After reading the article “Why IBM Gives Top Employees a Month to Do Service Abroad” from Harvard Business Review, an external blog, I want to tie together two topics examined separately in COMM 101: social responsibility and corporate culture.
As discussed in class, creating shared value is key to many modern businesses and IBM’s initiate has logged more than 17 million hours in total and created immense social value.
IBM volunteering log in 2011.
At the same time, IBM believes that their skill-based volunteerism increases employee retention and builds skills in the workforce, which are both key factors in maintaing a sustainable competitive advantage – a trait of corporate culture.
But how exactly does it all tie in?
Having volunteered extensively during high school, I believe volunteering gives us a bigger picture of the world. From arranging canned goods for the homeless to helping out at the retirement homes, these acts that don’t ask for anything in return is fundamental to one of IBM’s core values: personal responsibility. By driving in a sense of duty into employees through encouraging volunteerism, IBM reinforces their corporate culture, which ultimately creates sustainable advantage, while generating social value for the community.
