PHILOSOPHICAL PREMISES
OF IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF
CORPORATE VOLUNTEERISM
Reciprocity, power and agency
ARNOVA Conference 17.11.2016
Anna Martta Seppänen & Henrietta Grönlund
Faculty of Theology, University of Helsinki
?
1) What are the conceptual prerequisites of
assessing social impact of corporate
volunteerism? (CV)
2) What is the conception of social impacts of CV in
business-related sources?
3) What are the key concepts, which should be used
to analyse the social impacts of CV?
CORPORATE VOLUNTEERISM
In practice
11 MILLION
people in UK
In research
50
ARTICLES
Only
17%
of volunteering days
gets used
benefacto.org/employee-volunteering-statistics-uk/
on corporate volunteering
Impact
No recipient-viewpoint,
focus on volunteers and
companies
STRUCTURE
1. Concept of
impact:
deconstruction
2. Social impact of
CV, by companies
3. New conceptual
tools to grasp the
impact
THE CONCEPT OF IMPACT
Unifying core: the change that happens in a given state of affairs
as a result of the intentional action of a given subject
(Hotchkiss et al. 2014; Arvidson & Lyon 2014; McLoughlin et al. 2009; Maas 2009)
Conceptual premises:
P1. There is an actor X who acts intentionally
P2. There is a situation or a state of affairs S
P3. X is aware of S, the situation S is thus observable to X
P4. X assesses the situation S according to criteria C
P5. The situation S doesn’t meet the criteria C
P6. X acts willingly to change the situation S so that it would better meet the
criteria C. This is the target of action.
P7. X assumes that it is in her power (i.e. she has the capabilities and possibility) to
bring about the target of action (result of P1 and P6 combined)
--P8. The intention of the action is that a person or a group of people(recipients) is
affected by the action of X
P9. The precondition of the impact of action is that there is at least some amount of
change in the life/lives of recipients. That change must be is observable by the
targeted person/people themselves.
STRUCTURE
1. Concept of
impact:
deconstruction
2. Social impact of
CV, by companies
3. New conceptual
tools to grasp the
impact
DATA & ANALYSIS
• Fortune’s list of 10 companies that donate most employee
time for volunteering
• Hours: 40 to unlimited
• Several industries: technology companies emphasized
• Publicly available communication material
• Primarily CR reports, if not available, also other texts
• 25 texts
• Limitations: lack of accuracy/honesty
• Advantages: availability, represent the company
• Methodology: Systematic/philosophical analysis
 the world of the text
vs.
1. MY IMPACT? OUR IMPACT?
• Who is the intentional actor X? (P1)
• “pursue personal pursuits” (Deloitte)
• “pick your cause, whatever it takes, whatever is close to
your heart”   “to bring our unique values to life” (Novo
Nordisk)
• Voluntariness? Agency is shared (P1) but situation and
criteria is left to volunteers (P2-P5)  plethora of targets
 what should be the level of impact assessment?
2. ABSENCE OF RECIPIENTS
• Who are the recipients: NGOs or NGOs’ beneficiaries?
(P8)  whose responsibility is impact
assessment?
• Pictures of recipients, silent recipients
• Through volunteer eyes: “the feeling you get when you
know you are helping to improve someone else’s life”
(PCL)
• Absence of recipients  absence of social action
3. IMPACT JUST HAPPENS!
• ”the primary objective is to support a good cause”,
 Who defines the good cause?
• Measures of impact: lists of causes and volunteer hours;
no mechanisms, no assessment by recipients (P9)
• outcomes vs. impacts (K. Maas 2009)  companies
explicate inputs and outputs
• “Giving back”  what is given back?
STRUCTURE
1. Concept of
impact:
deconstruction
2. Social impact of
CV, by companies
3. New conceptual
tools to grasp the
impact
NEW CONCEPTUAL
TOOLS
1. Reciprocity
Inherent intersubjectivity of human life (Mauss,
Hénaff, Honneth)
Ethical grounding
2. Power
How changes are brought about in social action?
(Raimo Tuomela)
Mechanisms
Societal power
3. Agency
Promoting the agency of recipients (Martha
Nussbaum)
Assessment criteria
THANK YOU!
Anna Martta Seppänen
[email protected]
@amseppanen
Henrietta Grönlund
[email protected]
CoPassion - The
Revolutionary Power of
Compassion
www.copassion.fi