Author: Natalie Okeson, R&R Partners Foundation

What do the National Park Service and R&R Partners have in common?

August 25, 2016 Natalie Okeson, R&R Partners Foundation Comment

Although it may at times feel otherwise, 2016 is not without its occasions for national unity and celebration. As the National Park Service turns 100 years old, our national treasures and those leaders dedicated to preserving them deserve our awe and admiration.

One such leader, former Congressman Steven Horsford, currently directs R&R Resources+ and manages the Washington, D.C., office of international marketing communications and government affairs firm, R&R Partners. In 2014, Congressman Horsford and other members of Nevada’s congressional delegation worked in a bipartisan manner to pass legislation that would create the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument. “The fact that a literal ice age of artifacts exists just miles from the Las Vegas Strip and can be shared with local residents and millions of tourists alike, made it something I had to get behind to push through Congress,” said Horsford. More than 22,000 acres in size, Tule Springs is revered for its numerous paleontological and archeological sites.

While enthusiasm for the preservation of the fossil beds was expected from a broad range of conservationists and scientists, business leaders also applauded the designation, indicating once more that companies understand that sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are not passing trends.[1] Horsford notes, “From the very beginning of the process, business leaders joined with the conservation community and local elected officials to make the case for why Tule Springs should be designated as a national monument.”

CSR and Diversity
Horsford doesn’t just grasp and provide leadership on issues surrounding CSR and sustainability. As the first African-American elected to Congress from the state of Nevada, he also knows a thing or two about diversity. He oversees R&R’s integrated services efforts in diversity media training and corporate communications, workforce and vendor/supplier engagement, and international affairs for R&R’s nine offices throughout the U.S. and Mexico City. “Moreover, the idea that young people from all over the surrounding communities, including those from diverse backgrounds who may not have the same opportunity to experience something like what Tule Springs offers, also was a major selling point,” he said.

Horsford has a commanding presence at the crossroads of diversity, politics, business and sustainability. This intersection represents today’s business reality and is a place from which we should all be striving to lead—after returning from celebrating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary at Tule Springs, of course.

[1](For a great example of a business that takes both sustainability and the national parks seriously, visit Subaru’s environmental site to learn more about its National Park Zero-landfill Initiative.)

Diversity as a Part of CSR Efforts: Key Takeaways from the Harvard Business Review

August 4, 2016 Natalie Okeson, R&R Partners Foundation Comment

In the July-August 2016 issue of the Harvard Business Review, authors of three articles tackle the topic of diversity in the workplace. Find our Key Takeaways and Top Five Do’s to integrate with or update the diversity pillar of your business’ current Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts.

Key Takeaways

An abundant number of studies have shown that “a diverse workforce measurably improves decision-making, problem-solving, creativity, innovation and flexibility” (Burrell, 2016). Given the large resources dedicated toward diversity programs, organizations seem to be embracing these findings.

However, many companies have been using approaches developed in the 1960s, and are failing to measure whether or not those diversity programs work. Unfortunately, findings by researchers dedicated to measuring the effectiveness of diversity programs indicate certain approaches are not only not working (“[diversity training programs] largely don’t change attitudes, let alone behavior” (Bohnet, 2016), but are working against the very outcomes sought.

For example, mandatory diversity training programs are even associated with backlash, i.e. activation of bias. With the failure of diversity programs to produce desired results, the following should be of no surprise: “Black men have barely gained ground in corporate management since 1985. White women haven’t progressed since 2000. It isn’t that there aren’t enough educated women and minorities out there—both groups have made huge educations gains over the past two generations” (Dobbin, 2016).

In order to address lackluster approaches, companies should seek out diversity programs that researchers have found to be most effective in positively impacting workforce diversity. “Interventions such as targeted college recruitment, mentoring programs, self-managed teams and task forces have boosted diversity in business” (Dobbin, 2016). Designing your organization’s processes to avoid biased decision-making in the first place will also lead to better outcomes. These methods, and other “do’s” below as culled from the HBR authors’ insights, can help your organization make strides toward a diverse workforce.

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Top Five Dos

Collect and study your organization’s diversity-related data. This will allow you to make informed decisions about the areas where you need improvement.
Define success for and measure the impact of your diversity program(s). Rigor in this area should match that of any other.
Ease up on the control tactics on your managers. It’s more effective to engage managers in solving the problem, increase their on-the-job contact with female and minority workers, and promote social accountability—the desire to look fair-minded (Dobbin, 2016).
Re-design your processes to prevent biased choices in the first place, an approach known as choice architecture. For example, use structured interviews where every candidate is given the same question and strike self-evaluations from performance appraisals (which tend to benefit certain demographic groups). Behavioral design can be effective in mitigating bias.
Challenge perceptions of merit. If those making the hiring, promoting and compensation decisions in an organization fail to understand the research tying good fortune to good success, it can have negative implications for underrepresented demographic groups.

