasinformation:http://www.vw.co.za/en/volkswagen-groupsouthafrica/corporate-citizenship/corporate-social-responsibility.html
Mercedes:http://www.mercedes-benzsa.co.za/sustainable-development/corporate-social-investment/Bayer:http://www.bayer.com/en/sustainabilitystrategy.aspxSiemens:http://www.siemens.co.za/sustainable-development/videos/csr-in-south-africa.htmlBMW:http://www.bmw.co.za/products/automobiles/bmw_insights/CSR/CSR_Overview.asp
Appendix 179
Appendix3 Samplequestionsforexecutives
Generaldataabouttheexecutivehasbeencollectedupfront:• Name,title,gender,ethnicity,yearsinposition• Functional/educationalbackground• Numberofdirectreportsandheadcount.
QuestionaireNo Question Com
ment
1 WhatdoyouconnectwithCorporateSocialResponsibility(CSR)whenyouheartheterm?
2 WhenwasthefirsttimeyougotincontactwithCSR?Inwhatway?
3 IfyouwouldneedtodefineCSR,whatwouldyousay?
4 HowisCSRrelevantinyourdailyprofessionallife?
5 Howdoesitinfluencethewayyourlead?WhatquestionscouldleadersaskinthedailybusinesstotakeCSRintoconsideration,e.g.function-specific?
6 Whatareleadershipcharacteristics/behaviorsthatsupportaCSRapproach?
7 WhatarewaysyouincorporateCSRintoyourdecisionmaking?
8 WouldyousayyouactasarolemodelforCSR–ifyeswhy,ifnowhy–whatcouldbehelp-fulresourcesforyoutorole-modelevenmore?
9 Onascalefrom1-10(1obeingthebest=howwelldoyoufeelsupportedfromyourCSRde-partment/responsible?/ for CSR people turn question around and ask how they feel sup-portedbytheleadersoftheorganization
10 HowdoyoubelieveCSRiscurrentlylivedandpracticedinyourorganization?
11 Whatare1or2CSRexamplesandcasesfromyourorganizationsthatyouareproudof?
12 Whatcouldyoudo/areyoudoingtopromoteCSRintheorganization?
13 WhatdoyouthinkispossiblewhenitcomestoCSRinyourorganization?Whatcouldbeanidealfuture?Whatbestpracticeswouldyouwanttoseeimplemented?
14 Whatcouldgetinthewaytorealizethisvision?
15 HowdoesBBBEEhelporhinderCSRactivities?WhatwouldyourcompanydointheCSRfieldwithoutBBBEE?HowrelevantistheGRIreportingforyou?
16 Howcouldyouovercomethesehurdles?
17 Overall, ifyouwouldhavetogiveyourselfaratingonCSRperformance–howwouldyourateyourself?(scalefrom1-10,10beingthebest)
18 IfyouwouldhavetorateyourorganizationonitsCSRperformanceoverall,howwouldyourateit?(scalefrom1-10,10beingthebest)
Appendix 180
Appendix4 ParticipantlistofseniorexecutivesforphonecallsonCSRandmotivation
No Name(randomorder)
PositionandCompany CallTime
1 OwenSmith
HeadofPurchasingMercedes-BenzSouthAfricaLtd
16.10.20151:30-2:30pm
2 ThomasKlein ManagingDirectorMercedes-BenzPassenger
CarsatSandownMotorsHolding(Pty)Ltd.
4.11.20153-4pm
3 MayurBhana(Miles)
VicePresidentGroupCorporateAffairs,Mer-cedes
Mercedes-BenzSouthAfricaLtd
29.10.201510:30-11:30am
4 RalfFranke GeneralManager
KühneundNagel
2.12.20156-7pm
5 MichaelGoth
GeneralManagerandHeadofSouthAfricaOffice
STEAGEnergyServicesGmbH
14.12.20154-5pm
6 SiggiBuschMarketHead&ClientExecSouthAfrica|Direc-tor|Europe,MiddleEast&AfricaSwissReinsuranceCompanyLtd
9.10.20158-9am
7 RolfWeber ClientRelationshipManagerMunichRe 6.11.20157:30-8:30am
8 ThysNieuwoudt
ExecutiveHeadLife&HealthAfrica|Director|Europe,MiddleEast&Africa
SwissReLifeandHealthAfricaLimited
3.11.201511:30-12:30am
Appendix 181
Appendix5 Anonymousprotocolsofseniorexecutivesfromthephonecallson
motivationandCSR
ProtocolSeniorExecutiveA:
IhmWichtig–ersprichtalsPrivatperson!NichtalsFirmenVertreter!
A:WiedefinierenSieCSR?
MG:offiziell...–wasmantut,tunmussalsFirma,umdurchsozialeProjektPunktezusammeln,uminderScorecardvornemitdabeizubleiben(manhört leichte Ironie&Süffisanz inseinerStimme...) Ich ....-Mirgeht’sumAus-undWeiterbildung,ichnehmedassehrernst.AuchwenneskeinePunktegibt.WirsuchenjungeIngenieureundstellensiebeiunsein–festalsinterns–undschickensienachDeutschland.Allevondenensindnochbeiuns–dafürbrauchenwirkeineScorecard.
A:WennSieCSRnebenderexternalenPerspektivenauchinternalsehen,wasbedeutetCSRdannfürSie?
MG:AlsodamüssenSieaufdieoffizielleWebseitegehen,aberfürmichpersönlichheißtdaserstmalDingewirichbauneSchuleundlassmichdanndavorfotografierensindtotalzumScheiternverurteilt,weilnichtnachhaltig.EsmussintegriertseinindieeigeneWertschöpfungskette,wiez.B.dasEntwickelnvonLieferan-ten,dasistsinnvolloderebenmeineThemenAus-undWeiterbildung,wasmannutzenkann,wasdieKetteamLaufenhält.EinfachGeldreinzustopfen,nee,dasbringtnicht.
A:WasglaubenSie,wasmotiviertdieFKs,dieCSRleben
MG:lachtundsagt:alsoichhabeeigentlichnochniejemandengetroffen,derCSRlebt,sondernnurjeman-denderdastut,wasnotwendigist.Ichdenk,dassbeantwortetdieFrage.
A:wasmotiviertsieselbst?
MG:HilfezurSelbsthilfegeben, jungen Ingenieurenzuhelfen,sichselbstzuentwickelnund IhrenMarkt-werterhöht.UnddasanderedasichangeleiertisteinlokalesKraftwerkinPortElisabethaufzubauen–damusssichnochzeigen,obdaserfolgreichist.AberwirwollendielokalenLeistungenhieraufbauen,hierhal-ten,wirwollenkeineFremdleistungen.DasAufzubauenmotiviertmich.
A:UndwiekönntenSieanderefürdasThemamotivieren?
MG:Dasistschwierig.Daskannichnichtwirklichsagen.IchhabmichjetzteinemKreisangeschlossenoderbineingeladenworden(ichhöreStolz),dasistsowaswieeinZusammenschlussbesorgterBürger,einCom-munity,dietreffensich2malimJahrunterdemMottoSAfürSA.Dasistnichtschick,aberdasindhochran-gigePolitikerdabei,esistfürmichdaeineEhremitzuspielen!Undwirbesprechenda,wasmantunkann,ladenauchDozentenzudemThemaausStellenbosheinetc.-dashalteichfürsinnvoll.
A:UndnochmalszurückzuIhrereigenenMotivation:wasistes,wassieamEndetreibtsichfürdasThemaeinzusetzen?
MG:FürmichisteseinstarkesSüdafrikazuschaffen,einenSAdemesgutgeht–ichkannesgarnichtrich-tigerklären.SAkönnteeinesder reichstenLänderderWelt sein. (ichhöreHoffnungaus seinerStimme).Das ganze ist fürmich auchein spannendeswirtschaftlicheundpolitisches Experiment.Außerdem treibtmicheinfachmeineNeugier,meineExperimentierfreude.
Appendix 182
A.WaswürdenSeisagen,waskönntenFirmenimallgemeinentun,umIhreFührungskräfteimBereichCSRzuunterstützen?
MG:Dashatschonsowasinstitutionalisiertes...Manchmalwürdeeseinfachhelfen,wenndieeineneinfachmachenlassen,wennmanmehrFreiraumbekämeundwenigerRegularien.ZumanderenkönntendieFir-menmehrVerständnisschaffenfürKulturundLand,undzwarnichtnureinfacheinenkleineninterkulturel-lenKurs.Auchnurjemandenschicken,derwirklichInteresseamLandhat(undnichtnuramJob!)
A:WiemotivierenSiesichselbst?
MG:MeinNaturellistso,ichbrauchedanichts.FürmichistesspannendbeidemThemainteressanteLeutekennenzulernen, interessante Diskussion und wertvolle Gespräche zu führen. Vernünftige Menschen zutreffen,aufdiemanbauenkann,dashältmichbeiLaune,dasmachtSpaß,auchdabeidervorhingenann-tenGruppemitzuspielen.
A.WiekamensiedennindieseGruppe?
MG:DurchlokaleFreunde–dashatmitVertrauenzutun.HierinSüdafrikagehtesganzbesondersumVer-trauen–esgibtdasReconciliationBarometer2015,dagehtesnichtumschwarzoderweiss,dageht’sumVertrauenaufallenEbenen.UndmirgehtesumvertrauensbildendeMaßnahmenzwischenRegierungundWirtschaft.
A.Dasistspannend–gebeInputzuCSR1.0,2.0,3.0
MG:Ja,daskannichgutnachvollziehen,nurdazumüssensiedieLeutehaben,dieebenbeidehaben,Inte-ressenanIhrerArbeitundanIhremLandoderdemLandindemSiearbeiten.
A:WiemotivierenSieselbstjungeMAfürdasThemaCSR?
MG: Ichversuchesieganzschlicht fürMentorshipszugewinnen,sodasssieetwaserleben.EsgehtauchimmerumZeitgeben.Zeit istvielwertvolleralsGeld.Geldgeben isteinfach-dabautmaneinGebäude,stelltsichvornedran,lässtsichfotographieren,kannmitdemFotoangeben,dasisteinfach.Ichverstehjaschon -Tueguteundrededarüber,aberdashatnichtsmitNachhaltigkeitzu tun.NachhaltigkeitbrauchtZeit,siemüssenmitdenLeutensprechen,immerwieder,daszeigtdannevt.Wirkung.
A:WennSiesichanihrepersönlichen„CSRHighlightserinnern,wosiestolzwaren,sichvollerEnergiege-füllthabe,waswardasfürSie?
