What is Carroll’s pyramid of social responsibility?
By Mohamed Elwani
The importance of Carroll’s pyramid lies in the fact that it draws in front of the politician in the institution in the public image and determines the paths that he must walk according to it, not only this but it also puts all the dimensions – which we will mention in a short time – and aims to work on it in a way parallel.
Planning the company’s social responsibility strategy is often very difficult; It includes collecting measures from all over the organization, analyzing supply chains, and acquiring inputs from internal and external stakeholders. Not to mention the choice between conflicting priorities and investment opportunities, here also lies the importance of Carroll’s pyramid of social responsibility.
This theoretical perception, presented by Arishi Carroll; Of success in all aspects of social responsibility, means that success in two fields or two fields is not enough.
It is clear that the fulfillment of your economic responsibilities while neglecting your legal responsibilities, or vice versa, indicates that your organization will face difficulty later. This may mean that moral and charitable responsibilities are optional, but their achievement can provide a number of benefits.
Carroll’s Pyramid of social responsibility
We explain in Entrepreneurship KSA what is the Pyramid of Carroll for social responsibility, as follows.
The corporate social responsibility pyramid (CSR) developed by Archi Carroll is a model that is increasingly used to define business patterns and models in relation to corporate social responsibility.
The success of Carroll’s pyramid is simply the form; This model gives the organizational structure that institutions need to meet the economic, legal, moral and charitable requirements of a business.
The basis of what we consider to be the modern definition of corporate social responsibility is rooted in the corporate social responsibility pyramid. Commercial activity includes four types of responsibilities, as follows: economic, legal, charitable, and moral responsibility.
Of course, Carroll’s pyramid has undergone many reviews and modifications, however, one of the most important theoretical models in this field remains.
It classifies the importance of every dimension of companies ’social responsibility; According to Carl: economic responsibilities are the most important business. After that comes legal and moral responsibilities. Charitable responsibilities are the least important.
The institution survived and the multi-dimensional view
To survive, every business must achieve profit and fulfill its legal responsibilities. But what you do with these profits and higher values it shows to its employees, customers, society and market will differ tremendously.
According to Professor Archi Carroll, corporate social responsibility cannot become a reality unless managers become ethical, nor is it insufficient to focus on one field of work.
Corporate social responsibility must include all organizational activities, operations and goals. To help institutions clarify their responsibilities, Carroll designed a model known as the “pyramid of corporate social responsibility”, which shows the hierarchy of the organization’s responsibilities. He emphasized that only by implementing all these responsibilities together, the social responsibility of companies can be achieved effectively.
Obstacles and challenges
Dealing with the four responsibilities covered by Carroll’s Pyramid at the same time is the biggest challenge; Ethical principles may sometimes conflict with your organization’s economic priorities.
It can also consume investment in the social responsibility of resources but rather converts your focus away from your basic activities. A major company may be able to allocate a budget, and even a specialized team, for its companies’ social responsibility activities. But a smaller organization will not enjoy this luxury.