Laying the Framework for Change
Ethical Practices and Effective Leadership
Ethics is a crucial element of numerous real-life processes, which ensures that relevant moral principles are always followed. Generally, this phenomenon is defined as a combination of moral guidelines that distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors governing human activity on the basis of virtuousness, fairness, and social impact (Neck et al., 2017). The concept of ethics is also essential for the sphere of leadership, where it determines which leadership approaches can be considered as morally good for the surrounding environment.
Considering that leadership is deeply connected with interpersonal interaction, ethics become exceptionally significant for this domain. As such, every leader should be aware of the influence they exert over their employees, ensuring that each team member is treated equally and respectfully (Neck et al., 2017). Abusing the power of influence or using it for immoral goals can be a crucial ethical issue, meaning that every leader must preserve ethical values.
Social Responsibility and Leadership
Social responsibility is a vital practice that concerns individuals and companies. Given that both people and organizations can inflict significant harm to the environment and society, social responsibility states that these parties must consider the welfare of nature and the global community when any endeavors are undertaken (De Roeck & Farooq, 2018). In this regard, a socially responsible leader should always remain knowledgeable of the negative ramifications following individual and corporate decisions, assessing potential outcomes and their impact on society. As such, implemented strategies to improve employee performance or develop a new decision-making strategy should benefit the workers as well as the company, rather than focusing on the potential financial output (De Roeck & Farooq, 2018). In addition, the social responsibility of a company leader implies their awareness of the negative effects of adopted decisions on the community, suggesting that such instances should be mitigated as effectively as possible.
Benefits to an Organization of Having Focus on Social Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility ensures the welfare of society and promotes responsible decision-making, which is a considerable benefit for the company processes. Employees occupied at enterprises that embrace social responsibility or make it a part of their business model have been reported to be more efficient and motivated, suggesting that this policy can empower the organization’s workers (De Roeck & Farooq, 2018). Participating in operations that increase the well-being of other individuals and positively affect the environment is one of the core factors connected to workplace engagement and job satisfaction, significantly elevating potential business outputs (De Roeck & Farooq, 2018). After that, a corporate image can also be positively enhanced by the application of social responsibility methods. The necessity to engage in activities that are beneficial for the world is vital not only for the employees but also for the consumers, who feel more motivated to cooperate with socially responsible companies.
Developing a Plan for Change
Description of Selected Business/Organization
For this proposal, I have chosen the Take-Two Interactive company, which is focused on the production of video games for various gaming platforms. This company primarily releases large-scale videogames belonging to various genres, catering to audiences of different ages, social groups, and ethnic backgrounds. The company consists of several branches which are responsible for specific projects, creating an efficient distribution of power (Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., n.d.). In this regard, Take-Two Interactive is considered a quickly developing videogame enterprise, possessing a significant portion of the market. The organization’s mission is to produce videogame content for the entertainment industry with creativity and innovation that inspired them throughout their path. I have played several games released by Take-Two Interactive, and I was impressed by their potential and the deep interest in player involvement.
Opportunities for the Business/Organization to Bring About Positive Social Change
A prospective opportunity for Take-Two Interactive to bring positive social change internally would be to offer the employees various strategies that promote social responsibility. Volunteering has been recognized as a prominent possibility for workers, as this activity often incites a sense of purpose and allows the individuals to participate in socially beneficial practices that increase the well-being of various communities (Muthuri et al., 2009). As such, Take-Two Interactive could introduce volunteering opportunities for the employees, inspiring them to become aware of their impact on society and the environment.
The most positively impacted populations would be the company personnel and the individuals targeted by the available campaigns. after that, the workers’ families and their social connections could be indirectly impacted, as the employees’ sharing through communication could positively affect other individuals potentially interested in volunteering.
An external possibility available for Take-Two Interactive is becoming involved in the operations aimed to minimize the industry’s effect on the environment. Ensuring that more companies adopt a sustainable content production and distribution approach is a crucial issue for this sphere, which heavily relies on plastics (Kasurinen et al., 2017). Take-Two Interactive could collaborate with other enterprises interested in diminishing their environmental impact, positively impacting people working with hazardous production materials, and indirectly affecting sustainability tendencies in video game production.
Recommended Steps to Carry Out Positive Social Change Efforts
From my perspective, to initiate internal change and motivate employees to participate in volunteering practices, it is essential to begin with issue awareness and knowledge promotion. Considering volunteering, a significant part of the motivation for this activity includes the understanding of the impact that the person would cause, as well as an external endorsement of this practice (Muthuri et al., 2009). After that, providing necessary availability and ensuring that these tasks do not coincide with the working process is also vital. Given that information uncertainty might decrease the interest in activity participation, this step should also not be overlooked.