MG:Ohdagibteseinige: Ichhattez.B.einenSporttrainer,ummichfitzuhaltenunddenhabe ichmoti-viert,dasserPhysiotherapiestudiert.Dashatmichgefreut.Oder ichhabemaleinBoxtournementfürJu-gendlicheorganisiert,umsiewegvonderStraßeindenSportzukriegen,daswarauchtoll–überhauptal-lesmitSportmachtmirhaltFreude–warfrühermalimTurnerbund–ja,essindebenauchdiekleinenDin-geunddieZeitdiemandafürgibt.
A:KennenSieeinRollenmodellfürCSRundwennwasmachendieoderder?
MG:regiertfastgenervt–vonsowashalteichnicht,dasistkeinThema,mansollsichnichtvergleichen...
A:ichformuliereesanders–habenSieguteIdeengesehen,diesieevt.inspirieren.
MG:Erlachtundsagt:NajafürmichsinddasdieMenschenfreunde,diewirklichdenMenschenernstneh-menohne,dassiegleichwasdafürbekommen.SieopfernZeitohnezufragen,wollennichtmaterielles–sowieMutterTheresa,ichhabemaleineDokumentationgesehen,diemichsehrbeeindruckthat.
A:Nocheine letzteFrage:WennSieein inspirierendesBüchleinzumThemaCSRundFührungsehenwür-den,wasmüsstedrinstehen,damitsieinteressiert?
MG:ohje–ichhassediesenultimativenGuidekram,daswürdeichsofortliegenlassen–dieseirreführendeManagement-Literatur...
Appendix 183
A:ok,wiemüssteessein,dasssieesnichtliegenlassen?Alsofürmichmüssteeskonkretsein,mitKontakt-adressen, sodass ich Leuteanrufenkannundmichmitdenendirektunterhalten. Ichwürdegerneback-groundinfoshabenauchzuderKulturundwie ichCSReinbette.EshatmitMenschenundKulturzutun,deshalbistdakeinHowtomöglich.AußerdemsolltendaBeispielhafteProjektedrinsein.Mankanndasoviel falschmachen. Ichwarmal inBangladeshunddahateinermiteinemverkrüppeltenBabygebettelt,wennichdemGeldgegebenhätte,dannwürdeichsowasnurverstärken....
A:Sonstnochetwas?
MG:Nein,dafälltmirjetztnichtsein–nachhaltigmüssendieTippsebensein–nachhaltig.
Ich danke ihm erst Mal und wir sprechen noch ein bisschen über südafrikanische wirtschaftliche The-men, .B.dassdiestaatlicheBeschäftigungzunimmtunddieprivatwirtschaftlicheab–waser für schlechthält,denninderstaatlichenarbeiteteinerund9erhaltensozusagen„socialwelfare“undarbeitennichts,dasmüsstesichallesindiePrivatwirtschaftverlagern.IchfrageihnnochnachFirmen,dieihminSüdafrikaeinfallen,diefürihnfürCSRstehenundernenntEvonicundKühneundNagel,aberweilersiekenntundeswirklichweiss–alleanderenkönnenjaerzählenundschreibenwassiewollen...
Erlädtmichnochein,beieinemBesuchinSAdasGesprächfortzusetzenundwirverabschiedenuns.
Appendix 184
ProtocolSeniorExecutiveB:
A:GebeHintergrundderStudieundVerlaufunderklärt ihmResearch-Frage.UndfrageichdannnachderDefinitionausseinerSichtvonCSR.
TK:CSRbedeutet fürmich,wieunterstütze ichLandundLeuteundbin imEinklangmitProfitabilität,mitdenlegalenGegebenheitenundunterstützedasGrosseundGanze
A:WassindIhrerAnsichtnachdieMotivevonFKsCSRimTäglichenzuleben?
TK:WeiteFrage–jenachWerten–ProfitgetriebeneMenschen,denendasganzegalist,ichhabsovieler-lebtinden2,5Jahrenindenenichhierbin–ÖleinfachablaufenzulassenmitkeinerleiSchuldgefühlen,daesjazuteuerwäre,dasanderszuentsorgen,dannauchnichtgewartetodereinenPlanhätte,aberdannzusagenbevorichnuneineMillionRandProfitinvestiere(inKlammern–dennichwerdejaanteiligbezahltandemwasicherwirtschafte),dannlassichdochlieberdasÖlindenGullilaufen...MichtreibtdersozialeTeilvonSR,ichbineinfachalsPersonjedesMaltiefbetroffen,wennicheinTownshipgeheoderwennichmitirgendeiner extrememArmut und Bildungsnotstand konfrontiert bin.Man ist sich aus Deutschland kom-mendgarnichtwirklichbewusst,wieprivilegiertmaneigentlichist.Mansagtdaszwarimmer,abersorich-tigbewusst...sowennmanimTownshipstehtunddanndieGesichtersieht,dabinicheinfachrechtemp-findlich.WirhabenhiereinenklarenCodeofConducteingeführt,einenklarenWertekodex,vielgemacht,dasswirinkeinemWeiseVerstößedulden,wirhabenauchLeuteentlassen,dashatgenausogroßeWirkungalswennmannichtstut. Insofern isteswiesieauchsagenvielleicht immereineFragedeseinzelnen. Ichmusssagen-beieinerFirmawieunsimmermehrereeinzelne–aberwennichderEinzigewäre,dereinenSinnfürRechtundOrdnunghätte,dannwärewahrscheinlichichdasProblem(lacht),nachdemMotto–einGeisterfahrer....dasmusseinemeinfachbewusstsein.BeieinerFirmamit200MAmussmaneinfachvornesehenundesleben.
A:Siesagensiesindempfindlich,empfänglich–hatsichdasgewandelt
TK:Jaklar,ichmachvielüberdieFirma–wirhabenaberauchprivataucheineFraudieunshilft,unddiehatvieleProbleme,aberwirkönnensiehaltnichtimmerschützen.
A.TunsieauchwasbeiMercedes,umdasThemanochernsterzunehmenundauchanderezumotivieren?
TK:Ichglaubeichtueschonrechtviel,mehralsmancherSüdafrikaner,derauseinerUnbetroffenheit,auseineUnbekümmertheit,fürdieesvöllignormal,dasssie3malamTagSteakessenundanderegarnichtsessen.Waswirhiermachen:großeInitiative:wirunterstützendiesmitAuto,GameResortschützen,schu-lenaufbauenetc.,neustreichen,unddagehichmit...streicheetc.IneinemunseremBetrieb–eineNachtineinemKartoonmitderStrasseschlafen–einCEOInitiative.OderMercedesBenzSüdafrikaistsehrinderSportfoundationinLaureusstarkengagiert.AberwirhabenauchvieleMitarbeitermitpersönlichenPaten-schaften,wir stellen Foodbaskets auf... Alsowir versuchen schon immerwieder klar zumachen, es gehtnichtallensogut.AberesgibtebennichtbeiallenBetroffenheit.ManchmalwennesfreiesEssengibt,dannnehmendiesich5malundstopfensichdieTaschenmitSoftdrinksvoll.
A:SpiritofGivingistgroßinSA–daliegtSAweitvorneaufPlatz2,wasmichnochmehrinteressiert,istdasinterneCSR(CSR1.0,2.0,3.0Input)SinddieLeuteauchmotiviertüberinterneszureden.
TK:Dawürde ichsagenstrukturiertKonversationengelingtunsevt.einmal imJahr,wasdeutlichgrößereSeiteeinnimmt,sinddieTransformationThemen,d.h.mehrSchwarzeinUnternehmertumhaben.AberdahabenwirjaauchdenDrucküberBBBEE.JemandenderursprünglichdisadvantagedwarChancezugeben,d.h.wieschaffenwirkleineUnternehmer?Dasheißt,wirschauen,wirfinanzierenEuchindenersten2Jah-renundihrholtunsdannunsereReifenab.Unddastreibenwirschon,dassliegtauchanunseremCEO.ER
Appendix 185
warauchderersteCEOschonimmerstarkgetriebenhat,derdasThemadurchunddurchatmet,demLandsehrverbunden–obwohlerWeiserist-undwilleinenBeitragleisten.
A:Danochmalseinhacken,wasglaubenSie,wasIhrenCEOmotiviertoderauchanderediesoagieren?
TK:Ichglaube,dassdieseintiefchristlicher,gläubigerAnsatzist,trotzseinesfortgeschrittenenAlters
A:undwelcheMotivekönnteesnochgeben?
TK:gutesBeispielsein,dannauchgeschäftlicheMotive,welcheRatingwirhaben–dennwirhabendannei-nenanderenZugang
A.undfürsieselbstnochmals?
TK,Achich,keineAhnung,abervielleichtbin ichdazuweichherzig,wennichdannsehewiedieVerträgesindfüreinenLehrlingaussehen...450EuroimMomentbrutto,dasistAusbeutung.Ichmusssagenwirge-fälltandemThemaTransformationauchdieProvokation. IchversuchedannauchSchwarzeeinzustellen.WirhabenjaauchjedesJahreineMitarbeiterbefragungunddakommtoftraus,dassichdieThemensehrernstnehmen–unddieFragewirdgestellt,warumnimmteinThomasdasernsteralsExpatalseinLoka-ler...Dasliegtaberauchdaran,dasswirnichtdieseKategorienhabeninD.FürdiejungenSüdafrikanerwirddasneusein.Aberichhabjanixzuverlieren,ichkannhierVeränderungvorantreiben,waseinlokalerevt.nichtkann.MeineSekretärinhatauchoftAngst,wennichgehe,weildannvielleichtjemandsagt,sojetztsetzenwirDichmalwiederdahinwoDuhingehörst...dassindÄngstediedasind.
A:KurzerThemawechsel–ichplaneeine„leichtfüßigesBuch“dassManagerunterstütztbeimThemaCSR.WennsiesoeinBüchleinaufgreifenwürden,wassolltedrinstehen?
