The Age of Responsibility: CSR 2.0 and the New DNA of Business
Praise for The Age of Responsibility
"Wayne Visser's The Age of Responsibility elegantly andpersuasively demonstrates the limits and failures of traditionalCSR and also the kinds of reforms needed to create conditions forgenuine corporate responsibility. Rich with insight, informationand analyses, and highly readable for its excellent writing andpoignant stories, the book is a crucial contribution tounderstanding where we are with CSR and what we need to do to moveforward."
—Joel Bakan, author of The Corporation: ThePathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (book and documentaryfilm)
"Amongst the advocates of CSR as an innovative managementapproach, Wayne Visser is a well-known voice. This new book statesmore clearly than most why CSR should not be dismissed, but wouldbenefit from some serious rethinking."
—Michael Blowfied, Senior Research Fellow at SmithSchool of Enterprise and the Environment, Oxford University andauthor of Corporate Responsibility
"The Age of Responsibility by Wayne Visser is animportant book that should be studied carefully by all thoseseriously interested in the past, present and future of CSR. Forme, the most noteworthy contribution is his "ages and stages" ofCSR. Visser identifies five overlapping economic periods andclassifies their stages of CSR, modus operandi, key enablers, andstakeholder targets. In forward-looking fashion, he crafts fiveinsightful principles of CSR 2.0 and presents his DNA Model of CSR2.0 which integrates knowledge and sets forth a more inclusive viewof CSR. This book is a significant contribution to the theory andpractice of CSR and it will be valued by academics andpractitioners alike. I strongly recommend it."
—Archie B. Carroll, Professor of Management Emeritus,Terry College of Business and author of Business andSociety
"A challenging and thought provoking book. In an age whencorporate responsibility is a must for most large businesses, WayneVisser reminds us that global environmental and social pressuresshow little sign of receding. He asks: are we as practitionerscomplacent, or worse, part of the problem? There is hope andoptimism but only if we are brave and bold enough to re-engineercorporate responsibility. Read on...."
—Yogesh Chauhan, Chairman Corporate ResponsibilityGroup and BBC Chief Adviser Corporate Responsibility
"An authoritative tome on the CSR movement. It provides acomprehensive framework to understand the various stages of (andmotivations for) CSR in organizations and the economy to date, anda clear vision of what a truly sustainable and responsible tomorrowentails. This is an eminently well-researched and well-structuredbook that flows coherently with deep insights and valuablevignettes."
—Willie Cheng, author of Doing Good Well: Whatdoes (and does not) make sense in the nonprofit world
"The Age of Responsibility provides a much-needed wake upcall for the corporate responsibility movement. This highlyreadable account of where CSR has gone wrong and where it needs togo next is essential reading for anyone interested in the rolebusiness can play in creating a just and sustainable society. Thisis the best CSR book you'll read all year."
—Andrew Crane, George R. Gardiner Professor ofBusiness Ethics, Schulich School of Business, York University andauthor of Business Ethics
"The Age of Responsibility breathes new life into CSR,both by redefining it as Corporate Sustainability andResponsibility and by highlighting why CSR has so far failed tomake much difference in the way companies respond to pressingglobal challenges. In his inimitable style, using clear frameworksand illustrative case studies, Wayne Visser brings real insight toa complex set of ideas at a time when they are needed most. Bringon CSR 2.0!"
—Polly Courtice, Director of the University ofCambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership
"In this time of seemingly widespread corporate malfeasanceWayne Visser has put his finger on why CSR has failed to deliver onits promise and what can be done to right the ship. The Age ofResponsibility is a must read for anyone concerned about thefuture of business."
—Bob Doppelt, Executive Director, The ResourceInnovation Group and The Climate Leadership Initiative
"CSR 1.0 did remarkably well through the latest Great Recession,despite having precariously little to say on the big issues of theday and no ready-to-go blueprint for economic transformation. As aresult, we are seeing a massive reboot going in the CSR industry– and Wayne Visser is a consistently reliable guide to (andchampion of) the emerging CSR 2.0 mindsets and practices."
—John Elkington, Co-Founder and Director, VolansVentures and co-author of The Power of Unreasonable People
"It is difficult to run a sustainable business in anunsustainable world. So forget about the defensive, charitable,promotional and strategic versions of CSR. The Age ofResponsibility is a call for companies to shift to CSR 2.0– where success is judged by improvements in the overallsocio-cultural, economic and ecological systems. If not, CSR willcontinue to fail, argues Wayne Visser. With an array of casesVisser guides you through the evolution of business responsibility– from the Ages of Greed, Philanthropy, Misdirection andManagement to the Age of Responsibility – and shares the fiveprinciples of sustainable business actions. Wayne Visser'sinsightful book is at the same time a compelling personal storyabout the existential questioning of whether or how it is possibleto make a difference through CSR."
—Tania Ellis, international speaker, business advisorand author of The New Pioneers
"Through a concise analysis of recent economic history andthrough the wisdom of parables, Visser's book offers anilluminating analysis of the heart of greed—and of the pathour institutions can take to move from corporate responsibility asa form of occasional philanthropy to an ethic of responsibilitythat is radically transformative. Visser's new economic myth ormeta-narrative creates a compelling vision of a possiblesustainable world."
—Betty Sue Flowers, Professor Emerita, University ofTexas at Austin and co-author of Presence: An Exploration ofProfound Change in People, Organizations, and Society
"Wayne Visser has rightly identified responsibility as one ofthe defining issues of our time. Executives, students and citizensshould read this book, and make it an integral part of ourconversation about business."
