CSR and Diversity Move Closer Together

Corporate Social Responsibility (or corporate responsibility or civil responsibility; CSR) and diversity and inclusion (D&I) operate separately in most companies, but there is increasing collaboration between the functions, through shared activities and occasionally through reporting structures. Deirdre Golden, director of ORC’s Global Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion practice, spoke about the trend at the World Diversity Leadership Summit in Vienna in March.
The aims of D&I and CSR are similar, Golden noted:

• Engaging stakeholders
• Creating a culture that values people and communities
• Ensuring long-term sustainability of the organization and the communities and societies in which the organization operates
• However, the actions to achieve these aims differ. While D&I’s primary focus is on internal policies and processes, CSR works with external stakeholders and reports publicly on company activities that impact the external environment. However, there is already considerable overlap among these, and the potential to develop more. Already, D&I activities involve considerable outreach into communities to engage and develop potential future employees, support businesses owned by women and minorities, and inform public policy. Other ways the two functions currently partner include:

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