TK:Mansollteaufpassen,dassesnichtsoeinenWohltätigkeitstouchbekommt,esgehtumVerantwortungwahrzunehmen,indemmanseineErfolgeaufehrlichemWegegeneriert.Beispiel,wennmanvonderPoli-zeigecatchtwirdhatmandieMöglichkeitmitdemaufsRevierzusagen,dassdereinemdasTicketausstel-lenkann,daskostetsiedannaber4hodersiegebenihmhalt100Euro....–eineGeschichte:FrauDennhardwardavonCompliance(A:istjajetztzuVWgewechselt).Gutalssiedawar–kleinesSpiel....(KartenunterdemStuhlgrün,gelb,blau–BeispielHochzeit(folgeRegularien=grün;ichfindeeinenWeg-gelbundesistmirzuschwerdarübernachzudenken=blau),welcheKartegebeichab.–undesgabeinzigegrüne,sondernnurgelbe)
A.WastunSieimAlltagsgeschäftumdasThemamehrindenVordergrundzustellen
TL:JAimPuls=eineZeitung,genauwir immonatlichenNewsletterunddannhabenwireinenwöchentli-chenNewslettermitWerten.DannmachenwirIntegrityDialog,einzweitägigesTraining.Hilftnichtimmer-geradeheutemorgenmussteichzweiLeuteentlassen,Lehrlinge,dieÖlausderWerkstattmitgenommenhatundwirhabenBoni,diewiraufgrundvonVerhaltenauszahlenbzw.nichtauszahlen,unddahabe ichauchgeradewiedereinen,demichesdiesesJahrnichtauszahlenwerde.Undwaswirauchmachen–mussichzumeinerSchandegesehen-wirkommunizierenauchschlechteBeispiele–mitNamenusw.
A:Nochmalszurück,wennSiesichüberdenTagbeobachten,zuwieviel%spieltdasThemaüberhaupteineRolle?SoganzimechtenTagesgeschäft.
TK: ImechtenTagesgeschäft - was ja sehrVertriebsgetrieben ist, sicherüberlege ichnichtbei allenEnt-scheidungen,wiedaszuCSRpassenkönnte,aberichhabeesschonimHinterkopfunsereRegularien.Klei-nesBeispiel:EineDame,die fürdasTrainingverantwortlich istkamzumirundhatgesagt,siewolle jetztdenAnbieterwechseln–bzw.hattediesfastschon.DannhabeichSeigefragt,undwiepasstdasindieRe-gularienunseresEinkaufs(denneswareinrechtgroßerVertrag–habtIhreineAusschreibunggemachto-dermachstDu,weilichdastollfinde–undjetztsagtderKleinichmussjetztRegularienbeachten,vonda-herspieltesschoneineRolle.AllerdingslaufeichnichtjedenTagisnBüro.
A.UndwiemachensiemotivierendeCSRAktivitätenfürjungenManager?
Appendix 186
TK.BeiunsmachtesCorporateAffairs.Aberwiemanchmalfrageichmichauch,waskannichtun,ichhabehiereinige jungeControllingLeutesitzenundplötzlichmerke ich,diekönnenz.B.keinenegativenZahlenaddieren,DasfindestDuzweimallustigunddanntutesDirwirklichleidundDufragst,waskannichtun,dassderdaslernt!Wirsehendasintuitiv–dienicht.DassiedannschlechteKritikbekommen,versteheich.Aberda istkaumeiner,dermaldenkt,wiekannichdemhelfen,oftseheicheher–auchbeidenweisenSüdafrikaner, jederSchwarze,der„doof“ ist,hilftmitmeinenArbeitsplatzzusichern...das ist immernocheinThema
A:EineFragezuStolzbzgl.CSR-wasistIhnengutgelungen.
TK:Ichgeniesseschon,dassmeineschwarzeSekretärinmittlerweilebesseristalsIhreweisenKolleginnen,ich geniesse das schon jemandenwachsen zu sehen, ich fühle, dass ich da einen kleinen Beitrag leistenkann.Ichbinauchstolz,dassbeiderMitarbeiterbefragunggesagt,wird,dassdereinzige,derdurchdieHal-lenläuftundalleHändeschüttelt,derDirektor(alsoer)ist.DasfindeichinteressantunddaführeichauchGesprächemitmeinenMitarbeitern, ich fragedann,dasmussEuchdochbetroffenmachen,dassdiedasnichtüberEuchsagen–aberdannschauensieeinennur relativ leeranundsagen,abermeineLeistungstimmtdoch...
A:HättenSieevt.andereThemenhochgebracht,wennichstattCSRdasThemaSustainabilitygenutzthätte.
TK:Ichglaube,wirhätteneineähnlicheFlugkurvegenommen.UnserGesprächführtmirgeradeinsgesamtvorAugenwieunterschiedlichgrossdasGanzedurchdenLänderunterschiedist.UndSüdafrika istgeradeechtaufeinemschlechtenKurs–wiegehtesdennweiter,e.g.Telekomhat3000LeuteentlassenwegenBBEE,nundannhabenSienach3Monatenallewiederangerufen,weilsiekeineSchwarzengefundenha-ben,damussmandochnurdenKopfschütteln,dasüberlegtmansichdochvorher.WirsehenjetztgeradeinunseremWerkinLondon–waspassiertmitunsereNachfolgeC-Klasse.DafindenspannendeVerhand-lungen stattmit der Regierung.Wird es n Zukunft Zollvorteile geben, sind die Investitionen sicher, oderwerdenwirwieinSimbabweenteignet?UndwennwirdiegrossensüdafrikanischenIndustriellenhören,dieauchgeradesehrkritischsindbzgl.IhreseigenenLandes,dannmussmanfragen,wiedasallesweitergehtunddasWortsustainabilitybekommtdannwirklichnochmalseineganzandereBedeutung/Wichtigkeit.
A.ZweiFragenhätteichnoch:Stichwort:InspiringCSRbooklet:DazunochIdeen?
TK:Manmüssteherausarbeiten,wasesfürCSR-Armegibtes–z.B.ihrCSR1.0,2.0etc.–darumdenkenwirnichtnach-auchpraktischeAnwendungsbeispiele,einpaarermunterndeBeispiele,womankleinangefan-genhat,aberwowasdrausgewordenist.
A:Gibtesnochwas,wasunserGesprächevt.getriggert/veränderthatbeiIhnen?
TK:daskannichIhnenmorgenbeantworten–ichschreibIhnendanneineEmail,aberunserGesprächführtmirnochmalsvorAugen,dassichdasThemanochaktivertreibenkönnte,auchwennichmireinbilde,dassichdaseigentlichschongutmache,aberwahrscheinlichmehrmachenkönnte.AlsowürdenSiemichjetztnachunseremTelefonatfragen–stecheichjetztalsleuchteCSRFackelheraus,würdeichsage,dieglimmtvielleicht...wirlachen.
A.DarfichIhnenevt.denAnhangmalrüberschickenfüreinFeedback?DürfteichIhnendasschicken?
TK:Dasdürfensiegerne!BitteeinfachschickenundgebenSiemireinpaarTagezumReflektieren.
A:SupervielenDank,dasmachichundjetzteinengutenTagnoch!
TK:DankeauchfürsGespräch!
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ProtocolSeniorExecutiveC:
Igivehimabitofbackgroundaboutmyself,myresearchpurposeandapproachandmakealsoconnectiontohisCV,e.g.Freightliner....etc.
A:WhatdoesCSRmean toyoupersonally– I amcurious toknowyourpersonalopinion,not somuchacompany’sopinion.
M:Myviewis:CSRistheartofgiving.Itiswhatsortofpositionandstrengthanorganizationhasthatcaneffectpositivechangeinsomebodies’else’slife.It isanorganizationwithalotofexpertise, it isanactivememberofsocietythathastheresponsibilitytoactandchangeincommunities.Asaluxurycarbranditisevenmoreresponsibilityonus.Wehavesuchavastgapbetweentherichandthepoor.Weneedtomakesurethatthatgapbecomessmaller,evenforourownsustainability.Thisisnotaselfishview.IdonotwanttosellmorecarsbecauseofmyCSRstrategy.Iwanttocreateanopportunityforsomeone’sdreams.Thismaysoundfluffy.Wehavesomanykidswithdreamsbutwithoutguidance,means,motivationtolivetheirdreams–notonlyinSouthAfrica,buttheworld.
A:Doyouhavechildrenyourself?
M:Yes,IdoIhaveafiveyearoldandaninemonthsold.
A:Theykeepyoubusy.
M:yes,andreal.whenyouinteractwithchildrenandtheirimagination,wecanseedreamsandopportuni-tiesandwelosethataswebecomeolder,becausesocietymoldsourdreamsmoreandmoreandwemorethingsimpossibletoattain.Thelimitationweputonourselvesareextreme.Andthisistheproblem.Itisnotsomuchaboutgivingmoney. It isaboutreallyunderstandingthesocial fabricofthatcommunity.Under-standingwherethesekidscomefrom,whatdoestheirfamilysituationlookslike,whatdoestheschoolsitlooklike,isthererunningwater….Andthenhowbesttocontributetothatenvironment.
A:Theresearchsaysthatthereis:CSR1.0(Investingintoschools-)CSR2.0whichincludes1.0(companylookstointernalvalueschain)–andthenthereisCSR3.0whichseescompanyandleadersastheco-creatorwithgovernmentalbodiesetc.DoesCSRdoMercedesatwhatlevel?
M:IwouldliketothinkweareatMercedesat2.0.Iwouldsaywedidthatinthelast5yearsmore,morein-tenselywithmorefocus.Theaspirationaltargetisforustogettolevel3.Thefundamentalproblemiswearebyourveryexistence–asalesorg!Inanyorganizationwefocusfirstonbreadandbutter–gettoahighperformancedomorewithless.Onceyougettoacomfortablepositionthenyoucanthinkbigger.Wearefortunatelyinacountrywhichisblessedwithgreatdiversity,beauty,acountrywithlonghistoryandahis-toryofmaking the impossiblepossible.AndyoucantakeMadibaasanexampleof that.Nowhere in theworldatransitionlikethathashappenedwithoutviolence.SoweSouthAfricanhavethatwithinus(makingtheimpossiblepossible)andweareproudofit.Togettostagethreewehavetothinkhowdowebecome–fromasalesorg–toa“family”- initiate leaderstobecomeactivecommunitymembers.Thisweneedtohaveinourstrategy.Thatisdifficult,becauseyourtargetdonotdecrease,justbecauseyouareinaruralareadealingwithamajorinatown.Weareverymuchintheexploratoryphaseinphase2.
A:WhatwouldyousayarethepersonalmotivesofleaderstoliveCSR?
M:Yougettwotypesofleadersinmyregards.Onewhoisbornandraisedinthiscountryandhasenoughexperience, awareness andembraces the social challenges. That leader should focusonupliftingpeople,thatpersonunderstands that ispartofmy life. Iamnotgoinganywhere.An individual thathas fallen inlovewiththepeopleandthecountry.Theotherleaderisonlyhereforashortperiodoftimeandisdriven
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bysales.Theonemoreempathyandtheotheroneless.Notwrongandaright.Twomindsetsontwodif-ferentobjectives.
