Co-creating CR initiatives: Some background

In Chapter 5, the discussion focused on the importance of Usefulness, Understanding, and Unity as psychological levers that drive stakeholder reactions to CR; then Chapter 6 elaborated on closeness and other key stakeholder variables that help yield and magnify the desired CR outcomes. It is not a given, after all, that the outcome is always positive, as some variables can magnify a negative reaction, such as when a stakeholder feels cut off from the core of the company. This chapter, therefore, takes the next critical step, examining how to enhance Usefulness and Understanding and achieve a sense of Unity, with a special eye to involving stakeholders in the process of co-creating a company's CR initiatives to maximize the benefit to all.

In today's environment, there is demand for co-creation. Our research, presented in the following pages, shows quite convincingly that both employees and consumers are not content to be passive recipients or even “enablers” of the program. They want to be “enactors” who are actively engaged in co-creating CR initiatives with company personnel. Through co-creation, stakeholders become part of the solution, thereby reducing the gap between their expectations and the firm's response.