Getting the Support of Communities

The modern day organization is no longer solely focused on the registration of income. While increased financial results remain the central objective of any business activity, they are now achieved through a greater attention on the satisfaction of the various needs of the numerous categories of stakeholders, such as employees, customers, governmental and non-governmental agencies and so son. The role of communities in the ultimate triumph of the entity is given by the fact that the communities can either accept the entity, work for it and purchase its products, or they can boycott it from several standpoints. In order to ensure that they get the support of communities, organizations should pay attention to the following elements:

Employment
Whenever a company opens its gates in a new community, the people here expect it to provide them with new employment opportunities. By creating new jobs, the organization will support the economic wellbeing of the region. It will virtually increase the access to jobs, will reduce the unemployment rates and will increase the population's living standards. This feature will undoubtedly guarantee that the members of the community welcome and support the new economic agent.

Many managers fail to understand this concept, and go on opening offices in various communities, and then outsourcing the work to more cost effective regions. While the endeavor will materialize in expenditure reductions, it will also generate the dissatisfaction of the communities, which could even boycott the entity.

Communications
Similar to the employees and the customer base, communications play a pivotal part in ensuring a fruitful relationship with the communities. Managers have to remember at all times to maintain open communications channels. They ought to send messages to the communities through various channels, such as interviews within television channels or local newspapers. It is also important to remember that these communications are two-sided processes, in the meaning that managers not only send their message to the communities, but also receive and pay attention to what the communities have to say.

Environmental responsibility
It is futile to state that the focus on the stability of the surrounding environment raises incremental concerns within the social and economic contexts. It is as such imperative for the organization to respect and protect the natural habitats of the community in which it operates. At a primary level, the company has to obey the environmental specifications. They are for instance required to operate in a means that generates as little pollution as possible. In a more specific formulation, they could be required to reduce their generation of greenhouse gases or to reduce the levels of waste being dumped in local waters.

While these requirements are necessary to maintain minimum levels of environmental responsibility, the satisfaction and support of the communities will gradually increase if the company reveals greater levels of environmental commitment. Examples of how this could be achieved refer to investments in the creation of alternative sources of energy or the replacement of the current vehicles with hybrid ones.

Social programs
A final aspect to be hereby presented refers to the possibility of getting community support through social programs. Endeavors such as sponsorship of local events or the granting of education scholarships will enhance the public perception of the entity, and the consequent satisfaction and support from the community.