A.Ihearyousay:Livinginthecountryandbeinganexpatmakesadifference–andfallinginlovewiththecountryandsocietymakesthedifference.
M:yes it isabout loveandappreciation,most likelytheonesbornherehavethismore,there isahigheridentificationwiththecountry.
A:Whataretheshouldbemotivesofleaders?
M:Alonger-termvisionregardlessofwhoyouare,ofwhoarereportingtoetc.youhavealsoaresponsibil-itytodeveloppeoplelongterm.ItmaysoundlikeIamspeakingfromafairytailbook….(Soundsapologetic)
A:thisisrare–keeponspeakingfromafairytailbook–welaugh…
M:Ihavehadaleader–anexpat–buthefellinlovewiththecountryanddidgreatthings–andthenyouhavethosepeoplewhojustareheretomakemoney.AsaleaderregardlessIthinkyouhavethestrategicresponsibilitytoalsodevelopcommunities–becausewearepartofit–andwehavebeenhereforlong–wearecelebratingour60tiesyear.Sowhatarewedoingforthepeople-Howdoweengagegovernmentetc.,thisiswhatwedointheplant..wehaveleadersreally,reallyconnectedtothepeople,theunionsitispartoftheirresponsibilitytotalktopeopletocreateaconstructivedialogue.
A:Mr.SchremppandMr.Koepke–eventhoughtwoGermansinSA-seemedtobetwoofthosepeoplere-allyinterestedinthecountry.
M:yes,Mr.Schremppwasinspirationandmotivationtome.Sowheredoesitcomefrom?(hesoundsex-citedandthinking…)Itdoesnothavetodowithwhereyoucomefrombuthowyouarebroughtup,yourfamilysocialization.Itmakesusembracecertainthingsandembracecertainthingsmorethanotherthingsandmakesyouactdifferently.Mybest-casescenarioistohaveleaderswhohaveabiggerpictureinmind,whoaremoresustainable.Iwantpeoplestandinginfrontofajournalistnotsayingonlybutmeaningit–weareanactivememberofthecommunity(notonlyasalesorganization),becauseofourinvestmentwecreatejobs,weupskill,theseareallfacts.
A:Ifyoutakeyourself,whatcouldthecompanydotoevenmotivateyoumoreforthistopic
A:Itstartsoffbytakingthistopicandputtingitontopoftheagendaandthatjustmeansitisinfocus.Andthat IcreateaconnectionbetweenwhoIamandwhatthereality is. Iamsitting inagreatoffice,withagreat viewof thedam,birds chirpingandeverything. I drive fromworkwithmy fancy car andmy fancyhome,ontheweekendIgotothemallwithmyfamilyandweconnectwepeoplealike.SowheredoIexpe-riencereality.SothisiswhywehaveEVP=excutiveVoluntaryprograms,itgiveemployeestheopportunitytoexperiencethereality.Asleaderswehavetotakeresponsibility.InthelastyearwehavegiveneachEx-commemberaresponsibilityforaprogram.Sotheycandrivetheawareness, importanceetc,sothatweareanactivecontributingmemberofsociety.
A:Again foryoupersonally, ifyourememberamomentthatyouwereproudof inconnectionwithCSR?(Emotionally,physically)
MG:ya,sure:Itdidnothappeninthelastyearbut2yearsago.Itwasapersonalconnectiontooneofthekids.Alittleboy8yearswholosthis6yearoldsister(noDad,mumnotdoingsowell).Wehadaroutinevisit,wherewewouldclap,takephotos,andweconnectedwell.Andwithintwomonths–Ididnotfeellikeleavingthisproject–Isawthemagichowthiskidwastransforming,hestartedexcellingatschooletc.hestartedcallingmedad–Ibecamefrightened,becauseIdidnotknowwhattodowiththeresponsibility.HEjustneededtohavesomeonelookingupto.Itookanothermonthtoslowlyletgo–withtheteachersin-volved.Heisjustsuchafantasticperson–Iseehimnoweverytwomonth–itisareallypersonalexperi-ence.ThisexperienceshowedmehowpowerfulIam-andyoutakeitforgranted–butI learnedformychildrenandhowtheylookforinspirationaswell.HowpowerfulIaminahumbleway–givingtime
Appendix 189
A:yesInoticeyoubeingmoved–itisnotonlypowerbypositionbutbecauseofyouareasapersonandhowyouconnectwithothers.
MG:ok–..(heseemedalmostembarrassedtohavebecomesoemotional….)
A:Howdoyouinspireothersinyourorganizationinyourteam?
MG:look,wetrytoconnectCSRtoabroadertopic,suchasNationbuildingandoneofoursponsorships-wasSouthAfricaniconcelebration.WetrytomakethemunderstandwhatCSRplaysapartinNationbuild-ing.Soweget theprojecthereorgetExecutives there–and thereare inspired throughconnections.Beconnectedemotionallyandwemakethemunderstandthesocialpictureaswell,e.g.AIDSrates,abortion,povertyrate(comparedtoothercountries).IttakesyoufromanignorantpositiontoaninformedpositionandifIaminformedandIunderstandclearly,thenIhavethepowerofchoicetoact.OtherwiseIcaninter-view10people-andIamasking:doyouliketogivebacktocommunityandtheysay,yes…sowhatisstop-pingyou–theywillsay,Idonotknowwheretostart–yetitisallaroundyou.
A:Haveyoubeenconnectedtoanethicaldilemma?(gavehimanexample)
MG:No,not intherelationtoCSR,buteveryoneinbusinesshastomaketoughdecision,butwedotakeprideinourvalues–yetIcan’treallytellyou,Annette…
(Ifeltheisavoidingabit)
A:Duetoyourconvictionand/orpositionthatyoucarry,youdoactasarolemodelalready,youshowoth-ersthatCSRispartofthecompany.Whatdoyouspecificallydoinyourdailyleadershippractice?
MG:WhatIdoconsciouslyandwithgreatintentandIdoitconsistently,Ialwaystryandbeinspirational.Takemyfearsandputitintosomethingpositive.Alwaysstartthemeetingwithsomethingmotivational,getpeopleoutof victimmode intoamodeofbeing in control.Andalways compare yourself tootherswhohaveless.AtaveryageIrealizedmybiggestfearwhichisabandonment,right.AndIamunworthyandeve-rytimeIgetabigtakeIthinkIcan’thandle,Igetthefeelingthatpeoplewillabandonme.Thiscancrippleyoufor life–andataveryyoungageIdealtwiththatandwentthroughit.There isalwaysthismessagethatyouarenotgoodenoughbutyouneedtolearntoaskforhelpandyouwillsurprisedhowmanypeoplewillwanttohelpyou–butdoitintherightspirit.Youhavetodoitwithconvictionandyouhavetobangontheirdoorsayingyouwillhelpme.Thesearesimplemessage,principlesthatIliveby.Yougetintoop-portunities,yougetoverhurdles,youconfrontyourfears,youaretakingactionwhenthe“youareunwor-thycomein”….
A:twomorequestionsIwouldhave–mybookletquestion–CSRguidebookforleaders–topickitupwhatwouldyouliketogetfromit?
MG…mmmhhhIamthinking.IthinktgetaholisticoverviewofwhatarethechallengesbecauseIdothinkwehavesimilarchallenges,behaviortraits,somanyleaders.Theonlywayforthisbooktogetmyattentionistoidentifywithit.Abalanceofwhatthereality,ifithasinspirationalstoriesofpeoplewhoaremakingabigdifferenceandyoucanseetheireffect–thatwould inspiremetodosimilar.Not leaderonthesilverplatter,notaguywhowenttoprivateschoolandmadeachange.Iaminterestedwhohadadifficultpathbutnowmadeandgiveback.
A:Yesoftenitisalsoa“howto”,e.g.givepracticaltips
MG:Yessureandutilizingthevaluechain…
A.Saymore
MG:weutilizeourvaluechaintoteachtruckdriverstovaluetheirhealth.ThereisahighHIVrate–
A:IrememberinEastLondon–toputasidemoneyforHIW.
Appendix 190
MG:Sowehavegotclinicsat thehighwayandtheygetcounseling, thenursescanbreakthestigma.Forthemitisnoteasytodiscloseandmakethemselvesvulnerable.Wetookthiswellnessaspectandputitintoourvaluechain,meaningwhenwetraintruckdrivers–drivertraining(whichispartofourvaluechain).Youhavetobeaskilleddriver.Wegotdrivertrainingprogramandawellnessprogram.SowewenttoourcustomersandofferedthataspartofourservicesandtheysaywowhowgreatMercedesisalsointerestedinourdrivers–sothisishow
A:Thisisanexamplefor2.0CSR.
MG.Ithinkthemagichappenswhenyouknowattheirdoortogether.
A.Whatwouldyousaytriggeredthisconversation?
MG:Areallyinterestingconversation–goodquestions-Iaminspiredtalkingaboutit.
A:SureIwillkeepthisanonymously–andyetchangeoftenhappensthroughthatconnectednessanditisinterestedthatoftenwedonotnameitsoopenly.
MG:ya,ok–thankyou.
A:whenitisdone,Iamgoingtosenditover.CouldIsendyouaroughdraftupfrontjusttogetyourfirstopinion?
MG:Yessure…
A:Thanksandhavealovelyweekend.
MG:Thankyouandallthebest–particularforthelastweeks.
A:Yes,youwillhearmesinghallelujahwhenIamdone…
MG:laughsandsharesfinalgoodbye.
Appendix 191
ProtocolSeniorExecutiveD:
Kurze Einleitung zumeiner Erfahrung bei Daimler,meinemWerdegang und seine Situation: Er ist LeiterPurchasing,42Jahrealt,2Kinder,seit2007beixyinEastLondon.Erhat38MitarbeiterundistSchwarzafri-kaner.
A:HowdoyoudefineCSR,whatdoesitmeantoyou?
O: Ithastodowithenvironment,peopleand lawobedience. Itmeanstonotendangertheenvironment,howweengagewithpeople,thatwedoitwithrespectandthatweacceptthelaws.
A:DoyouseeadifferencebetweeninternalandExternalCSRorboth?
O:Tomeitisboth,itgoesinternalwehaveastrongerinfluencethatexternallybutitcannotbeaneitheror.
