Making CSR training work. Training should produce meaningful value for participants, and those who pay for their participation. Executive training programs can be boring, dull and virtually useless. Or they can be dynamic, career altering, fun and productive. Here are some thoughts on how we can make CSR Training work better for participants. To keep updated on postings and events go to www.csrtraininginstitute.com and sign up for the newsletter. If interested the CSR Knowledge Centre http://bit.ly/CSRknowledge contains a series of short, pragmatic articles on CSR Strategy, Management and related areas.

1. Helping business to
serve shareholders AND society
SIMULTANEOUSLY
-by Wayne Dunn
CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make
it work for participants
www.csrtraininginstitute.com/knowledge-centre

2. CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make it work for participants
How do we learn to do CSR Better?
What do we mean by ‘doing CSR Better’?
Different people have different answers to these questions. I’ll share
mine with you, but encourage you to seek other answers and opinions
too. In CSR, diversity rocks!
Let’s take the second question first. What is ‘doing CSR Better’?
For me it is all about value, always, every time. CSR is about creating
and aligning value; value for shareholders and value for stakeholders.
In ways that is not zero sum. It is done through the integration of
resources, strategy, time, etc.
With this perspective we do CSR better by creating more value for
any given level of inputs and by optimizing value created against
inputs like time, money, opportunity cost, etc.
So, how do we learn to do that?
Here are some thoughts on how we can make CSR Training work
better for participants.
Executive training programs can be boring,
dull and virtually useless. Or they can be
dynamic, career altering, fun and productive

3. Notice that I said how do we learn to that and not how do we do that.
You can see numerous posts on how to do CSR here.
This post will discuss what I know about teaching and learning CSR;
knowledge built over decades of doing CSR and several years of
developing and delivering CSR training to executives and leaders
worldwide.
By its very nature CSR is about working with diverse interests and
developing common ground and value-alignment. Successful CSR
programs involve internal and external stakeholders with a ‘what’s in
it for them’ approach.
Having different industries as well as diverse sectors (private, public,
NGO, community, government, international organization, etc.) and
geographic diversity adds a lot of value to CSR programs. So too
does having a range of functions and positions at the learning table.
Participants have the chance to learn and understand the viewpoints
and perspectives of others. For example a case study on stakeholder
engagement is much richer when you have project field staff, corporate
executives, community representatives, government officials, multi-
lateral institutions and others at the same table. They learn from and
with each other.
CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make it work for participants
CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make it work for participants
CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make it work for participants
1. Diversity is key.

4. CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make it work for participants
This can be invaluable as people go back to their own organizations
to design, manage and implement CSR programs
Exception – when training is integrated with organizational and project
level CSR strategy it can be beneficial to have a more homogenous
internal group involved. But, even in that type of situation there are
advantages to bringing in others for some components.
All theory makes for a boring learning experience and people dis-
engage. All practical doesn’t provide the theoretical framework that
can help participants know material and concepts in a way that
makes it easy to apply them.
Ideally a session will involve a lecture that discusses theory, frameworks
and big picture perspectives and looks at how they are applied in
real-world situations.
This is then followed with a group exercise and/or role-playing
scenario where participants get to learn from and with each other
and apply the theory and frameworks to a realistic simulation.
2. Blend of theory
and practice.
learning from the same person day after day after day gets boring.
And it limits the perspectives that participants are exposed to.
I’ve found that participants learn more and retain more when they
are taught by a diverse faculty that includes practitioners, private and
public sector executives, NGO leaders and others. While this isn’t
always practical, especially for shorter programs, it is important to
bring as much diversity as possible to the Faculty Team.
3. Faculty Diversity –
traditional executive programs provide a structured learning across
a range of tightly managed subject areas. They promote personal
development and, often, theoretical understanding of issues and
concepts.
4. Certified Training
Conferences –

5. CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make it work for participants
bring together a global group of executives and managers
from industry, NGOs, development agencies and international
organizations to learn with and from each other in a dynamic,
interactive and highly social setting.
5. Certified Training
Conferences
Participants are much better able to apply the learnings from a CSR
training program when they have a chance to engage in testing ideas
and driving the CSR bus through group-work sessions and scenario/
role playing activities.
These provide them with the opportunity to put theory into practice in
a non-threating, risk-free and supportive environment. When coupled
with broad group diversity these practical and hands-on components
can be one of the most valuable aspects of a high-level CSR training
program.
6. Testing ideas and
driving the CSR bus –
Industry conferences are more dynamic, have a range of speakers and
facilitate dynamic networking and a state of the industry knowledge.
Over dozens of CSR training events I’ve found that a blend of executive
training and industry conferences produces the most meaningful
learning and is the best way to equip participants to hit the ground
running right after the program.
We have developed a methodology we call Certified Training
Conferences – that integrates the structured learning and personal
development of traditional Executive Programs with the dynamic
networking, variety of presenters, industry knowledge and diversity
of international conferences.