The involvement of team leaders in this endeavor could considerably improve the workers’ involvement in volunteering. After the planning and integration steps have been concluded, prompting group leaders to communicate with their employees on the volunteering practices could greatly advance the campaign, increasing the overall level of participation.
The inter-organizational activities, however, require a different approach. As such, the first stage would involve frequent communication with other enterprises and their degree of involvement in the project. This step necessitates the involvement of powerful leaders capable of motivating groups of people and delegating the importance of the presented cause. After that, devising the overall approach and its financial support is also critical at the initial steps, ensuring that sufficient resources are present.
Furthermore, public support and external funding sources should also be outlined. As these steps have been concluded, necessary environmental strategies can be developed using scholarly findings and research sponsorship, theory creation, and practical implementations. To promote productivity and establish an efficient working environment, team leaders will also be crucial at this stage, allowing the group to remain focused on the task, as well as creating strong communication pathways.
Potential Risks/Challenges to Change Implementation
A pertinent issue related to the suggested positive social change efforts is connected to employee time availability. Given that a standard 8-hour workday leaves little personal time, workers may be discouraged from participating in volunteering. In addition, considering the broad range of the Take-Two Interactive offices and substantial numbers of workers, a volunteer overload at the closest establishments might occur. After that, employees should not be prompted to participate to advance their working status or improve their social standing, suggesting that potential complications in this sphere should be monitored.
As for the collaboration proposition, a considerable issue lies in inter-organizational cooperation, which requires additional resources and workforce to sustain. This endeavor could demand both Take-Two Interactive and its business partners to change their schedules and working plans, necessitating a significant amount of time to complete the preparations. Furthermore, possible financial complications and deficits should also be taken into account.
Addressing the Potential Risks/Challenges
Concerning the volunteering proposition risks, it is possible to suggest that employees are allowed to spend some of their work hours volunteering, accounting for the loss of personal time and acquiring a bonus for upholding the organization’s initiative. Nevertheless, a proper balance between the employee workload and the volunteering practices should still be maintained. As for the working overload at the volunteering establishments, it might be beneficial to consider numerous organizations throughout the area, possibly close to the workers’ homes, distributing the workforce evenly. After that, it should be stressed that the suggested practices are entirely optional; in addition, maintaining an outlook on employee involvement in volunteering could also assist in addressing the issue.
Inter-organizational cooperation necessitates the application of extra resources and time, which is mostly inevitable. However, equal distribution of responsibilities between the participating companies should always be preserved, ensuring that each enterprise is delivering an even share of contributions. Promoting the implementation of time management techniques and scheduling methods aimed at eliminating the challenge is connected to multiple business collaborations. As for the financial deficits, additional expenses might be covered by initiating funding campaigns and promoting the ongoing project among interested sponsors, securing extra funds for the necessary endeavors. This practice could also negate the occurrence of monetary deficits, separating the funding of these activities from the main company projects.
Predicted Outcomes from Positive Social Change Efforts
A crucial positive outcome following the suggested efforts might be the preservation of natural resources. This issue is especially vital in the gaming industry, which heavily relies on plastic and other non-ecological materials for producing hard copies and gaming equipment. Therefore, fostering social awareness and cooperating with other companies to reduce the use of plastic and other hazardous resources might substantially promote the production methods currently used by the majority of enterprises. These results can be easily measured and delegated to the shareholders, creating a positive brand image. A positive example from multiple large-scale companies similar to take two interactive companies could also inspire other corporations to adjust their distribution strategies and focus on their environmental impact. Furthermore, it is possible that the video game industry consumers would become knowledgeable of the issue and attempt to reduce their use of plastic waste.
Another potential outcome is connected to employee performance and motivation, which might be positively incited by volunteering opportunities. The practice of volunteering can be a tremendous motivator for personal development and growth, instilling a sense of responsibility for the environment and society. Moreover, a better understanding of current social problems and the importance of promoting positive social change could also be gained by the volunteers, inspiring them to continue these efforts or motivate other people, creating a positive environment for future social developments.
References
De Roeck, K., & Farooq, O. (2018). Corporate social responsibility and ethical leadership: Investigating their interactive effect on employees’ socially responsible behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(4), 923–939. Web.
Kasurinen, J., Palacin-Silva, M., & Vanhala, E. (2017). What concerns game developers? A study on game development processes, sustainability and metrics. 2017 IEEE/ACM 8th Workshop on Emerging Trends in Software Metrics (WETSoM), 15–21. Web.
Muthuri, J., Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2009). Employee volunteering and social capital: Contributions to corporate social responsibility. British Journal of Management, 20, 75–89. Web.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (n.d.). Corporate profile. Web.