A.WhatdoyouthinkmotivatesandinspiresleadertoliveCSRinSouthAfricaintheirleadershippractice?
O:FirstofallIwoulddivide:ifwehaveachangetohelptobeacustodian;Andthenitisseeingit,experi-encingitandthenengagingwiththepeople.Youknowourpeoplewhocometoworkonproductstheywillneverbeabletoafford,theysometimedonotevenknowwhatpartisforwhat,butifweengagewiththemif we try to understand themwe canmake the right decision. If you talk to them and start wanting tochangesomething.Andifyoudothatisalsobeneficialforthecompanyinthelong-term,thisisalsoamoti-vation.
A.Sohowisitforyoubeingtheheadofpurchasingandhavingtocutcostbeingresponsibleatthesametime?
O:Soallowmetoelaborateonthat:WehaveanewCEOsincethebeginningoftheyear.IoftensatdownwithhimandwetalkedaboutBBBEEandwhyandhowasacompanyweshouldengageinitornot.Soifweparticipate, ifwearebringingpeoplebackintothemarketthatisalsohelpfulforusasabusiness.Other-wiseitisaregressivepolicy.Ifweareparticipatinginthefacilitationofbringingpeopleintothemarketofhavingthemtaketheirshare,thatissupportiveandhelpfulforeveryone.SonowhealsosupportsBBBEE.And letmegiveyouaspecificexample. Ifwehaveanunderdevelopedsupplier, if they,e.g.donothaveprofessionalaccountingtoolsthatalsomakesitharderforustoworkwiththem.Ifwemanagethemtogetbetterthatwillhelpustogetbetteranditwillreducetheriskaswell.
Youknowthestartingpointistrust.WhenourCFOcame,ittookawhile,nowwehaveatrustingrelation-ship.Surewehavetothinkabouteconomicreasons,aboutthehardeconomicfactorsbutthereisalsooth-erthinks.Intheenditdependsonyourownvaluesystem.Ifyoudonotbelieveyoucanmakeadifferencewhowill.Respectissoimportant.ItdoesnotmatterifheistheCEO,orthecleaner.IfIamatthemen’sbathroomattheairport,Isooftennoticehowthecleanergetdisregarded,buttheyarepeoplelikeme,wehavetorespecteveryone.AndIalsothinkCSRdoesnotendwhenyougetoffatworkbutitiswhereveryougo.
A:WhatdoyouthinkmotivatesyourselfforCSR?
O:Youknow,itismyvaluesystem,itisaboutgivingback,itishowIlivemylife,howIbuildit,howIde-cide.Myvaluesareasoundfoundation.Idisciplinemyselfquitestrongly.Attheweekend,forexample,wearealltemptedtodrinkalcohol,Ialwaystellmyselfoneortwoisenough,alsowithfood.Itishowween-gagewithothers,ifwethinkgoodthoughts,ifweleadhelpfulprocesses.YouknowIhardlyeverraisemyvoice,90percentoftime(helaughs)Icanstaycalm.Andyouknowitisalsoabouthardwork,itistotryto
Appendix 192
gettobestofyourability,evenifIdothedishes.Ialwaystrytogivemybestandtobeinthepresent.Youknowifyouareinareflectingmanneratsomeinnerpeace,yourdecisionsareusuallysounder.
A:HowwouldyoumotivateyoungmanagerregardingCSR?
O:Ihavealotofyourpeopleinmygroupwhoareataround30.Itrytocontextualizethingsandgivethemabroaderpicture.Ioftenfindyoungermanagersaremorecaughtupinthestressandhectic,createtheirownpanic,butoftentheydonotthinkabouttheimpacttheyhavewiththeiractionItelltonotcreatetheirownpanic,Iaskthemfromwhatotheranglestheircanlook,whatmultipleeffectstheiractionsmaycauseandthatisnotonlyaboutthelaw.
A: thank you, I have been thinking about creating CSRmaterial, an inspirational booklet, formanagers.Whatwouldneedtobeinthereinyourpointofview,sothatyouwouldliketoreadit?
O:Differentcountryrequirements,andCSRisoftenseenascharity,butyouneedtoshowthebiggercon-text.IthinkIwouldliketofindthecompany,countryanddevelopmentaspectinthere.
(thenhegivestheexampleoftheRomanEmpirewherepeoplewhereexcludedandhadtoliveoutsidetheempire.But thendiseases started spreading,peoplegot illbecauseof thebad living conditionsand theyspread into theempire.So thatmeans if youstart toexcludepeopleandnot integrate them, that isnothelpfultobuildanpeacefulandhealthysociety.Suretherewillalwaysbedifferentlevelsofconsumption.Noteverybodycanconsumethesameway,wewillalwayshavelevelsofe.g.CEO,ITmanagerandaplumb-er.Thatisnormal.AndwehereinSouthAfricawedohaveaproblemwithadvertisement.Ittellsusthatwecanonlybehappyifwesitinaboardroom.Successmeanssittinginaboardroom,butyoucanalsobehap-pyandsuccessfulasaplumber.
A:WhendoyoufeelenergizedaboutCSRactivities?Doyourememberwhenthiswasthelasttime?
O: Iambusywitha lotofprojects.Somearealso including importantBBBEEdecision,e.g.howmuch in-comewegivetopeople.Ilikethatresponsibilityanditissometimesfrustratingtoo.Peopleoftenaresodif-ferent.The rulingANCpartyhasbeenputtingpeople in to jobs that theyaresimplynotyetcapable for.Howdoyousolvethis?HereistheBBBEEtheoryputintopracticeanditdoesnotreallywork.
Youknowhardworkisneeded!AndinSouthAfricawehaveamajormisunderstanding.OftentheSouthAf-ricanpeoplethinkthingsgethandedtothem.YouknowwhenIwasinGermanyfor6months,inStuttgartatKinobauer,Isawwhathardworkis,Ialsosawhowpeoplearelookingforinnovation,proactively,theyarenotwaiting. I remember I readanarticleaboutayoungcouplewhohadcreateda formula foraby-productofwheat. Theyareproducingbio cardboardwith it; it isbio-packaging they cameupwith. It ishugelysuccessful,itisagreatsustainableproduct.Thewasteisused.Thewasteofwheat,isn’tthatgreat.
O/A:OasksmeabouttheopenstructureoftheinterviewandIexplaintohimandthisisnotabouttestingahypothesisorframingaproblemstatementthatshouldgetsolved,butisaboutlettingthemesemergefrominterviewsandtheirconsolidationmaybringsideasfor„solution“ornextsteps.
A:Ionlyhaveafewmorequestions:Iamcurioustolearnfromyouhowyoumotivateyourteammember?
O:Oh,itisneveraboutpreachingIavoidthat.InmymanagementmeetingsIshareexamplesofCSR,Icre-ateanunderstandingaboutthevalueofit,Icontextualizeittotheirenvironmentandsituation.ThatishowIdoit.
A:Andhowwouldyousaydoesthecompanymotivateyou?
O: Forme it is great to see thatwithCSRprojectsmoney isnever the issue.Currentlywearedeliveringbooksintoruralareas.ThisisupliftingandIhappytogivemycompanycartotheteamfordelivery.
Appendix 193
WeclosetheinterviewandIamaskinghimabouttheimpacttheVWscandalhasinSA.Hesayseveryoneisveryshockedandthenindeeditisfrustrating.HealsoshareswithmethatDavePowels,theformerCEOhasmovedontoBrazil.HethenfinallyalsoofferstometohaveachatwiththeDirectorofCorporateAffairs.
Appendix 194
ProtocolSeniorExecutiveE:
Note:Thisisoursecondconversation.
A: Es gibtnurnocheinpaarwenigeFragen,dieaufMotivationundMotiveabzielen.6-7 Fragen.GroßesThema:WasmotiviertFKsCSRinIhrenFührungsalltagumzusetzen?
RWasistCSRnochmals?
A:Ok,dannfragichDichnochmalseheranstatteszudefinieren:wasverknüpfstDudamit?
R:HathieresneandereBedeutung–wegendesSchwarz/Weiß-Problems.NeueEntwicklungen–neueVer-schärfungenBBBEE.EinzigeKatastrophe,alsFirmafallenwirausdenKategorienraus.VonderMotivationschlecht füruns als Firma.Aberes geht einfachnurumsGeld, unddu siehst keineVerbesserung fürdiebreiteMehrheit,keineMehrwertschaffung,keinebesserereAusbildung,mehrArbeitsplätzefürmehrMen-schenauchfürHochqualifizierteunddasfindetgenaueigentlichnichtstatt.KritikanderPolitik.
CSRheißtfürdieMR,etwasfürdasLandzutun.WirhabenfrühSchwarzeeingestellt,wirhabenfrühallesinternumgestellt,umRassendiskriminierungnichtzuleben,z.B.gemeinsameWaschräume.Wirverstehenunsauch–sieheSlogan–esgehtnichtnurdarumProfitzumachen,sonderndasswirhelfen,dasLandwei-terzuentwickeln.EsgehtüberunserenScopehinausZurgesundenEntwicklungvonSAundauchRestofAf-rika,dasistunsereAgenda2025undzwarinunsereminhaltlichenVersicherungs-Bereich.
A:WasglaubstDu,wasdie FKs,DeineKollegenpersönlichmotiviert sichpersönlich fürCSReinzusetzen.(BBBEEistjanureinArm)WassindDeineErfahrungen?
R:DasdarfstDueigentlichnichtaufzeichnen,aberganzehrlich,dashängtderzeitvollgeradevonderHaut-farbe ab, ganz brutal. Und die Weißen haben derzeit gerade überhaupt keine Motivation, sondern dasschlägtgeradeum,weileseinfachnichterreichtist,nochmehrnachvollziehbar.DasistallesnichtmehraufeinerBasis,dieSinnmacht.WirmüssenjetzteinfachSchwarzeeinstellen,auchwenndiekeineQualihaben.FrüherkonntemanwennmanspezielleSkillsbraucht,auchWeisseeinstellen.Undvielleichtwürdedabe-schissen, vieleVersuchees zuumgehen. AberalsWeisser, als Firmahabe ich keineWahlmehr.VoreinpaarMonaten,vor8Wochen.UnserePolitik ist,weiterhinSchwarze in leitendenFunktionenreinzukrie-gen.UndwirhabenauchalsCEOeinenSchwarzen.WiegesagtdieMotivationfürdieFKshängtdavonab,wieweitDuabhängigbistvonderRegierung.NochhabenwirkeineAbhängigkeitundversucheninderSka-lazubleibenundwerdenesebenerkaufen.KlassischesBeispielistdieOsterveranstaltung.LetztesJahrha-benwiresdirektbeiWoolworthgekauft.AberdiesesJahrmusstenwireinenBBEEEProvidereinsetzenundhaben15%mehrbezahlt.UndderhatsichjetztdasSäcklvollgeschlagen,aberechterMehrwertwurdekei-negeschaffen.
