Learning Circle – CSI: Bridging the Divide Between Corporate and Social Sector Approaches with Hybrid Thinking

Has your company’s CSR or CSI program run into tensions between your corporate ways of working vs those of the social sector you wish to support? We often hear of a disconnect or even conflict between the ways these two sectors define success, set timelines, and measure ROI, leading to misunderstandings and frustration.

For instance, a corporate time frame for a pilot initiative could be just a few months, whereas it could take several years in the social sector. Defining success for a proof of concept is also different because social interventions are generally customised to a specific location, as opposed to a product roll-outs that are generally standard across locations. ROI is calculated differently in the corporate sphere and the social sphere, with corporate boards wanting to see results quarter to quarter, whereas social sector interventions often need a few years to see outcomes and be able to measure real impact.

The AVPN Academy Corporate Social Impact Centre is hosting a Learning Circle to bring together CSI practitioners to discuss how these tensions have affected your projects and explore ways that other organizations have tackled them. We will be joined by Rama Iyer, Director General of the WPP India Foundation who has held roles in both the corporate and development worlds, and will be sharing a bit about her experience using Hybrid Thinking to bridge the gap between the two.