Here in Washington D.C. the Business Civic Leadership Center’s 2010 Global Corporate Citizenship Conference kicked off with a powerful session, the Global CSR Issue Forum on Economic Development. We heard introductory remarks by David W. Fulton the Advisor & Director of Business Liaison of the Office of the U.S. Executive Director for The World Bank. Representatives from Microsoft, POETA, IBM and CDS Solutions gave their perspective on how creating value is critical to solving the global poverty issue and focused on partnerships.
I am a big fan of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps in partnership with CDS Solutions. This was one of the case studies highlighted. IBM sends teams of 10 IBMers out to work with NGOs on solving problems. No more than two of the team members can be from the U.S. This is a six month program with four actual weeks abroad. Besides the important work that the team does helping NGOs and transferring skills that can be used long after the team is gone, it has great benefits to IBM and the participants. IBM uses this as “cultural intelligence” as they continue to globalize their business. There is a four month lead preparatory period where they learn about their new team, the NGO that they will be working with and the country that they will be working in. Then the four weeks on the ground. When they return, the participants are required to do at least one internal and one external presentation on what they learned. It is an amazing program that IBM created in 2007. It is a win-win-win. It helps NGO’s to be more effective in some of the world’s most challenged area, its helps IBM create a workforce more in tune with the global marketplace and it is an incredible professional development opportunity for the participant.