—R. Edward Freeman, Director of the BusinessRoundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics at the University ofVirginia Darden School of Business, and author of StrategicManagement: A Stakeholder Approach
"High marks for Wayne Visser who brings us a book that bothchallenges the conventional state of CSR in very fresh and boldfashion, and offers a provocative new vision of CSR 2.0. What ismost energizing about this book is that it provides a welldocumented historical and analytical framework on the progressionof CSR over the past century. But in analyzing the current state ofCSR, it recognizes that despite amazing achievements and progress,CSR has to leap frog into a new world, one that recognizes the newDNA of business, and one that calls for a CSR 2.0 that goes farbeyond the models that currently exist. The new Principles of CSR2.0 that Visser puts at the heart of this book provide the businesscommunity and the CSR world a new path for incorporating thecomplexity of the social and environmental issues that confronttoday's corporation, a CSR that can serve as a more transformativeforce for economic and social sustainability. What a refreshing andcreative read! There are few books that can cut to the chase andprovide a thoughtful analysis of the current state of CSR while atthe same time opening up a vision for tomorrow. This is acontribution to the CSR world that is long overdue and mostwelcome."
—Brad Googins, Associate Professor in OrganisationStudies at the Carroll School of Management, and former Director ofthe Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
"Your new book deserves to become an instant classic. Itbrings together so many ideas, writings, and stages in thedevelopment of CSR. It is a liberal education on the relation ofbusiness to society. I hope that it is read not only by companiesbut becomes a required reading in business schools to preparebusiness students for a higher level of thinking about their futurerole and impact. I am happy to endorse the book: A most impressivebook! I will recommend it to every company to figure out why theyare practicing CSR and how to really practice it to make adifference to their profits, people, and the planet."
—Philip Kotler, S. C. Johnson and Son DistinguishedProfessor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management,Northwestern University and author of Corporate SocialResponsibility
"The Age of Responsibility will change the way you thinkabout CSR, allowing you to discard myths and to work towards asystemic view of CSR. Wayne Visser holds up a mirror to the CSRcommunity and to business and society itself, providing a brilliantlens with which to see our past and envision a new future. Visserprojects a new type of CSR he terms "CSR 2.0". The Age ofResponsibility is a call to arms: inspiring, engaging andvisionary."
—Deborah Leipziger, author of The CorporateResponsibility Code Book and SA8000: The Definitive Guide tothe New Social Standard
"The Age of Responsibility and its proposed CSR 2.0 -perhaps better called Systemic or Radical Corporate Sustainabilityand Responsibility - shows, in the same way that Natural Capitalismdoes, that reinventing our industrial model is not only imperative- socially, environmentally, economically and morally - but also agreat opportunity for those pioneers that blaze the trail."
—L. Hunter Lovins, President of Natural CapitalismSolutions and author of Natural Capitalism
"Whether corporate social responsibility has failed, or whetherit is still finding its feet pending further market pull, one thingis clear: without a life-giving understanding of responsibility asthe ability to respond there's no point to anything. Wayne Visserdoes us all a service in exploring the opportunities and challengesthat such responsibility entails."
—Alastair McIntosh, Professor at the Centre for HumanEcology, Strathclyde University and author of Hell and HighWater
"All individuals interested in the evolution of CorporateSustainability and Responsibility should feel compelled to joinWayne Visser in his quest to better understand why efforts toimplement CSR practices have not yet yielded the desired outcomes.In The Age of Responsibility, he draws on his gift for language andstorytelling to lay out the case for a new kind of CSR – CSR2.0. Using Web 2.0 as a metaphor, Visser identifies theinterconnectedness of humans in their efforts to define what theworld of business should look like. The journey is thoughtprovoking, an education on where CSR has been and where it needs togo and a story imploring the reader to seek out "a unique andinvaluable way to make a difference through CSR"."
—Josetta McLaughlin, Associate Professor of Managementat Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration, RooseveltUniversity
"The good news: Business is shifting from making money in thesimplest way possible, towards solving global problems and makingmoney in the process.The bad news: Progress is slow. Wayne Visserpaints the big picture using an astounding amount of detailedknowledge."
—Jorgen Randers, Professor of Climate Strategy at theNorwegian School of Management and co-author of Limits toGrowth: The 30-Year Update
"A world based on rights without responsibility can only lead todestruction. And when the rights are unbridled rights of giantcorporations they trample on the earth and people. Wayne Visser'sThe Age of Responsibility calls for a vital shift fromrights to responsibility. It is a must read for all."
—Vandana Shiva, author of Earth Democracy and Soil NotOil
"CSR 2.0 is a great concept. Good luck with it. And as WayneVisser rightly adds: smart government regulation is absolutelyessential."
—Ernst von Weizsäcker, author of Factor 5:Transforming the Global Economy through 80% Improvements inResource Productivity
"The book is a thought provoking and cutting edge addition tothe CSR literature. It integrates strategic and stakeholderperspectives to provide a new model of implementing change andinnovative thinking. In extending the paradigm of CSR it promotesthe role of leaders in bringing about positive societal changethrough stakeholder engagement and it does so through anunderstanding of the practical issues facing business leaders oftoday. Moreover, it challenges every one of us to think and actdifferently, to bring about mass global change enacted at the locallevel, and to incorporate social enterprises and social networks inthis transformation. The global financial crisis has furtherreinforced the timeliness of this book and its arguments of a newway of thinking and acting in the area of sustainability andresponsibility to bring about systemic change."
—Suzanne Young, Associate Professor and Director ofCorporate Responsibility and Global Citizenship, Graduate School ofManagement, La Trobe University
The new generation of CSR
In this landmark book Wayne Visser shows how the old model ofCorporate Sustainability & Responsibility (CSR) is beingreplaced by a 2nd generation movement. This generation goes beyondthe outmoded approach of CSR as philanthropy or public relations(widely criticised as 'greenwash') to a more interactive,stakeholder-driven model.
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