23.3 Consulting services

In their attempts to address the various demands and developments concerning corporate citizenship, firms are turning to consulting companies for assistance. In a rapidly expanding and wide-ranging field, consultants are assisting companies to develop corporate visions and strategies for their citizenship efforts, guiding them in introducing management systems to support the visions, and helping them prepare for certification under various schemes. The participants in this field and the firms involved range from global consultancies, such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young, to individuals operating locally. Given its recent emergence, the field of consulting in corporate citizenship is relatively undeveloped.

The scope for consulting projects in the corporate citizenship arena is vast. It is an area in which, by definition, a consulting project focuses not on a function, initiative, product line or business unit, but the sum total of the business. To become a good corporate citizen often means a complete retooling

– a comprehensive organizational change initiative – and this may be more than any consultant and client can hope to accomplish. Even the process of deciding how to approach the issue is tricky to say the least. Some look to create highlevel planning systems; others believe a reporting or auditing process will drive performance; others approach the work from a communications angle; still others offer services around programming and specific initiatives. Specific programmes can range from establishing a volunteer programme, to creating procedures to ensure ethical global sourcing. Box 23.2 outlines a typology of corporate citizenship consulting which demonstrates the considerable breadth of the field.

There is an emerging consensus among business leaders around the process elements involved in corporate responsibility. There is growing agreement that it should be managed in an integrative, strategic fashion, with commitment of leadership who specify goals, assign roles, and ensure cross-functional integration, effective and efficient resource allocation, and appropriate management and communication systems. At the same time, there is a convergence of views that the corporate citizenship strategic management process should create systems for transparency, accountability, stakeholder dialogue and engagement, and measurement/verification.

Thus, while there are many directions for consulting in corporate social responsibility, in the absence of a clear definition of need, clients will do well to start with a strategic planning process that sorts through critical questions, identifies priorities, reveals critical relationships, provides concrete decisions, and specifies actions.