Deswegen-dieMotivationhängtvomTopManagementab.Ichwärenurmotiviert,wennesinmeinenZie-lensteht–alsodasdieStellenmitSchwarzenbesetztwerdenmüssen.MomentanhabenwirumgekehrtenRassismus,inwirklichgerechterWelt,solltedieHautfarbekeineRollespielen,sondernnurdieQualifikati-on.
A:Gut,SAhatmitBBBEEeineSondersituation.StellDireinfachmaldasCSRaußerhalbvonSAauf,wasSinddieMotivefürFKssozial,ökologischaktiv,internevaluechainsoptimieren.
R:Wasichgesehenhabe–PositiveReputationistfürUnternehmen,einfachnureinUnternehmen,dieLän-deraussaugen.UnternehmenmüssensozialenFriedenundstützen.DafürmüssenauchUStrukturenschaf-fen.
Appendix 195
A:MichinteressiertnochstärkerdiepersönlicheMotivationistfürCSR,d.h.wasmotiviertdeneinzelnen.WasbeobachtestDu,wennDuaufdiePersonguckst.
R:Ja,aberdannkommtesaufdieindividuelleLebenssituationanundduweißtja,wiewirhergekommensind.ZumBeispielbeiunsmitunserenAnna–diemüssteschonlangenichtmehrkommen,aberok,wirlas-sendas laufen.DusiehstdasElend indemLandundausDankbarkeit,dassDuselbsteinbesseresLebenführst,musstduetwaseinfachmachen.Das istunserepersönlicheEinstellung,dasgiltfürdieExpats.DieSüdafrikanersindandersaufgestellt.KlarhabendiedieKonflikteausderVergangenheit.Diegebenschonauch ihreMünzenanArmeundauchvieleSAsind invieleProjekt involviert.Eigentlich istesunglaublich,wasderSAprivateSektorbeiträgt,umdasLandzustützenundduhastesständigvorAugen,dasElend.FürmichisteseinesderunangenehmstenGeschichten,wenndieLeuteandenAmpelnstehenundichweiss,derhatkeineChance,derstehtin10Jahrennoch,in15,dannkriegterneLungenentzündungunddannistertot.Washabendiealles fürnePerspektive?MüllgeschwadertrennenerstmaldieMülltonnenfürsichundverkaufenesfüreinpaarPennies.Wennichdassehe,auchnurfüreineSekunde,dasisteinewahnsin-nigeFrustration,warummachtdasLand,dieRegierungdanichts?DumusstMenscheneineChancegeben.NurdasResultatsehenwir ja,wassichdafürEuropaundDeutschlanddatunwird.Wirwerdenüberrolltwerden.
A:DasisteineberechtigteSorge.
R:Ja,undmitwelcherBerechtigungwillDuMenschenbefehlen.z.B.die,dieinAfghanistan,sollendiege-zwungenwerden,aufIhremGeröllfeldsitzenmüssen.IchkönnteauchnichtinAsienleben,aberichgehge-radevomThemaweg.
R:HatteauchgeradeinteressantenDiskussiongehabt,mitChristian,darüber,dassjederdenkt,dasseret-wasbesonderes,etwasbesseresverdient, tollduhasteinpaarMilliardenMenschenundwozuführtdas.Jederdenkt,dasserdasRechtaufeinbesseresLebenhat.
R:DumusstimmerdieindividuellenPersonensehen,dannistauchdieAngstweg.Aberbeieinpaarhun-dertgehtdasdannnicht.
DannlängeresGesprächüberFlüchtlinge....
A:MeineRückfrage:WennDunochmalsfürDichschaut,wasDichpersönlichfürCSRmotivierst–undduhattestbislanggesagtZieleundDankbarkeit,sozialenFriedenstiften...(Runterbricht)....
R: Ja, aber die Grundmotivation ist fürmich FAIRNESS, es ist vielleicht auch unser Erziehungssystem. Esmussfairundmenschlichsein,dieserPfeilerinderErziehung.
A.WennDudichselbstnochmehrmotivierenwollenwürdest,waswürdetDudanntun?
R.wiederholtdieFrageunddenktnach.
R:DannmüsstevonArbeithereineandereGewichtungstattfinden.IchkonzentrieremichmomentanaufmeinenJob,DasheißtdieserCSRBereichkommterstamEnde,weilediegeringereRollespielt.Dasheißt,jewichtigerdasUnternehmendieSachenmacht,dannkommtesebenauchinmeinemFokus.
Na klar, du hast nur gewisse Zeit zur Verfügung, aberwenn keine Anreize da sind, dannmussmich dasThemainteressiertoderdieMenschendieestreiben.
A:WaswürdestDugerneineineminspirationalCSRBookletsehen,damitdudanachgreifst.
R:Zumeineninformativ,aberauchnichtzuviel.
IchbineinzielorientierterMensch–wennichdenEindruckhätte,dassichetwaserreichenkönnte,dasseserreichbaristundzwarauchlangfristig.Michfrustriertdas.
Appendix 196
Duwillstgrundlegendetwasverändern,damitichetwaslangfristigverändernkann.WenndaseinfachnuraufHilfsbereitschaftausist,dassistdasnichtzuspannend.EsgibtsovieleTöpfe,woDuspendenkannst.HiersindjadauerhaftInitiative.ObdudirdenBartwachsenlässt,imWinterdenkensammelstetc.EsgibthierkeineWochewoeskeineSpendenAufrufegibt.
Heftpflasterklebenkannichnichtmehrsehen–ichmusslangfristigeZielesehen
A:DeshalbfindeichdieCSRReifegradesozutreffendund(icherzähledannzuCSR)
R:undwasauchmotivierenwürde,wennDueinlängerfristigesProjekthast–aberofthörstDu-Duspen-destfüreineSchule–undeinJahrspäter,werdendieBücherimWinterverbrannt,weilsieBrennholzbrau-chen.OderxyBäckereiBeispiel(einPartnerschafts-ProjektinSoweto),eswurdeübergebenunddannnie-dergewirtschaftet,derLehrerundderDirektorhabensichallesmitnachHausegenommen,unddaspas-sierthaltoft.EswäreschönpositiveBeispielezufinden.
R:Ichwürdemichauchfreuen,indemBuchauchpositivelangfristigeBeispielezufinden,daswürdemichmotivieren.
R:FragtnachmeinerHauptmotivation:
A:FürmichistesfriedlichmiteinanderzulebenundvorallemauchmitderErde,dieunsvielgibt.
R:jaaberwirlebenaufeinemNiveau,wounsereBedürfnissebefriedigtsind,undwennDuschaust,wasfürunsallesNormalitätist....wirhabendasoeinhohesNiveau,aberdieanderensehenwieDulebst.AberwiewillstDumitdenendienichtshabenfriedlichzusammenbringen,denndiedienixhaben,mitdemzufriedensein.AberwirhabendurchunsereBeziehungeinBrainwashhinteruns.JederhatdaeinebesondereEinstel-lung.WirhabenvielevondenMaids,dieIhreDienstemachenunddannnachsovielenJahrensolltemanLoyalitätvermuten,aberdannnehmensieetwasmit,wieSiesagen,Ihrhabtjasoviel..alsodasistnichtein-fach...
A.Naja,manmusseinfachweitermachen,derTropfen,immerwiederandenTropfenglauben.
R.Ja,dahastDurecht,einfachweitermachenoderebenimmerwiederanfangen...
A.OK,danndankeichDirmalfürheuteundfreumich,wennwirunsbaldwiedersprechen.
Appendix 197
ProtocolSeniorExecutiveF:
KurzeEinleitungworüberich“forsche”undmitwelchemZielundkurzeIntro,wasermacht
DannmeineFrage,wasseineWahrnehmunggeradeinSüdafrikamitCSR/BBEEpassiert:
Ersagt:diedrückengeradeaufsGaspedal,manchesprechenschonvonreverseapartheid,auchwerandieUnikommtundwiegefördertwird.Vielederschwarzendortwechselnalle6MonatefürdoppeltdigitGe-haltserhöhungen,richtigesJobhopping,daserzeugtDruckamMarktunddieFirmentunsichschwer,esgibtauchkeineStabilität;auchwerdenFirmenzuschnellverkauft,wennessichlohnt.
MeineFrage:WasbedeutetdenfürSieCSR,wieverstehensiedies?
SeineAntwort:alsoichbinfroh,dasswiralsFirmaSchulenunterstützen,dasSvonCSRstehtdabeiimVor-dergrund.Ichpersönlichhabemichentschieden,eineOrphanagezusponsern.Fürmichwürdeesaberauchbedeuten,dasswiealsFirmnochmehr tunbeidemThemaVersicherung fürArme,dasswirProdukte indenMarktlancieren,fürz.B.Mikrofarmer,dasswirLobbydafürbetreiben,dassArmeVersicherungenbe-kommenfürwenigbiskeinGeld
(kurzerAusflugzumGMDP,dasssiedortsoetwasmachen,eristkritischundmeint,dassseieherIvoryTo-werArbeit; ichbinda, ich schauesmiranundversuchewas zuverändern,woanderswerden leidernur1000slidesproduziertauchwennallsagen“Justdoit”
MeineFrage:WaskönntedenSwissRenochmachen,umCSRzustärken?
Ersagt:Najawasfehlt,esfehlteinstategischerPlan,einPlanüber2Jahrefehltkomplett;mansetztaucheinfachnichtsum.100000SchwarzeinSüdafrika,selbst,wenndiesenichtsmehrkaufensollten,dannviel-leichtderenKinder,dieGenerationdanachkauftvielleicht.Dasistevt.so,wiebeimeinemVater,demhatdieSparkassemalwasGutesgetanundichseinSohnbindannauchzurSparkasse
Ich:dasheißt,daliefesübereinenpersönlichenKontakt,einpersönlichesGefühl
Er: ja, aberwichtig ist es die jüngereGeneration zu erwischen, ich verstehenichtwarummannichtmal5000USinvestiert,selbstwennmanaufdiesekeinenReturnbekommt,aberessichlangfristigauszahlt.