6. These are some of the elements that I’ve found can help turn a CSR
training program into a life and career changing event. By using these
methods the CSR Training Institute has been able to achieve very high
participant satisfaction ratings with over 80% of participants rating
our programs as one of the top three training programs they have
ever taken. You can see what our participants have to say in their
own words here.
If you are interested in learning more about CSR Training please
contact me. If you are interested in upcoming programs you can go
to our website.
CSR Training:
Seven strategies to make it work for participants
nobody can retain everything from a training session. Invariably a
few weeks or months later a situation will arise and the participant
will remember that something similar was covered in the program but
either cannot recall the specifics, or simply wants to get feedback and
guidance on it.
It is important that participants are encouraged to network with each
other after the program and also that they have access to faculty and/
or program leaders for a period of time after the session has ended.
It is also helpful to have an online forum or vehicle for sharing of ideas
and asking questions.
7. Follow-up support –

7. Professor Dunn brings a practical and realistic approach to CSR, blending theory and
practice to develop realistic models and approaches to address real-world challenges
Dr. Ellis Armstrong
Former CFO, BP Exploration
…coherent, thoughtful, stimulating and insightful… state of the art! The network of
participants from the public, private and civil society sectors was incredible, some of
the leading experts in the field.
Kojo Busia, Ph. D.
Snr. Mineral Sector Governance Advisor
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa/UNECA
…pragmatic blend of theory and practice, very applicable to helping organizations
meet real-world challenges.
Frank McShane
Manager, Corporate Responsibility Policy and Ethics, Talisman Energy
… readily available to provide support to organizations like Amref that are seeking
partnerships, and looking to bring about positive change in a collaborative and concrete
way. Wayne and the CSR Training Institute helped us to identify and connect with
potential partners and are always available. The training, the expertise, the network
and the overall support are world-class.
Onome Ako
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Amref Health Africa
“The program enhanced the CSR knowledge and strategic skills of our Kosmos Energy
Ghana team, and offered the participants a platform for networking with professionals
from other organizations across Africa and Ghana.”
Reg Manhas
Sr VP Kosmos Energy
Very much helpful Wayne; some of the tips and questions you gave will be an extremely
helpful guide in the process of developing a CSR Strategy for my company.
Emmanuel Aubynn
Regional Social Responsibility Manager, Newmont Africa
The CSR Program was excellent. A key aspect of my work is to encourage and support
private sector development that contributes to Ghana’s overall socio-economic
growth. The learning that I and my staff take away from attending this program will
help us immensely with this responsibility. I highly recommend this program.
Hon. Rashid Pelpuo (MP)
Minister of State for Private Sector Development and Public Private Partnerships
(Ghana)
New and exciting insights into the theory and practice of CSR… great faculty and
participants, very diversified. An excellent learning experience, very practical and
useful. I’m very happy I was able to participate in it.
Hon InusahFuseini (MP)
Minister of Lands and Natural Resources (Ghana)
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT OUR WORK

8. Should Business Serve
Helping business to serve society and
shareholders, SIMULTANEOUSLY.
Should Business Serve
WAYNE DUNN, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
SHAREHOLDERS?
SOCIETY?
IT SHOULD SERVE BOTH.
Wayne Dunn is President & Founder of the CSR Training Institute and
Professor of Practice in CSR at McGill. He’s a Stanford Sloan Fellow
with a M.Sc. in Management from Stanford Business School.
He is a veteran of 20+ years of award winning global CSR and
sustainability work spanning the globe and covering many industries
and sectors including extensive work with Indigenous Peoples in
Canada and globally. His work has won major international awards
and has been used extensively as ‘best-practice’ by industry and
academia.
He’s also worked oil rigs, prospecting, diamond drilling, logging,
commercial fishing, heavy equipment operator, truck driver and
underwater logging, done a couple of start-ups and too many other
things to mention.
Wayne’s career includes big successes, and spectacular failures. He
hopes he’s learned equally from both.
www.csrtraininginstitute.com