Beyond companies: Individual and Group Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that refers to the commitment and responsibility of companies towards society and the environment in which they operate. It is based on the idea that companies should not only seek economic profit, but also contribute to social welfare and sustainable development.

CSR implies that companies should consider the impact of their activities on various stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, local communities and the environment. This involves adopting ethical business practices, respecting human rights, promoting diversity and inclusion, ensuring fair labor conditions, minimizing the environmental impact of their operations, supporting social initiatives and contributing to the development of the communities in which they operate.

This is the subject of the scientific publication “Collective Social Responsibility: An extended three-dimensional model of Corporate Social Responsibility for contemporary society“, prepared by Enric Serradell López, member of the Management & e-Learning (MeL) research group, together with Félix Oscar Socorro Márquez, Ignacio Danvila Del Valle and Giovanni Efraín Reyes Ortiz. It was published in the Revista de Economía Pública, Social y Cooperativa in the year 2023.

Collective and Individual Social Responsibility

The paper addresses the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and seeks to broaden its focus to include all relevant actors and entities in social responsibility. The question is raised whether individuals and groups should also be socially responsible in addition to companies. It is highlighted that existing CSR concepts do not consider individuals or groups as socially responsible subjects, where the main focus lies with companies.

To address this gap, the concept of co-responsibility is proposed, which involves both individuals and groups in social responsibility. The idea of two new types of responsibility is put forward: Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) and Group Social Responsibility (GSR). These two types of responsibility would complement the social actions of companies, recognizing that these actions are not solely the responsibility of companies.

Individual Social Responsibility refers to the actions and orientation of individuals in search of balance between their activities and actions, and the impact they generate both inside and outside the contexts in which they operate, whether in social, labor, personal, environmental or family aspects.

On the other hand, Group Social Responsibility is understood as the set of activities and actions carried out in a coordinated or separate manner by a group with a common purpose and shared ethical and moral values, in any of the contexts mentioned above.

Collective Social Responsibility

The article proposes the notion of Collective Social Responsibility (CSRm) as an expanded model adjusted to contemporary reality, which encompasses the three actors: companies, individuals and groups. It is emphasized that this theoretical model focuses on collective social responsibility and not on a so-called “Corporate Social Co-responsibility”, since it is recognized that social responsibility is not limited only to companies.

The study highlights the importance of cooperation and coordination between individuals, groups, society and companies (not excluding the government) to achieve these collective social responsibility objectives. A direct and indirect connection is established between CSRm and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations, emphasizing the need for the participation of companies, institutions, governments, groups and individuals to achieve these goals.

Consult the study

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