Leveraging Technological Advances in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A Systems Thinking Approach

Adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by enterprises has become a norm. CSR has achieved great traction in its endeavor to do social good for the society at large. Though the main purpose of existence of business is to maximize shareholder's wealth, CSR provides an opportunity for enterprises to leverage upon the existing technological advances in the creation of a better society. However, the main concern is that most of the time, technological interventions do not encompass a holistic approach and hence, do not create desired impact in the society. In this paper, author proposes a systems thinking approach, which is a holistic approach to problem solving, to effectively leverage technology for various stakeholders of CSR and how such an approach can create better, holistic impact in the society. Author discusses few Systems Thinking frameworks and models which help in the better usage of technology and CSR. With the help of three case studies, author demonstrates the role of technology in CSR initiatives. Case studies will illustrate the `giant leap' taken by technology in meeting the needs of the population from the bottom of the pyramid (BOP).