Ich:WasmachtdennxynochimCSRBereich?
Er:WirhabeneineFoundationunddiehatglobaleProjekt,wiez.B.dieAlzheimerFoundationinUK,dafürwerdenSpendengesammelt,aberwirhabenkeineAbteilung,diedasThemaCSRwirklichangeht.MancheSachenkommenz.B. auchvonprivat;esgabdaeinProjekt inNordpakistanundSwissReunterstützdasdannmit.
Ich:waskönnte,dendieFirmnochtun?
Er:Naja,wirhabenjaallunsereMBOs(ManagementBusinessObjectives),wirmüsstenCSRThemendarinintegrierenundüberhauptalsFirmenmehrüberdiesesThemasprechen(vonAlzheimerweißichauchnur,weilmirdasmaleinKollegeerzählthat)
Ich:WaswürdenSiedenndochgerneüberdasThemaCSRlernen?
Er:najamehrwissenschadetnie,aberwasgenaukönnteichjetztgarnichtsagen;außerdemhalteinendieArbeitaufTrabundwenndasThemaCSRmehrTeilderArbeitwäre,kämeesauchvielleichtnichtzukurz.
Ich:WaswardennfürSieeinenergetisierender,motivierenderCSRMoment?
ER:Ichsagenur30MillionenDisplacedPeopleinPakistan!
Appendix 198
Ich:SagenSiemehrJ
Er:Alsoin2010beidergrossenFlutkatastropheundPakistanwarmitdemGDPaufPlatz20,aberalleska-puttunddieWelttatsichschwerzuspenden,aberdiebrauchtenalles,Ärzte,Toiletten,Krankenhäuser–undwennichmirdasnochmalsvorstelle:wirdieSchweizsind8MillionenMenschen,dasheisst,wennwiraufeinmal4maldieSchweizversorgenmüssten,stellenSiesichdasmalvor(erwirdsichtlichaufgeregter)undwiedanndasVolkdortzusammengestandenhat,sichgeholfenhat.Wenndasallesversichertgewesenwaere,waeredaseinSchadenvon4MilliardenUSDollargewesen,eswarabernixversichert,esgabnix,wasversichertwar.Daskanneseigentlichnichtsein,damussmanwasmachen!(wirredenfachlichnocheinbisschenweiter,wieeineVersicherungesschaffenkönnte,dieNichtVersichertenzuversichern…)
Ichfragedann,wasertut/tunkönnte,umauchalsRoleModelfürCSRunterwegszusein.
Er:WissenSie,manchmalsindesauchdieKleinenDinge.Ichkannnichtinein5SterneHotelgehenfür500USdieNacht,woandere10USimMonatverdienen,dasgehtdochnicht,wennichsodenMotzMollyma-che,gewinne ichauchkeinVertrauen, irgendwiemussmandaeinenMittelweg finden,dennals ichdiesauchpromotedhabe,habemeineMitarbeiter irgendwannmalgesagt, indasHotelgehensienichtmehr,alsomanmusssoeineBalancefinden.
Ich:welcheFragenkönntenSiesichinIhremBereich,inIhrerRollestellen,dieIhnenhelfenwürdenochöf-teranCSRzudenken?
Er:Dafälltmirsospontannichtsein.Also ichbinverantwortlichfürCSR,aberfürdie“NichtLeben”,d.h.auchwennichnur2DRhabe,mussich50-80Leutebeeinflussen.Südafrikaistgross,esstrahltaus.IchbinkeinManagermitAuthority,sonderneinInfluencer,ichsteheinkonstantemWettbewerbumRessourcen,undmusswerben.
Ich:WaskönntedeneineCSRBüchleinfürManagerenthalten?
Er:Also ichwürde immermiteinemGeschichtsbuchundeineErdkundebuchbeginnen. Jedes Land ist soverschiedenundso spezifisch. Ich schenkez.B. immermeinemneuenMitarbeitern,dasBuchvonNelsenMandela“AlongwalktoFreedom”.Ichfindemanmussverstehen,wiedasLandtickt,sonstbleibtallesanderOberflächeundwirbauenhaltmalneSchule,aberwiemanwirklichdenLeutenhilftbleibtunklarundändernmanmitsokurzfristigenSachenwirklichwas?Wirmüsstenvielleichtauchwissen,wowirmitderLandreformstehenusw.
Ich:WiewürdenSiedenjungenMitarbeiterfürdasThemabegeistern?
Er:AlsoichhabeauchlängerinAustraliengelebtunddagabessoCommunityDays,dieimmerwiederka-men,wennmandasgemachthat,hatmaneinenTagUrlaubbekommen.Ichfindesowasmotiviert,weilesseineGemeinschaftaufbaut,diesichumgewisseThemenkümmert. Undvielleichtistesauchbesser,dieSachenimmerlocalzumachen,sowirhierinderSchweizkonstantaufdengleichenBauernhofgehen,umzuunterstützen. Ichhalteeigentlichnichtsoviel,vondemwir fliegenmalalsManagementTeamaufdiePhilippinenundnagelndaeinHauszusammen,mankannsichdaalsHeldfühlen,aberändertmanwirklichwas?
IchamEndenocheineOffeneFrage:Gibtesnochirgendwas,wasichgarnichterwähnthabe,waswichtigist?
Er:Ja, ichfindezuCSRgehörtauchdieNachhaltigkeitvonTalentaufbauindemLand.KlardenkenwiroftProduktbezogen,aberdasgehörtauchdazu.UndeineSachefälltmirnocheinzudemwieichmichpersön-lichverhalten,esisteinekleineSache,abermotiviertauchmeineMitarbeiter:IchbringeimmeretwasKlei-nesvondenReisenmit,z.B.vonSüdafrika,diesekleinenNashörnerausPerlen(ichengagieremichdazumSchutzfürNashörner)undichmacheregelmäßigPräsentationenzudemLandundwennichmitdemTeam
Appendix 199
malruntergehe,dassversuche ichdas Interesse imLandzuwecken,undübersLandzufahren,damitdieNeugierigerwerden…
WirschließenunderbietetmiranfüreinweiteresGesprächzurVerfügungzustehenbzw.IhnmiteinemKollegenvonihmTace(PresidentofxyinSouthAfricazuverknüpfen.Ichdankeihmdafür!
Appendix 200
ProtocolSeniorExecutiveG:
MebuildingrapportthroughRolfWeber,MarcRogatschniksinceheknowspeopleIknowalongtimeandobviouslyknowsMarcaccordingtoLinkedin.Ibrieflyrepeatedmyinterestsincehehadreceivedmyinfomaterialand the interviewstarted.Heuttered fromthebeginningan interest inhearing frommewhat Ifoundoutsofar.ItoldthemthatIwouldalsoproducematerialforthemasleaders–whichIwouldsendtothem.
Annette:WhatdoesCSRmeantoyou:
T:formeit ismakingadifference–outside–tothepeopleinthecommunity.Itdoesnotneedtobere-warded,itisnotaninvestment,notrewardedinmoneyyouget.Itissomethingweneedtodowithoutex-pectinganythinginreturn.
Annette:WhenyouthinkaboutwhatmotivateleadersintheirleadershippracticestoliveCSR.
T: Forme:wellwehavea legal framework–weget financial incentive,anastuteboardwillpush it, thewholebusinessframeinSAiswellsetuptomakesurethatCSRgetsonyourlist-throughBBBEEandotherframeworks,thereisaboardlevelattention,thisiswhatcompaniesshoulddo,thereisanexpectationthatcompaniesshouldgiveback.Boardmemberspushitusuallyquitestrongly,theypushpeopletospendtimeandmoney–sothebusinessmoneyisthere.
Annette:IamsummarizingandthenIaskthemforthemorepersonalmotivation
T:Annette,Iamsayingforapersonalmottoinmylife: it ismypersonalconvictionthatleadershiphastomakeadifferencenotonlybychasingprofit,itismainlythedesiretomakeadifferencealsoinotherareas.
Annette;Sowhatwouldyousay–wherefordidforyouorforotherleadersthispersonalconvictioncomefrom?
T:Itisdefinitelyabeliefinabiggerpictureandthegeneralwellnessforsociety,tomakesurethattheworldaroundus canbeabetterplaceand contribute to thatwhileweareonearth,make thisworldabetterplace.
Annette:Didyounoticeforyourselfthatthisconvictiongrewovertheyears?
T: interestingQ:FormypersonallifethisconvictionwasalwaysthereandInoticedhoweverclimbingthecorporateladderthatthereismuchmorethatbusinessescoulddo.AndIwasinthepositionthatIcanuseandthisevolvedonlyoverthetime.AndIamnowalmost20yearsinthebusiness.AndIamnowalsohav-ingbudgetforCSRactivitiesanditisalmostdisturbingtonotice
A:Whatothermotivescouldyousee:
T:Soanotherone,whichisalsomostcertainlymine:Itistoseetheeffectthatithasonotherpeople.Itisnotonlyaboutthemoney.Butifyoudootherstuff.Likegoingwithyourpeopletopaintschoolclassroomsetc.thatmakesadifference.Soalsouseyourtime.Andthevalueformeiswhatitdoestothepeople.Itgivesasenseofcommonpurpose,itcreatesasenseofcamaraderie,anditisservingfactor.Thisisagreatbenefit,theydogivetime,it isfun–thisisall immenselypowerful.Irememberlastyearwehadthesus-tainabilityday–paintingintheschoolandtherewasthisbuttintheoffice,ithadcreatedmorecommunity.ThismakesCSRveryrealandtangible,youcanseewherethemoneyandthetimegoes.
Appendix 201
A.Sinceyouaskmeinthebeginningaboutmylearning–Iwillsharesomethingandbuildmynextquestionsonit–andIshareinternalandexternalCSRapproaches–myquestionsisthen:HaveyoubeenobservingCSRinternally
T:Ithinkitismoreandmorepeoplelookingforcarbonneutralbuilding,e.g.wearemovingofficeandweneedtolookforabuildingthathasacertainnumberofstars.Icanimagineinotherindustrieswherethesupplychainismoreinthefocustheycanfocusmoreonthevaluechain.Butwecanalsolookatoursup-pliersandcheckthisout.But inour industrythemost importantrisk isthereputationalrisk,so ifweseesomeonewhoisnotactingresponsible
A.WhatdoyouthinkyourcompanycoulddotomotivateleadersforCSR:
T. Look, I thinkyoucanuseBBBEE,a lotofdifferent things,external things,but inmymindyouare justchasingthenumbers,butyoushouldasacompanymakeaprinciplepointthat it istherightthingtodo,thisisthejumpcard,Ibelieve.Somakingitoutofprinciples.Thatistheonlyway.
