CSR Competencies | The Strenghts and Weaknesses of CSR Professionals

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The 8 Competencies In Detail

The Competencies of the CSR and sustainability professional – identified by scientific and field research – explain what is expected of the successful professional in terms of attitude, behavior and character. Therefore, competences help CSR professionals by characterizing and categorizing what the qualities are of a successful CSR professional.

The competencies described here for a successful CSR manager fall into four different categories: Cognitive Oriented Competencies, Meta Oriented Competencies, Functionally Oriented Competencies, and Socially Oriented Competencies.

By recognizing these competencies CSR professionals are able to reflect on their strengths, identify their weaknesses, and improve their effectiveness in their business. Some competencies are more general, others are considered to be CSR specific, such as systems thinking.

COGNITION ORIENTED COMPETENCIES

Foresight Thinking

The competency Foresight Thinking refers to your capability of anticipating future developments regarding CSR related challenges for the company. The ability to think in scenarios, to anticipate and to critically assess. Bring the outside in.

Instrumental Understanding

Understanding CSR relevant drivers, values, standards and regulations;
Ability to understand and deal with regulation, politics, governance and standards at the sector, national or international level;
Contribute to the development of instruments;
Also, the ability to understand the underlying intrinsic drivers of corporate sustainability.

FUNCTIONALLY ORIENTED COMPETENCIES

Management & Entrepreneurship

Managing or leading CSR and identifying, prioritizing and realizing CSR related business opportunities;
Ability to develop a sustainability vision and to translate this into a sustainability program/plan, as well as manage it;
Entrepreneurial skills to be able to see and realize opportunities;
Ability to create a business case and to know the company well enough to be able to drive decisions and implementation;
Change and program management skills, such as:

Ability to deal with a changing context, while holding on to your own goals;
Creating a sense of urgency for long term issues in a short term environment;
The ability to make choices and prioritize in the context of what’s relevant for the organization.

SOCIALLY ORIENTED COMPETENCIES

Interpersonal Skills

Realizing CSR-Supportive Interpersonal Processes in CSR Implementation.
Effective social, communicative and networking skills.
Flexibility in styles, ability to adjust yourself to the other person and situation.
Creating awareness and ownership for sustainability with others.
Coaching and supporting others to integrate sustainability into their daily tasks.
Ability to motivate, facilitate and stimulate collaboration in the area of sustainability.
Ability to identify stakeholders.
Ability to work in multidisciplinary and multicultural partnerships, simultaneously serving both the company’s needs and stakeholder interests

META ORIENTED COMPETENCIES

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CSR Supportive Characteristics and Attitudes

Sustainability professionals are ethical, empathetic, committed, enthusiastic, creative, open-minded, flexible, patient, persistent and pragmatic in their approach. They are able to inspire others and to put the interests of others above their own (ego).

Value Driven Competencies & Motivation

A high sense of urgency and intrinsic motivating to act on sustainability challenges.
Finding a balance between idealism and pragmatism.
Consistency in ‘what you stand for’,’ what you say’ and ‘what you do’.

Reflection Competencies

Ability to challenge your own ideas, habits, and assumptions and to act upon this.
Self-reflection and self-evaluation ability.