Socially Responsible Organizational Practices and the Role of HRD

There is growing evidence that the majority of large business organizations regard the promotion of human development as an important component of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. However, CSR programs that are not based on a thorough understanding of how socioeconomic factors shape the conditions for human development and flourishing are not likely to be successful. We apply the human capabilities approach to discuss conditions that are necessary to ensure that CSR and sustainability initiatives will promote human flourishing. We propose a three-level (individual, organizational and societal) model that can be used to inform the development of CSR programs aimed at achieving the goals of human flourishing in the workplace and beyond. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications for HRD.