SMEs – The Future of CSR?

Many people want to work in a well-known, multinational company. They are lead by the impression that this is the only place where they will be able to have a successful career and have a worldwide impact. In many cases, they also believe that it is too risky to strike for a different career path. But does it have to be that way?

As some might think, SMEs cannot have any real influence in the business world. However, they might not be informed that they account for over 95% of the firms, 60-70% of employment and 55% of GDP in the OECD countries. This shows not just the importance but also the combined influence of all SMEs towards the society and the environment.

What makes it attractive to work in a SME?

Lower hierarchies, short communication processes, a high motivation for innovation, flexibility and adaptation are only some benefits that SMEs can have. Moreover, with growing opportunities of the Internet and media, even small companies are enabled to have a worldwide influence. WhatsApp, as a good example, has only 55 employees but serves 420 million users every month. This illustrates that size is not important anymore and less is mostly more!

Apart from the benefits SMEs bring with them for their working environment, I would like to highlight the main elements that are essential to be a small company operating responsible and sustainable at any time.

To found a SME, it is primarily important to be innovate and even better, to have a social innovative idea. Therefore, decisions have to be made whether to sell a product or rather deliver a service. Once an idea has occurred, the willingness to take a risk should exist, driven by the motivation to have an impact. To define how the small enterprise operates, what the values and the vision are, are the next relevant steps.

Based on all of this, a SME can only exist sustainably if CSR is not just a part of the SME but is actively integrated in the business. Hence, the founders have to be personally involved and committed to leading a responsible business.

They have to make decisions on where to locate and manage the operations, taking into account that short distances do not just save time but also money. They are relevant for the costumers, the employees as well as the suppliers. Concerning the suppliers, they should be chosen carefully to ensure that their business policy fits with the own company values. Therefore, it is essential that what they produce is needed just as well as where they are located and the way they produce.

A sustainably driven SME does also attract young talented employees that share the same values. Only with the dedication and determination of these talents, the enterprise can succeed and generate value not only for the shareholders but all the stakeholders involved. Therefore, it is essential to provide an environment that takes under consideration the well being of the employees. This does not mean having a comfortable physical space, but a working environment where the employees are actively involved and have flexibility concerning their schedules.

Finally, a SME should also consider how and in what way they contribute to their community. At this point, I would like to mention the “love brand”. Love brand stands for a brand, product or service that creates emotional engagement and will be the final step to lead to success. To make the costumers fall in love with your SME, the employees have to fall in love first to be able to deliver these emotions at any time. The promises that are made have to be delivered at any time. In that way, a community can be build that does trusts you, recommends you and stays with you!

Putting all these aspects into action means having integrated a fundamental strategic approach, the so-called “CSR 3.0”.

Personally, I am convinced that if every SME would manage their business in a responsible way and integrate CSR 3.0 a 100%, it will have an essential impact on the business world but even more on the world’s society. Essential is hence that not just the founder but also the stakeholders and the shareholders are emotionally involved and share the same values.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and found, work or engage in a SME!

No hay comentarios / 04 May 2015 por awinkler
IMSD /

Comentarios cerrados.