A.Thosewhoactoutofprinciplewhatdoyouthinkhasgotthemmotivated?
T: I liketobelievethattheyaredoing itbecausetheythinktheydotherightthingbut Ithink inthe longtermIthinktheydoitbecauseitisbestforthecompany.ButIthinkthelongtermaspectforthecompanyisagood.
A:Ifyouthinkaboutyourself–howdoyoumotivateyourself?
T:Youneedtobetruetoyourselfandyouneedtofindtimetodoandyouneedtoprioritizeitinyourdiary.Soyouhavetoprioritize.
A.Doyouhavelittletricksforyou?
T:IliketoplanaheadandhowIspendthedayssoItrytoputsometimeinmycalendar–SoIliketolookatCSRinitiatives,actuallyinaweek’stimeIamhavingtheCSIcommitteepresentingtous.Itshowsuswherewearespendingmoney.
A.Howdoyoumotivateyoungermanager, ifyouseeyourselfdoingthat.Howdoyoumotivateotherstojoinin?
T: Themost important by far is leading by example and beforehand to create a little bit of excitementaroundthesethings.CSRisnotjustsomethingthatneedstobedone,CSRissomethingthatisexcitingandfun,itisaninternalmarketingpiece;andinstaffmeetingswehavededicatedtimeslots.
A:Iamswitchingnowtoanotherquestion–apracticalguidebookformanagerwhichistheappendixtothePhD.Soimagineyourselfattheairportseeingabooklikethatwhatwouldyouliketoread.
T:ohhh,firstofall:whyitmatters,whatthebiggestbenefitswouldbe,e.g.abenefitsforemployees,thecamaraderieandhowtogetpeopleonthesamepageregardingCSR
A:Whendidyoufeelengagedandexcited,energizedinconnectionwithCSR?
T: whenyouphysicallycontribute, likepaintingandthenthesecondthingiswhenwegetfeedbackfromtheCSIteam–andtheyusepictures,thatisengagingandpowerful
A.Andforyou–apersonalmemoryofyour
T.ActuallythefirsttimeIhadmywifeandchildreninthecarandwedrovebytheschoolandthiswasre-warding I told them heywe did that, I definitelywas proud of that: Share this experiencewith awidergroup,thefamilynotonly
A.DoyoufeelyoutalktoyourcolleaguesquiteoftenabouttheCSRtopics.Letussayonascalefrom1-10(1notatall,10alot)
T:Ithinkitisstilllow,somaybefour,notmuchhigherthat.
Appendix 202
A:WhatquestionscouldleadersthemselvestodriveCSR?
T:WherecanwemakeabiggerdifferenceandSimplykeepquestioningyourselfisthisasociallyresponsiblethingtodo?Andmaybeeventhoughadecisionisasoundone,isitintheverylongtermthebestforthebusiness,takingallotherrisksintoaccount.
A.HowdoyoupracticeCSRwithinyourteams:Iheardyousaysomethingsbutanythingthatyoudothatyouhavenotmentionedyet.
T:maybeonethingtoadd,maybeonethingsisanexternalthings,e.g.weidentifyatopiclikeeducation,sowethiscarefulplanningofCSRisimportant,otherwiseyougivetenrequestmoney.Sotohaveafocusisimportant.
A:DoyouhaveaCSRmanager–orisitforSwissRetheCSRcommittee?
T:explainscommitteestructureandhowitmeets.
A:Iliketobelievethateveryconversationmakesadifference–did
T.ItdefinitelyhighlighteditagainformethatIneedtohavehigherfrequencyofconversationaboutCSR.
A.Anythingelse?
T:No,Iamgood.
Appendix 203
ProtocolSeniorExecutiveH:
(Ichkenneihnpersönlich)
A.WasbedeutetCSRfürDichnochmals?
R:CSRbedeutetfürmich,dasseineFirmaineinemLandindemesgravierendesozialeUnterschiedgibt–sichmitengagiert,sodassdassozialeNiveauangehobenwird.
A:Spezifizierungvonmir:WasistMotivationderFKsundDeinedieszutreiben?
R:Oh,dasistschwerzusagen.Fürmich:z.B.JugendarbeitslosigkeitzuverringernundBildungzuverbessern
A:meinNachhaken:ja,dassindZieleaberwasistDeineMotivation,jadeinGlaubeandiebessereWelt?
R:Puhh -DenglaubenandiebessereWelthabe ich schonvor50 Jahrenverloren. Ich seheCSRalseineNotwendigkeit,etwas,daseineFirma,dieineinemsolchenUmfeldarbeitet,einfachzutunhat.
A:WaskönntenandereDinge/MotivatorenfürandereLeutesein?
R:JaeineNotwendigkeit,abernichtweilsievonaußendiktiertwird,sondernausmirheraus.WirkönnenalsFirmaeinfachnichtalsInselagierenineinemLandmitsolchensozialenUnterschieden.
A:WasmachtKühne&NagelumDichzumotivieren.
R:Nichts.
A:Gäbeesetwas,wasdieFirmatunkönnte?
R:DieFirmakanndanichtstun,entwedersinddieLeutemotiviertundhabeneineAntenneodernicht.
A:WasmachstDuumanderezumotivieren,z.B.Jüngere?
R:DiejungenLeute-ne,denndiesinddie,diewirunterstützenwollen.
A:Diemiddlemanager,vielleicht?
R:Ne,diesindsounterWasser,fürdieistdasüberhauptkeinThema,dieschaffensoihreArbeitkaum.DashatkeinePrio.
A:WennDuaktivbistinCSR,erinnerstDuDichanMomente,woDuenergetisiertbist.
R: Es geht immerdarum junge Leute inArbeit zubringenund zumotivierendanndabei zubleiben.Undwennichdaeinpaarhabundwennes10%,diedabeibleiben,binichschonhappy,dasistneguteGeschich-te
A:alsowürdestdusagen,esistderFortkommen,dasUmsetzen,einVorwärtskommen,wasDichtreibtundfreut....
R:Ja,dasFortkommenunddadurcheinegrößereMittelschichtentstehtundwiewirwissen,dasistjaeinetragendeKraft.
A:WenndunochmehralsRollenmodellagierenwürdest,waskönntestDunochmehrtun?
R: ja,andereLeutezubegeistern,abereigentlichmüsstees javonIhnenkommen,abernaj,dasmandasebendarstelltundzeigtdurchdasunddashabenwirdasunddaserreicht–aberdazumüssenauchalldranglauben?
Appendix 204
A:IstCSRThemainderGeschäftsleitung?
R:AlsoichkannDirsagen,heutzutagegibt’snureinThemaunddasistzuüberleben.HeutzutagewirstDukaumLeute finden,diedasmachen,wirmacheneinbisschenwas,weilwireinkleinesProgrammhaben.AberwirmüssenvieleStellenabbauenunddamithastDunichtallzuvielRessourcen–daherCSRabsolutesRandthema.
A:CSRBookletfürExecutives–wassolltedarein,damitesDichinteressiert,waswürdestDuDirwünschen
R:OhGott,dukannstFragenstellen...najaineinemsolchenBuchsolltenimmererfolgreicheBespieleste-hen,Vorbilder,mitdenenmansichidentifizierenkann.
A:NocheineIdee?
R:nee,esgehtinmeinenAugen,umdas,wasmantutunddenEffektdaraus.
A:Ichhackenach–weilmeinGefühlist,dassmancheAbteilungengarnichtwissenwiesiesichmitCSRbe-schäftigenkönnen,welcheFragensiesichstellenkönnen,wieSiedarüberredenkönnen...
R:ichbinderMeinung,dassesmannichtgroßvermarktenmuss,soll,essolltekeinwirtschaftlicherVorteildarauskommenmüssen.
A:Alsoabsichtslos
R:GanzabsichtslostutkeineFirmairgendwas–ganzsichernicht....
A:GibtesfürDicheineBeispielfirma?Diemachenesgut?
R:z.B.Siemens,macheneinegrößereGewinnmargeundhauendannauchmehrGeldrein,dannkönnendienatürlichauchmehrmachen.
A:GlaubstDu,dasdieFKsnochmehrdarüberinformiertwerdenmüssten,wasCSRistundwasmandatunkann–
R:(Sehrspontan)...daswissendie,dasweißjeder....
A:ok–nocheineweitere Frage:WennDu indeineArbeit schaust, aufdasDubesonders stolzbistbzgl.CSR?
R:JazumBeispieldieDualeAusbildung–(Stimmeganzanders),alsowennwirdieLeutevonderStraßeho-lenunddannauchwennwireinenStudentenunterstützenalsBeispiel,derdanndurchdasStudiumdamitkommtundsonsthätteeresgarnichtgeschafft
A:HastDuzueinzelnennochKontakt?
R:Nee,nix,dasgehtauchschnellwiederunter.
A: Ich erinnere mich an Deine Erzählungen, daß die jungen Leuten für 500 Dollar wechseln.... R unter-bricht...
R:...für500,nefür100,sagenwirfür150...esgibtseltenIdentifikationmitdemUnternehmen
A:undworanglaubstDudasdieshängt?
R:WeildienurnenJobmachenundkeinenBeruf,diehabenkeineBerufung...
A:SiehstDudiesSAspezifischoderistdasüberallso?
R:Ichglaubedasistüberallso.
Appendix 260
Appendix7 DiagnosticSchemeforMotivationfrom
RheinbergandVollmeyer(2012)
Ques%ons( Mo%va%on,Formats( Mo%va%on,Problems(
J(
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Is#the#work#as#such#fun?#
Is#the#work#expected#to#be#done?#
Does#the#work#create#a#result?#
Does#the#work#have#rewarding#consequences?#
Can#I#influence#the#result#through#my#work?#
Is#the#work#aversiv#or#do#I#have#to#give#up#sth.?#
Do#I#have#enough#competence#in#elf@
regulaAon?#
Self@controlled#work#
Self@iniAated,#spontaneous#work#
Work#that#is#externally#controlled#
Self@driven#work#
Total#moAvaAon#deficit#
SAmultaAon#deficit#
Impact#deficit#
VoliAon#deficit#
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Note:TranslationfromGermanintoEnglishbyAnnetteThum
Appendix 267
Appendix9 InvitationletterfromtheGermanChamberofCommerce(GCoC)to
supportmyresearchstudy