Levers of Responsible Business: what can accelerate impact?
Identifying the levers of responsible business and potential factors that can accelerate or hinder change. This factsheet examines factors such as employee engagement, leadership direction, business alignment, and additional external factors in determining the levers of responsible business.
In 2022, Business in the Community (BITC)’s Responsible Business and Strategy team set out to identify the greatest barriers and enablers of responsible business. We started by reviewing relevant research papers and leading journals to consolidate a list of potential factors that can accelerate or hinder change. By combining the frequency with which these factors were mentioned in the research, with the experience of responsible business practitioners from leading businesses, via BITC’s Global Goals Leadership Team, we have produced a prioritised list of levers of responsible business.
What is responsible business?
Your organisation or sector may call this work corporate responsibility (CR), corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability, ESG (environment, social and governance) or corporate citizenship, but we call it responsible business.
Six catalysts of responsible business
Every business needs to increase its pace and scale of impact. BITC has identified six catalysts of responsible business to help you do this.
Our research into the greatest barriers and drivers of responsible business action has helped us to identify these six catalysts.
The six catalysts; actions that will accelerate, scale and perpetuate sustainable, inclusive and fair corporate actions.
- Develop a responsible business core strategy.
- Set ambitious impact targets.
- Make every leader responsible for your targets.
- Activate employees at every level of every function.
- Innovate purposeful business models.
- Align impact, brand and purpose.
Find out more about our six catalysts of responsible business.
Next steps
Learn more about how BITC’s Advisory Services can support in improving your organisation’s responsible business practices.
See also