Blog #1 — Triple Bottom Line
One of the reasons I’m the most excited to participate in Corporate Service Corps is that I firmly believe in the fundamental power of business to do good in the world. While it may be controversial or counter-intuitive to some, I have yet to be convinced that the public and non-profit sectors can tackle the world’s greatest challenges alone. Based on my own personal and professional experiences, I believe passionately in the importance of business making meaningful contributions to resolving community issues, and one of the most powerful methods I’ve found for holding companies accountable is the “triple bottom line”.
The triple bottom line concept argues that companies can and should measure their success not only in terms of economic value, but also from the perspective of social responsibility and environmental impact. The idea that these three areas are not zero sum, but rather reinforce one another, reflects my personal philosophy on the responsibility of business to create value for the world.
Fortunately for me, the core tenant of the Corporate Service Corps program also reflects a similar philosophy. CSC has published its own flavor of a triple bottom line in the “triple benefit” concept it has set forth for the program: 1) Communities have their problems solved 2) IBMers receive leadership training and development 3) IBM develops new markets and global leaders
The idea that the communities, the participants, and IBM can all benefit from this experience is what makes CSC such an unbelievable opportunity in my mind. It will certainly be challenging. There will only be so much we can accomplish in the four weeks we are deployed. We will still be returning to our day jobs at the end. However, the fact that we are coming together with non-profit clients to create new value is what makes me so excited for this program.
Additionally, the type of value we will be focused on creating resonates deeply with my belief in corporate responsibility. I have been very impressed at the setup of our specific projects, which are designed around organizational capacity building for our non-profit partners. While participating in one off volunteer events would certainly achieve some benefits, enabling our clients to expand their impact in their own communities is some of the most meaningful and effective work that business can possibly do from my perspective.
I am looking forward to finding as many ways as possible to add value, both individually and as a member of my team, as I embark on this new adventure.