References

Bohnet, I. (2016, July-August). Designing a Bias-Free Organization. 63-67. (G. Morse, Interviewer) Harvard Business Review.

Burrell, L. (2016, July-August). We Just Can’t Handle Diversity: A Research Roundup. Harvard Business Review, pp. 71-74.

Dobbin, F. (2016, July-August). Why Diversity Programs Fail And What Works Better. Harvard Business Review, pp. 53-60.

R&R Partners Foundation: 2015 Year in Review

January 14, 2016 Natalie Okeson, R&R Partners Foundation Comment

It’s one thing to have values. It’s another to LIVE them.

Far from the apothegm “Do as we say, not what we do,” R&R Partners is a committed community partner that strives to live its values every day. As an in-demand, internationally recognized marketing communications and government affairs firm, it would be easy to toss about corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an empty business word du jour or something that we plan to eventually address. However, there’s nothing that R&R likes more than to brush past easy and set new standards for ourselves, inspiring others to do likewise.

Call it tenacity. Call it generosity. Call it a sound business strategy. We call it the good fight, and 2015 was another knockout. Here’s a look at our 2015 R&R Partners Foundation efforts.

IN-KIND DONATION OF SERVICES

Regarding the philanthropic pillar of our CSR endeavors, the Foundation continued to aid nonprofit organizations in all nine of our markets. Work completed on behalf of the Animal Foundation to increase pet adoptions received national recognition. Our employees, at all levels, provided in-kind donations of services roughly equal to $950,000. Coupled with direct donations of nearly $150,000, the R&R Partners Foundation is proud to have another year of million-dollar giving.

FLIP THE SCRIPT ANTI-BULLYING INITIATIVE

R&R’s internally driven Flip the Script Anti-Bullying Initiative also falls under the Foundation’s pro bono hours. In 2015, the Foundation completed an in-depth needs assessment process, which included primary research with more than 40 stakeholders across three states representing sectors such as business, corporate philanthropy, nonprofit, K−12, higher education and state government. While multifaceted, the issue of bullying in schools can be addressed to a significant degree by evidence-based programs.

Often, these programs face hurdles ranging from the program’s costs to adult and student buy-in. Given the enormous success in reaching students with the Flip the Script anti-bullying message in previous phases of the initiative, the Foundation knew that its greatest impact would be achieved through increasing student buy in for the evidence-based programs in their schools. We launched our current phase of Flip the Script in three Las Vegas valley middle schools, focusing on helping students drive campaigns of their own creation. In partnership with the Clark County Public Education Foundation’s Operation Respect/Welcoming Schools program and the Clark County School District’s Equity and Diversity Education, the campaigns of the middle school students at Becker, Fremont and Greenspun are well under way with launch dates set for 2016.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Working closely with Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and his team over the course of the 2015 legislative session, R&R Partners’ government and public affairs team tirelessly advocated for a group of bills that have impacted, and will continue to dramatically impact the climate of our schools, increasing the safety of our students while protecting their opportunities for achievement.

ORGANIZATIONAL HAPPENINGS

Never afraid to try something new in order to benefit our employees, the R&R Partners Foundation moved away from the traditional executive director role in favor a new organizational structure that would allow more employees the opportunity to interact with, and make decisions for, the Foundation. This new structure includes a group of co-managers assigned to the Foundation’s three programmatic areas and an empowered employee board. While the co-managers have been active in their roles for months, the employee board recently completed its orientation and held its first meeting in December.

The R&R Partners Foundation’s board of directors also expanded by welcoming SVP for media and measurement and group managing director, Fletcher Whitwell, in the third quarter.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016

Board development will continue into the new year, as the board of directors will be expanding again to include more members from outside of the agency. Chairman Jim King expects to further engage the board in strategic planning activities as well.

With a roster of four new pro bono clients joining those we have supported in the past, the Foundation expects a busy year of contributing to several worthwhile organizations. Perhaps no teams will be busier than those of Flip the Script, as the aforementioned launches and campaign activations will be in full swing beginning in January. All of us are eager to see the results of the Operation Respect/Welcoming Schools evaluations for the middle schools with which we have partnered. Future phases of Flip the Script will also progress in 2016.

As in years past, the R&R Partners Foundation expects a certain amount of the unexpected in 2016. However, with a sincere commitment across our agency to our core values, and with “doing well by doing good” as our core objective, there is never a doubt that we will collectively rise to any task in order to serve our communities.