There have been two megatrends that have dominated the last decade: digitization and ethics and sustainability, but so far there have been few points of intersection between these two trends, largely because...
There have been two megatrends that have dominated the last decade: digitization and ethics and sustainability, but so far there have been few points of intersection between these two trends, largely because ethics and sustainability tends to deal with the physical world, and digitization largely deals with the virtual world. But you can think of data in a very similar way to a physical product, and with that there are a number of ethical issues including how it is sourced, transported, sold, packaged and destroyed. This is where corporate digital responsibility (CDR) comes into play.
CDR is a set of practices and behaviors that help an organization use data and digital technologies in a way that is socially, economically, technically and environmentally responsible. Professors Isik and Wade guided participants through how companies can effectively formulate a CDR strategy. They recommend three questions to consider when making decisions on how to manage CDR:
Is your overall approach compliance-driven or is it rooted in your purpose? Like most things there isn’t a black and white answer. We recommend a trust but verify approach. It is always effective to be purpose driven in your mission, but it is best backed up by some degree of regulation. If possible, align incentives with responsible behaviors.
Are you taking a reactive approach where you are focused on being agile and fast to change with the landscape, but not spending a great deal of time trying to predict the future? Or are you being proactive, looking towards the future and including what you think will become an issue in your plans now? We recommend being as proactive as you can. You should strive to anticipate future trends and build them into your digital pipeline.
“You have to try and anticipate changes that will happen, we will be judged by the ethical norms of the future,” says Wade. “Just being reactive is not going to be enough. But at the same time, you also have to react to unpredictable changes…This means you need to have agile systems and processes for this to work.”
This is a question of centralization versus decentralized implementation. Fragmentation is a key problem with CDR, in fact, 53% of participants in the webinar felt their organizations were taking a fragmented approach to CDR so centralization can be a very attractive route to take. Wade and Isik recommend the middle ground here as well. Building a central team that can act as advisors, facilitators and trainers can be very effective but then different units can have freedom to take initiatives further. You can also use an external advisor. Some companies are hiring ethical boards. This can bring a fresh perspective along with external insights and experience.
How advanced are you on digitally responsible practices? Have you assessed or benchmarked your organization?
How do you approach governance of CDR? Do you have a Chief ethics officer or an ethics board or council? Cross-functional collaboration within your organization is necessary for the success of these initiatives.
How embedded are digital ethics in the way you do things? Do you have processes in place to evaluate the ethical implication of digital tools or projects?
Are responsible digital practices embedded in your company culture? Are digital issues such as privacy, cybersecurity, and digital diversity linked mostly to compliance, risk mitigation or cost minimization? This links to purpose within a company.
“When people believe in the importance of the ethical implications of data use, things move more smoothly and people contribute more significantly,” says Isik.
This field of ethics is going to continue to grow, and it will be important for companies to take it seriously, not just because of doing the right thing, but also because it will affect the bottom line. There has been a global shift with a significant drop in customer trust specifically towards digital companies. So, these concepts will become progressively more important when it comes to winning customers.
When people believe in the importance of the ethical implications of data use, things move more smoothly and people contribute more significantly,- Öykü Işık
This field of ethics is going to continue to grow, and it will be important for companies to take it seriously, not just because of doing the right thing, but also because it will affect the bottom line. There has been a global shift with a significant drop in customer trust specifically towards digital companies. So, these concepts will become progressively more important when it comes to winning customers.
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