ASQ survey reveals manufacturers’ social responsibility predictions for 2015

In the recently released ASQ 2015 "Manufacturing Outlook Survey," nearly 1,500 manufacturing professionals from the aerospace, automotive, food, medical device, and utility industries share their predictions for their companies’ participation in social responsibility in the coming year.

As defined in the survey, social responsibility is the responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment through transparent and ethical behavior.

According to the results, 40 percent of manufacturers say their organization fully integrates social responsibility, which is essential to its business strategy, and its pursuit is evident throughout the enterprise. On the contrary, 47 percent say social responsibility is considered only to a limited degree or not considered at all.

Only 3 percent of those who claim their organization is ambivalent to social responsibility plan to develop a social responsibility plan in 2015, with 43 percent citing support from organizational leaders as the greatest hurdle in implementing a social responsibility program. Other hurdles included cost and access to knowledge or resources, at 21 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

Of the 40 percent who say social responsibility is fully integrated in their organization, 31 percent say cost is the greatest hurdle in implementing a social responsibility initiative, with 23 percent citing access to knowledge or resources. Twenty percent said support from employees and leaders is the greatest hurdle.

For those organizations that implement social responsibility throughout the enterprise—of which 57 percent say their organization is doing enough to be socially responsible—improving reputation and brand was named most often as a key driver of the social responsibility program, followed by it being a key value of leadership and customer demand.

ASQ, based in Milwaukee, is a global community of people dedicated to quality.