The Social Impact Toolkit

Abstract

The urgent state of the world, the new wave of critical consumers and a renewed sense of social awareness amongst people is requiring traditional businesses to act on their social responsibility towards society (Echo, 2011). The uprise of social enterprises proves that businesses can do both (Bersin, 2018). Addressing larger societal issues while at the same time create economical value. Maybe the most well-known example of this is Tony Chocolonely. But not all businesses have the luxurity to start from scratch with a revamped strategy that focuses on creating Social Impact. The majority of businesses today are those who have existed for a while and started without a social mission (MKB Nederland, 2019). However, they do feel the pressure, internal or external, to keep up with their new social role in society but they do not know how (Raman, 2011; Lepoutre, 2006; Laudal, 2011; Polonsky, 2009). Cases show that those ‘traditional’ businesses trying to change often fail to position themselves which results in negative backlash and irreversible damage (Confino, 2013). The question is: how to effectively help traditional business in their progress to change? Que Heartbeat Strategy, a research and strategy consultancy, who helps businesses in creating both economical and societal value (Heartbeat Strategy, n.d.). Through exploration of the concept ‘Social Impact’, relevant insights are found that led to the conclusion that there are three key aspects that contribute to solving the issue. The first two key aspects are to focus on internal alignment and focus on internal communication. It seems to be the key factor in creating change within a business rather than the current focus on external communication (Yuan, 2011; Dawkins, 2004). Internal alignment is created by defining a strong Social Impact positioning (Bhattacharya, 2010; Morsing, 2008; Forehand, 2003). This is key to create before carrying out Social Impact related activities and focus on external communication. And last, within a traditional business it is crucial to create awareness about how to balance idealism and business (Mousiolis, 2015; Longo, 2005; Personal interviews conducted with Moyee, Lemonaid and MUD Jeans, 2019). Insights led to the creation of a toolkit. The toolkit provides practical guidance to create a strong coherent vision on social impact. The first step to create lasting change. The toolkit allows Heartbeat Strategy to co-create with their client towards a Social Impact positioning. The co-creative approach ensures that the participants feel an ownership over the created content. The created positioning provides a strong starting point for traditional businesses onto which they can build further to create Social Impact in a sustainable, relevant and credible manner that is valuable for both business and society.