Learning Lessons in Lebanon
Photo by Fares Jammal
As with technology, businesses in emerging economies have the opportunity to leapfrog the bolt-on CSR efforts and ad-hoc philanthropy of the developed world and put sustainability at the core of their enterprises straight away.
On an airplane climbing out of Beirut’s milky early morning sunshine, it was hard not to contrast my experiences there with the Core Dinner Debates held two weeks earlier in New York and DC.
Accompanied by my friend and Associate, Dalia Farouki, the Middle Eastern leg of my book tour started with a meeting with the head of CSR at one of Lebanon’s best-known banks and ended, via several other meetings, at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business in the pristine grounds of the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Purpose: Not Quite in the Lexicon Yet
The first thing to note is that ‘purpose’ is not yet a common term in Beirut’s business lexicon—but there are murmurs. Whereas in the West I spend much of my time fielding questions on the meaning of purpose and the ‘purpose of purpose,’ in Beirut, there was no need to hack through the ‘purpose thicket’ to get to the point. We got to the practicality and benefits of a Single Organizing Idea (SOI) straight away.
Its role as a strategic management tool, a wealth creator, and a catalyst for businesses determined to change for good was immediately grasped. This was refreshing.
CSR in Lebanon: A Different Perspective
The second thing to note is that CSR is only practiced by a handful of Lebanese businesses. My discussions with the bank and others quickly led me to understand that CSR is neither standard practice nor seen as a necessary ‘license to operate’ there. There’s no need for it to be.
Like elsewhere in the world’s emerging economies, while there’s a growing middle class and increasingly vocal millennials who care about the actions of businesses, they remain a relatively small constituency. Add in lackluster government policymaking in this area, and it’s not hard to understand why the CSR that is being practiced is done for other reasons, among them:
- A real sense of responsibility
- The need to take a lead
- A genuine concern for the future
CSR may well help positively position businesses among peers and underscore a progressive reputation (I’m not naive), but I believe it when I’m told that’s not what is driving it in Lebanon on the whole. This is an opportunity.
No Cynicism—Just Action
It’s an opportunity that I was keen to share with the convener of the AUB Core Debate, Dr. Dima Jamali, and the guests that her fantastic team had invited to the event. Dima’s experience and enthusiasm for the subject ensured probing questions and a lively exchange. The whole point of the Core Debates is not to preach but to invite challenges and learn.
What I saw and heard topped up my glass-half-full optimism. Three things have stayed with me:
1. Immediate Engagement
I was struck by the eagerness and immediacy with which people engaged with my explanation of SOI. There was no cynicism, nobody made comparisons to other concepts, or wasted time dwelling on ‘why.’ What they wanted to know, pure and simple, was ‘how.’ How SOI works, and what and where were the examples?
2. Keenness to Act
I was thrilled by some people’s determination to act quickly. One attendee enthused about the need to introduce SOI to economic development agencies with urgency.
“Most businesses don’t have a strategy here at all,” she said. “It’s day-to-day survival. We need to look carefully at what you’re suggesting.”
3. Values Over Investment
I was deeply impressed by the comments of Samer Sfeir, a young social entrepreneur and founder of ShareQ NGO and M Social Catering. Both initiatives aim to integrate socially, physically, and financially challenged people into jobs so they can overcome their challenges, be productive, and live in dignity.
He explained how one of his enterprises had attracted the attention of investors. But there was a catch. His would-be investors liked the business but not the social cause—it was a waste of time in Beirut, they said, and an unnecessary distraction from commercial success.
He turned their money down.
I was humbled when he said:
“Listening to you and this discussion has confirmed I did the right thing and has redoubled my ambition to build a great social enterprise in Beirut and attract impact investors on board of my enterprise.”
Looking Ahead
It’s been a privilege to have my view of the world shaped by many such exchanges. I continue to listen, learn, and grow my understanding of what’s possible. Despite the enormous challenges, I’m convinced SOI is a solution. But perhaps businesses in the developing world are better placed to realise it first?
About the Author
Neil Gaught is a strategic advisor and author of CORE: How a Single Organizing Idea Can Change Business for Good, published by Routledge.
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