‘When Business Meets Social’

Nike was thrust into the middle of the culture wars when it made former NFL star Colin Kaepernick the face of its “Just Do It” 30th anniversary campaign. Dick’s Sporting Goods stopped selling assault weapons in the ongoing debate over gun control.

Starbucks conducted racial bias training after police arrested two black men in one of its Philadelphia stores.

Should Corporate America be trying to set social policy?

“Companies can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines when it comes to the hot-button issues of the day,” said New York Times business reporter David Gelles, delivering a keynote Sept. 21 at the 2018 Impact Symposium co-sponsored by the College of Business and Economics and Lehigh’s Center for Ethics.

“On topics ranging from climate change to health care, gun laws to birth control, the biggest brands in the country are being forced to take a stand,” he said. “It’s hard to state what an abrupt change this is. Until recently, companies avoided controversyat all costs. But these days, they are confronting it head-on, sometimes even embracing it when it arrives unexpectedly, and in rare instances, seeking it out.”

Gelles was one of two keynote speakers at the fifth annual impact symposium, “When Business Meets Social,” which explored “Leading in Times of Change: Connecting Business and Social Movements.” The symposium, held in the Perella Auditorium in the Rauch Business Center, brought together business leaders, educators, students and Lehigh community members with the aim of fostering conversations around workplace challenges and opportunities stirred by recent social media movements.

Tyi McCray, interim director of diversity and belonging and diversity strategy lead at Airbnb, opened the symposium with a keynote on “Mitigating Bias and Creating Space for the Expression of Divergent Perspectives.” Two panel discussions rounded out the presentations.

“When we walk into the workplace, none of us are objective observers of the world,” said McCray. “We’re all filtering information with unconscious bias, past experiences, our personal identities. We’re all dragging that into the workplace, invisible luggage behind us. And it affects how we show up and interact with people. And the better we understand it, the better we can engage and have dialogues and cross-references.”

In the workplace, biases could show up in performance reviews and promotions. McCray said, however, there are strategies to mitigate them: determine relevant criteria in advance, create a grading criteria for evaluations, write specific structured feedback and discard unnecessary criteria.

“We all have to be active participants in this,” McCray said. “It’s not the job for leadership alone. It’s not the job for women alone. It’s not the job of people of color alone or other marginalized groups. It’s actually everyone’s responsibility.”

Gelles addressed business leaders taking positions on social issues such as LGBT rights, sexual harassment, racism and gun violence. Between today’s tumultuous political environment and reactionary online interactions, he said, company executives are forced to make their positions known to stay competitive.

“To state the obvious here: Business and politics don’t always mix,” Gelles said. “But being a chief executive no longer means just running a profit-and-loss statement. It means being prepared to articulate your values—and your company’s values—when you least expect it.”

Companies can have a significant impact on their communities, Gelles said. For example, an Indiana law passed in 2015 would have made it easier for religious conservatives to refuse service to gay people. In response, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff canceled its statewide events and threatened to relocate. Politicians, including then-Gov. Mike Pence, backed down.

“When CEOs speak out, the world listens,” Gelles said. “Sometimes, policies even change.”

Story by: Mary Ellen Alu and Sam Topp '19