How Social Media Engagement is Advancing Sustainable Leadership

In addition to executive management playing a critical role in the success of a company, business sustainability requires leadership across the entire organization.  While management may ultimately carry the responsibility of sustainable business results, employees have a part to play in the definition and implementation of the company’s business sustainability programs.  Whether led by a sustainability executive or traditional management, a sustainable organization has many teams and key roles for individuals seeking to become leaders - especially so regarding adoption of corporate sustainability plans.  Social media engagement is playing a critical role in advancing sustainable leadership. 

The post, What Can Social Media for Sustainability do for Different Roles Within an Organization? shares, social media is an opportunity to amass trust in business sustainability programs.  Executives, CFO’s, employees, sales and marketing teams can all leverage it to increase eco awareness of the organization's social ethics, environmental concerns, and philanthropic deeds.  There are opportunities to keep stakeholders informed using openness and transparency as keys to establishing trusting relationships, as well as, letting customers, suppliers, investors and the public know they are dealing with a company that acts responsibly.

Furthermore, the post, How and Why Social Media aids CSR Engagement shares, social media executed successfully can be a powerful vehicle to build sustainable business communications by engaging with stakeholders. 

The use of social media collaboration technologies can help organizations break down silos and facilitate knowledge sharing across business units and corporate functions.  The Information Week article, What Enterprise Social Success Stories Have In Common, examines the adaptation of social tools and strategies into today’s business improvement efforts. Contrasting the limited success of simple external tool implementation, the true differentiators are implementing social media strategies with purpose.

Social media can make CSR more visible. "A Reputation Institute 2011 survey found that a company’s CSR program (in its broadest sense), can be responsible for more than 40% of a company’s reputation, whilst companies with stronger social leadership programs have 55% better internal morale and 43% more efficient business processes."

Social media has an emerging role in knowledge management.  Creating bridges between the corporate world and its stakeholders, social media closes the gap on knowledge management and business intelligence. Specifically so if sustainable communications and performance is valued by your stakeholders.  Social media for sustainability communications has become a risk or an opportunity. Monitoring, listening, and dialoguing with key stakeholder in the social space not only offers a competitive advantage but also provides other key ingredients for successful social media engagement.

As advocates of social media for sustainability, we subscribe to the belief that business sharing their sustainability story are rewarded on multiple levels.  In fact, according to the 2012 Cone Communications Corporate Social Return Trend Tracker, companies that proactively share the details and results of their CSR efforts, rather than just their aspirations, will be rewarded with increased consumer trust and purchasing. You’re invited to discover how the different roles in your organization can leverage social media for sustainability and advance sustainable leadership.

• Executives - How Executives on Social Media Will Help Sustainability Perform Better
• CFO - Are CFO's Missing Out on Social Media Green Investment Opportunities?
• Employees - What are best practices to get employees involved in social media for sustainability?
• Business Development - Why Social Media Engagement for Business Growth
• Marketing - Why Smart Marketers Use Social Media for Green Business Branding
• Supply chain - Stakeholder Engagement Reducing Risk in the Supply Chain
• Knowledge Management - Why Enhance Knowledge Management with Social Media Strategies?

This post originally appeared on the Taiga Company Blog. Distributed with permission of the author.