How to Be a Corporate Activist
Now that the dust is starting to settle from the George Floyd uprisings, it’s time to think about the long-term game for social change.
And that means thinking about your role as a corporate activist.
Or you can also think about it as a social intrapreneur.
This is someone who creates change inside the organization to create change outside the organization.
History tells us that corporate activism is a highly effective form for creating positive shifts in the world.
For example, a lot of companies now offer benefits to all domestic partners, not just straight ones, as a result of employee activists at GM and Ford.
And employee activists at Nike were instrumental in the company cut off any ties with suppliers connected with child labor.
So, in a lot of ways, corporate activism just makes good business sense because it enhances the experiences and engagement of your employees, as well making you legit in the eyes of your socially conscious consumers.
In the past two weeks, we have seen a wave of employees ask their companies to do something meaningful about racial equity.
And a lot of companies have stepped up — Twitter, Reddit, Bank of America, and even Walmart.
And there’s a lot of skepticism about the intentions of some of these organizations — and that’s where your role as a corporate activist within a lot of these organizations comes into play.
What is the role of corporate activists?
Your role as a corporate activist is to help your organization be accountable and committed for the long-term on important social issues.
So, if you’re inside an organization that has already committed to action, how can you help extend that commitment in a real and meaningful way?
Or if you’re in an organization that has not yet committed to action…how might you jump start that?
I am going to share with you a simple formula to guide your movement building.
The Social Movement Formula
So there is a formula for social movements.
This formula is based on my own research on every major social movement in modern history for my doctoral dissertation, which was on the resurgence of the electric car. I’ve also spent a lot of time researching the Civil Rights Movement, Occupy, the Arab Spring, as well as the movement of my own people, the Apaches, to retain their land.
So, the formula is an acronym called SNAP.
I like to say that Social Movements are a SNAP. This acronym stands for Stories, Networks, Actions, and Political Opportunities.
I’m going to break that down for you now.
Develop a STORY that has wide resonance.
So the S stands for story. You’ve got to have a good story that states what the problem is and what the solution should be.
Like the story of Rosa Parks, for example. She was just too damn tired to sit at the back of the bus. Everybody can resonate with that story — Black, white, young, old.
It’s the story that got everyone in the frame of mind to say, “Yeah, that’s not right. We shouldn’t treat people like second class citizens on the buses and the solution is to desegregate the buses.”
So what is the story for your organization? It might be something like, “All prospective and current employees deserve a fair opportunity to succeed in our organization, from hiring to development to promotion. And we also need to be stewards of our community that is committed to justice for all.”
Build a NETWORK of supporters
Then you need to think about your networks. That is the N in SNAP.
You need a strong network of people and organizations who are united around your story. In the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the network consisted of college students, businesses, churches, and people of all colors united around that story.
So you want to think about who is in the network united around the story for your organization? Who are the internal supporters? Who are the external organizations?
What are the other businesses that you can align with?
There is a humongous opportunity right now for multiple businesses to align around certain actions.
So build a strong network. And think creatively about who belongs in it.
Coordinate specific ACTIONS for a specific time period
The A in SNAP stands for actions.
In the Montgomery Bus Boycott, when Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus, a wide network of people immediately activated.
They created the very first rideshare service. They already had plans in place to make sure that everyone could go from Point A to Point B without relying on a segregated bus system.
And they chose this action for two reason. (1) To send a clear signal about what was wrong with the system (2) To have an economic impact on the city bus system.
So what are the united actions that would make a difference right now?
Of course, there are the immediate actions around ending police brutality. But we’ve got to think about a long-term portfolio approach to addressing racial equity at an educational level, at a health level, and at an economic level.
So expand your horizon and think about the structured ways that we can make change happen.
Act during windows of POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY
Lastly, the P stands for political opportunity. History tells us that there are windows that open up that make change more conducive.
In the Montgomery Bus Boycott, that window opened up just when the schools were desegregated. It was an opportune time for the buses to also be desegregated.
Our Window of Change
We are in a window of change right now. With COVID exposing the fragility of our public health system and with our economic system…and with George Floyd exposing the fragility of our public safety system.
We have a moment. We have an opportunity to shift things as a society and we also have a moment to shift things within our organizations.
Working as a corporate activist is one of the most meaningful ways you can have an impact in this world — both as an employee and as a citizen.
If you’re doing this work right now, power to you.
There’s never been a better time to rethink what’s possible.
