mrssharonkilgore
Respond to colleagues’ postings in the following way: In what ways…
Respond to colleagues’ postings in the following way:
In what ways do you agree or disagree with your colleague on the impacts of a positive social change initiative on a business, and how can this enhance or expand on your main post?
For each response, must include a minimum of one appropriately cited scholarly reference.
POSTING
What are the benefits for organizations considering integrating positive social change into their business strategy?
The benefits of social change far outweigh the negative. In this global economy we are in, organizations must consider the social implications of their policies, procedures, employees behaviors, leadership choices and much more. To make things more complicated, organizations are having to establish these policies for a global workforce across many geographical regions. Companies have an obligation to contribute to the communities in which they operate. Dyer et al., (2020) mentioned that when done correctly, social responsibility programs create value for the societies where they operate. This is where these efforts become a differentiator. When organizations commit to these communities, they are building their brand and stakeholders in these communities. As organizations look to be more socially responsible, it is important to understand their workforce demographic as well as the communities in when they are serving when entering these communities. This is how they can ensure their efforts generate positive social change that is good for their business.
What are the potential risks for organizations considering integrating business strategies with an emphasis on positive social change?
Organizations often approach social responsibility with the intention to do good or as a differentiator in business. Unfortunately, many organizations do not understand or consider the alternatives that are possible from these changes being made. Wilburn and Wilburn (2016) described this as organizations not having the expertise or experience to fully implement a social responsibility system. To add to this, organizations may also not have the correct resources to deliver and maintain these systems. When organizations fail to successfully deliver these social responsibility initiatives, then they are damaging the trust that stakeholders have in the organization (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2016). Organizations should always consider the possibility of all possible outcomes when implementing policy changes.
Provide a real-world example of an organization that experienced an unsuccessful implementation of a positive social change initiative. As an independent scholar and global change agent, explain what the organization might have done differently, including planning or executing strategies to improve marketplace or cultural impacts.
In 2003, the NFL adopted the Rooney Rule which required all NFL teams with a head coach opening to interview a diverse candidate for the position (Harrison et al., 2021). This was a result of 2 of the 3 NFL coaches being fired after winning seasons. While initial reports were positive, the success was short lived. Entering the 2022 season there were only 3 diverse head coaches with one being African American. While this initiative was intended to increase the opportunities for coaches of color, it actually highlighted the disparity between diverse and non-diverse coaches and the opportunities they receive. As a result, many experts, former players, fans, and spectators were accusing the NFL disingenuous hiring practices. Berger et al. (2022) found that organizations social efforts fail or does not gain traction due to the timing and as well as stakeholder’s interest are contributors. Understanding the initial success of the Rooney rule, then the decline affirms this belief since it was in response to public uproar over 2 qualified winning coaches of color lost their job. However, once the time passed, business was back to usual when it came to the NFL’s hiring practices.
Berger, J., Jackson, J. C., & Kolsarici, C. (2022). Catalyzing social change: Does concentration encourage action? PloS One, 17(12), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0277934
Dyer, J., Godfrey, P., Jensen, R., & Bryce, D. (2020). Strategic management: Concepts and cases (3rd ed.).John Wiley & Sons.
Edmonds, C. (2023). How effective is the NFL’s Rooney Rule and why does it exist? NBC Sports. Website: https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/what-nfls-rooney-rule
Harrison, G., Kerns, C., & Stamm, J. (2021). Covering the rooney rule: An exploratory study of print coverage of nfl head coaching searches. Howard Journal of Communications. https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2021.1999349
Wilburn, K. M., & Wilburn, H. R. (2016). Asking “what else?” to identify unintended negative consequences. Kelley School of Business.
