At SELF, contrary to the practice of some organizations and individuals that consider the B Corp certification as the ultimate goal, we use the B Lab Assessment as a tool to trigger deeper and meaningful conversations.
Not all the organizations we have worked with have reached, during the first time they run the Assessment, the minimum points to apply for the certification as B Corp. However, all of them, as a consequence of pausing to reflect on the results of the assessment, have realized where the areas in which they can make concrete changes and adjustments, and together we’ve made their road map.
That’s why, based on our experiences, we can say that the real transformation of an organization starts when the reflections on the potential contribution to a better future occur among the leadership team and then are extended to employees and collaborators.
Using the B Lab Assessment as a transformation tool is a crucial point that we make very clear from the moment we sit to receive the briefing for a potential project.
The areas that are touched on in the assessment are Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers, allowing the organization to evaluate its internal policies and practices and their external implications for society and the planet. The multiple questions raised in each area are diverse and, in many cases, interconnected between the areas thus it’s necessary to have a global view while running the assessment.
For instance, in the Governance section, the organization answers questions that concern how it is internally managed, the engagement of stakeholders on social and environmental issues, and also about policies and practices regarding ethics.
Similarly, the section on Workers explores how the organization manages the people collaborating in their activities. Not only full-time employees but also part-time and even freelancers. Health, wellness, and safety are included as well as financial retribution, levels of engagement and satisfaction and questions regarding career development.
The section related to the Community is about how sensible is the organization to contribute to a more inclusive and fair society. Topics such as Inclusion, Equity, Diversity, and Civic engagement are present. Also, there are questions regarding the Supply Chain actors in the organization, making the reflection broader.
Measuring the Environmental impact is another section of the assessment. Energy, air contamination, waste management, and water usage are included in the questions.
The final section is about how the organization’s business model impacts its Customers via its services or products. It makes the organization reflect on how ethical is its marketing, how they manage data privacy and security, and how the feedback channels are established. It goes further asking about underserved customers/clients, and those services that can improve the social impact of other businesses or organizations.
As the process is long and detailed, the participation of external actors during the assessment stimulates the debate, liberates the team from some tasks, and provides some guidance.
One point to highlight is that the assessment is offered free of charge by B Lab which makes it possible for more organizations to use it to explore internally and decide if the path toward becoming a Certified B Corp is the one they want to follow.
Allowing organizations to explore freely their potential contribution to creating a better world by accessing the tool free of charge is simply fantastic because it also reduces financial barriers to the initial engagement in such a transformative journey.
Our role as consultants at SELF is to accompany, encourage and guide the process during the assessment, set up the road map, and work closely with the team leading the implementation. The level of our involvement depends on the organization, some want only guidance while others want us to be hands-on during the whole process.
There is enough flexibility from our side to tailor-make the projects according to the needs and urgency of the organization.
Everything starts with our initial call with you. Get in contact with us, write to us to book your first (free) consultation where we will explore the potentialities of working together.
