The BETTER AGREEMENT GUIDE™
BETTER RELATIONSHIPS are in The BAG™
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COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS
Organizations, large and small, do not usually think in terms of George Bernard Shaw's service orientation. Their relationship to the community they inhabit is not uppermost in their minds. As Scott Peck says in The Road Less Traveled, "Many are called, few choose." Of course, savvy businesspeople understand the PR implications of the negative media attention generated when local concerns are ignored. There are clearly downside PR consequences when sensitivity and awareness of local concerns is absent. On the other hand, untapped positive local PR potential is very big. A corporation is a citizen, a fictitious legal "person" created by law. It has the right to sue and be sued, it must pay taxes, it must register and get a license to do business, and it has a legal residence like a human citizen. From their exercise of conscience, employees of the Vanguard Group created the following agreement to serve as the guide and conscience for their organization. When their process was complete, they reported feeling much better about going to work and about the context they had created. Agreement of Good Citizenship 1. Intent and vision: It is our intention to be good citizens of our community citizens who take more than they give, leaves the place better for having been there, and remain conscious of the impact we place upon physical resources of the community and the natural environment. 2. Roles: We are good citizens looking for ways to contribute, give back to the communities we live in, and be good trustees and stewards. 3. Promises: We request that you promise to be aware of the impact you have on: T
5. Measurements of satisfaction: We will develop standards to govern our behavior. 6. Concerns and fears: We understand that local citizens may be concerned that we will say the words without taking action. 7. Renegotiation: As we move forward, we agree to make changes. We realize that we need to know more about what we don't know about our impact so we can monitor all aspects of the local effects of our activities. 8. Consequences: In many subtle and not so subtle ways, civilization as we know it is at stake for future generations when we don't pay attention to the local impacts of our activities. These impacts include use of resources, pollution, cultural changes, and economic implications. 9. Conflict resolution: When we have conflicts, we will sit in council with local political leaders and citizens. 10. Agreement? Yes, we can support this charter. I believe that if more organizations embraced themselves as "responsible citizens" rather than settling for profit driven machines, we would all feel, and be, less polluted by corporate activities. Rather than focusing on rights, given the shrinking global village, I believe it's time for all of us to focus on responsibilities. Summary: The great majority of organizations, both large and small, fail to think about their relationship to the community they inhabit, despite the PR implications and the upside potential. If organizations thought of themselves more as responsible citizens than as money machines, we would all feel better about our society. Organizations chartered by law, like individual citizens, could focus on their responsibilities as well as their rights. Exercise: Do you consider the organizations you are part of to be responsible citizens? What can you do to make them more responsible? Use the agreement model to make a plan with yourself for accomplishing that. Refer to Chapter 31 for guidance. |
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