Five tips to help introduce social value within your organisation September 2021

Our senior consultant and social value expert Vaishali Baid sets out five useful tips for introducing social value within your organisation.

1. Create a social value vision and mission strategy

A vision and mission strategy can play a vital role in providing focus, coherence, and direction towards social value within your organisation. It goes a long way in setting expectations and delivering results, offering a roadmap to help reach those objectives in a well-defined way. It’s essential to communicate the vision and mission across your business and different functions.

Our recommendation: Ensure your vision and mission statement is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to implement.

2. Consider national and local priorities 

Consider the national priority outcomes alongside any additional local priorities in your organisation’s social value activities. Ensure it’s inclusive in nature and covers all required elements of policies and regulations. An added advantage is that it serves to cover and keep a tab on the changing regulations.

3. Education is the key to success 

Guided training, learning, and workshops facilitate the same level of understanding of policies, implementation elements, and approaches towards social value. Going beyond your organisation and as a long-term strategy, it is required to get suppliers educated and trained to improve the situation and to create a partnership model to explain your social value priorities for implementing social value at a ground level.

Our recommendation: Training platforms that are a collaboration between clients, contractors, and suppliers can build the required skills for the audience. The Supply Chain Sustainability School offers a suite of FREE resources to support organisations in developing a holistic understanding of the impacts relevant to social value. Discover here.

4. Ask for help if needed 

This is not a new journey for some, but for many it’s a journey that they’re starting from scratch. It’s fine to collaborate and ask for help with your Social Value  journey – after all, there are many like-minded communities and advisors who are eager to start or support on social value.

5. Learn about Social Value from an expert  

Although the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 does not provide a legal definition of social value, it refers to the need for “public authorities to have regard to economic, social, and environmental well-being.” This leads to various interpretations about expectations and varying levels of understanding, knowledge, and experience of social value.

It’s imperative to have the same level of understanding about social value and why it matters to your organisation. Also, to look at what it means to your consumers and local areas where you operate. Every industry is different in the way it’s set up and operates, so having an expert/advisor will help you explore the possibilities and barriers to implementing social value within your own organisation.

Our recommendation: To have an influencer or an independent facilitator for your group to stir conversations and manage the group discussions/conflicts, consensus, and offer an objective perspective.

Action Sustainability can provide strategic advice and tactical support on your Social Value needs. For more information on how we can support you, please contact Vaishali.