Leadership and social responsibility

Why is the work of a technology leader socially relevant? Because tech leaders can promote an internal transformation within the company that ends up impacting far beyond it. Private enterprise, in general, has the chance to be an agent of significant change, but technology companies even more so, as they have enormous potential to train people with the skills needed to improve the world we live in. These employees can then go on to train others, even in other companies, multiplying learning, economic development, and cutting-edge knowledge.

If a leader can convey to the teams the idea of a platform mindset, of building reusable platforms and the right tools, and of reducing technical debt and incidents, companies will be able to provide better and cheaper services, which will, in turn, impact customers and generate a virtuous cycle. 

Organizations need to be aware that everything they do reflects positively or negatively on the nearby and not-so-nearby communities in which they operate, as well as society. Thus, social responsibility cannot simply be an obligation to fill a few pages of management and sustainability reports. It must be incorporated into the culture—the common good is as much of a priority as business profit.

This requires active leadership involvement in projects that make a difference, such as investing in hiring policies that look at the company’s social role. 

Considering that the starting salary for a computer professional is higher than for many other careers, it is sometimes equivalent to several times the earnings of any other individual from a poorer community. Training a person, even for an entry-level position in technology, strongly impacts their lives, their families, and beyond. 

Sowing talent for growth

With the increased development of tools and platforms, programming has become easier and more accessible. Imagine how complicated it used to be: you had to manually program using punch cards, which encoded the instructions to be processed by the computers. If there was an error, you had to redo the cards and wait in line for another chance to run your algorithm printed on the new cards. Today, programming languages are high-level, which means they are closer to natural language. Developers don’t require as much understanding of computer architecture and can write code in a variety of languages with the help of extensive libraries. 

The barrier to building computer systems is lower, especially when you work for a company that invests in reusable platforms. It’s not that the ordinary employees will immediately be responsible for creating Bing’s new search algorithm, but they could be the ones to help create a website or a new application, even with a relatively low level of technical knowledge. Paying attention to training from the outset is important, as is looking at people who aren’t even in the technology field but could become developers, thus obtaining better professional opportunities and contributing to the team with more diverse ways of thinking. 

Not everyone will end up working in a big tech company, but some people will be remarkable and have the potential to grow to have brilliant careers. The initial chance is the lever that enables talented individuals to work on gradually more complex projects as they become more able to face them.      

Encouraging people to think of others

Social responsibility requires a global reflection on what you do and how technology can be used more broadly. It’s not enough to think, “I’m doing a good job managing my team and delivering results.” You must go further: Of all the projects your team is working on, are there any that positively impact the community? 

One example was a Microsoft well-structured program for leaders to embrace various causes and encourage employee participation, which was active in the early 2020s. Everyone who joined the company in the first year received a 50-dollar philanthropy credit, which could be allocated to any non-profit of their choice, and Microsoft matched the donation by doubling the amount received by the institution. In addition, every year, Microsoft would match (up to a certain level) the donations of all employees. There was even a friendly yearly competition between teams to see which raised the most money, including events and auctions. 

Microsoft could perfectly well donate a hundred dollars on its own on behalf of an employee, but the idea of giving the person the opportunity to actively think about the issue and press a button to donate was intended to encourage reflection and a culture of social responsibility. 

Paying attention to training from the outset is important, as is looking at people who aren’t even in the technology field but could become developers, thus obtaining better professional opportunities and contributing to the team with more diverse ways of thinking. 

Social responsibility comes from the understanding, on the part of both the leader and the company, that we participate in the life of a region and must establish relationships with it. The focus must be on long-lasting relationships, not solving this or that specific problem for the company.

Innovation in both products and platforms is also a way of lowering the cost of services and passing on the advantage to customers and the community, which can have a positive impact on society as a whole.