Good corporate citizenship difficult to define

Is there such a thing as good corporate citizenship?

This is more than a mere rhetorical question. I ask it in earnest, seeking the wisdom of Business Journal readers.

I am part of a group of people studying this very question. The group is an adjunct of the Good Community effort. That larger group seeks to determine a way to encourage businesses to practice good corporate citizenship.

Fair enough, but the devil is in the details.

I am able, in Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's famous I-know-it-when-I-see-it definition of pornography, to cite anecdotal evidence of business activity that embodies the idea.

For instance, last year Syntex sent employees out into United Way agencies, keeping them on the payroll rather than laying them off during a down time in its production. Syntex management got quite a bit of publicity and recognition for that move, and rightly so.

But each day, in small ways and large, companies in Springfield do things that are good for themselves, good for their employees and good for all of us.

At base, providing employment itself is an act of good corporate citizenship. Wages and salaries, meaningful work, benefits such as insurance and retirement plans all contribute to the greater good. Where employers exceed the accepted norm in these areas, they do so to the betterment of us all.

Any philanthropic fund raiser will tell you that business is an essential part of their efforts to get money and gather volunteers for their efforts. I have direct experience with the generosity of Springfield's business community, raising thousands of dollars for organizations I favor: Habitat for Humanity, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Victim Center.

The rub comes in specific definitions. The process of definition is, by its nature, exclusive. I happen to believe that standards and hierarchies are a good thing. If, for well-intentioned reasons, we try to give everybody something to feel good about, we thus diminish the distinction and importance of excellence.

The fact is that there are some businesses that are better corporate citizens than others. I think that's the very point implicit in an effort to acknowledge exemplary businesses and encourage others to follow suit.

Nonetheless, the process need not be a cudgel to beat about the shoulders of those deemed somehow lacking.

I have used the phrase enlightened self-interest in this space before. It is a concept I put forth without making myself define my terms. In short, the idea is to act in what may, in the short term, be viewed as unselfish (or even contrary to self-interest), but that ultimately results in benefits.

In the short term, higher pay for employees may reduce a business' profitability. But higher pay (or other compensation) may also result in greater retention, increased employee loyalty and higher productivity.

The idea of corporate citizenship is not a one-way street, performed only by owners and managers. Employees, too, have responsibility.

Extra effort (in the form of longer hours, taking on new duties or accepting greater challenges) may also seem, in the short run, detrimental to an individual's interests.

But if it makes the difference in a company's success, the long-term benefit to an employee is returned in the form of continued employment, greater job security and the opportunity for more pay, among other things.

This kind of thinking can and should be applied to the community at large, as well. None of us lives in a vacuum. We are all, businesses and individuals alike, dependent upon each other in great ways and small.

For the life of me, though, I am flummoxed by the notion that a list of 10 things that precisely define good corporate citizenship is possible. I need your help.

How about this for a starter: Good corporate citizenship is exhibited when an action demonstrably improves, at once, the company, individuals and community at large today and in the future.

Call or write me with your ideas. You can reach me here at 831-3238, or by mail at PO Box 1365, Springfield 65801. You may e-mail me at sbj@sbj.net or flemming@dialus.com.