Published on February 24, 2022
The Tata Group has a rich legacy of giving back to the society it operates in. Many Tata companies run strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Tata Affirmative Action Programme (TAAP) initiatives for the upliftment of the communities they operate in. To make these initiatives more impactful, it is essential to monitor and track their progress and performance through various methodologies. With this objective in mind, Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG) organised a TAAP Learning Mission on Social Impact Analysis and Measurement on February 14-17, 2022 in a virtual format. 82 participants from 25+ group companies and their implementation partners attended this learning mission, to learn best practices on impact measurement and analysis, not only from Tata companies, but also from academic institutions and consulting firms.
The event discussed various processes, tools and techniques used for impact assessment and measurement within and outside Tata companies. It enabled the participants to identify the most suitable model for their organisation to implement and enhance the outcome of CSR and TAAP interventions. It also allowed them to interact and network with subject matter experts and peers to gain knowledge.
The four-day event, hosted by Shreyas Desai, DGM, Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG), saw eminent speakers and dignitaries address the participants from Tata companies, SMEs and Academicians.
DAY 1
S Padmanabhan, Chairman - Governing Council, TBExG, discussed various aspects of social impact and how it is an integral part of any business. Sessions on Day 1 explored best practices followed by different organisations. The first best practice was discussed by Capt. Amitabh, Head Skill Development, CSR, Tata Steel; Debdoot Mohonty, Head - CSR, Tata Steel; and Dr Anuj Bhatnagar, Head - Public Health, Tata Steel Foundation. They talked about the most impactful initiatives of their organisation like MANSI, farm pond development for irrigation water for Agriculture and SABAL initiatives. They further elaborated on the social, economic, human and environmental impact of the programme and their intangible benefits to the communities.
For the second session, Ashwini Deodeshmukh, Head CSR and Sustainability, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. spoke about the Godrej way of contributing to society and its impact measurement techniques. She also discussed how Godrej focuses on the ‘good and green’ ecosystem by ensuring employability.
DAY 2
Jignesh Thakkar, Director, KPMG India, addressed the first session where he shared KPMG’s best practice on, ‘Social Impact Assessment and Measurement Approaches’. He covered various definitions of impact, its importance, various methodologies of social impact evaluation, Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Total Impact where he elaborated on key areas such as economic value, environmental impact, fiscal and socio-economic indicators and global frameworks for impact assessment.
The second session was conducted by Achintya Singh, DGM - CSR, Tata Motors. He spoke about ‘Measuring Impact: through Social Return on Investment Framework’ where he broadly covered impact assessment frameworks, SROI Framework and calculation, understanding several attribution factors, setting up scope, stakeholder mapping, evidencing outcome, financial proxy and its value.
DAY 3
The first session on Day 3 was delivered by R Nanda, Chief of Human Resources and CSR, Tata Chemicals; and Pranit Sarkar, Head - CD, Babrala, Tata Chemicals, where they explained how they have linked their programme framework with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They also shed light on their key projects on community development, the pathway for creating sustainable impact and problem statements, solutions, impact on watershed projects, livelihood projects and green initiatives.
The next session was delivered by Jacob John and Suraj Jacob from Azim Premji University who shared their perspectives on 'Building sustainable, lasting impact through grantmaking and management and an overview of grants’. They also discussed how they manage grants according to the different programme, their first principles, different methods of reviewing various types of grants and tools such as grant-making stage, management stage and evaluation stage.
DAY 4
Day 4 started with a session by Tata Power and the Tata Power Delhi Distribution team where Foram Nagori, Head - CSR; Saurabh Sharma, Group Head - Community Relations, from Tata Power; and Geetanjali Tripathi, Senior Manager, Tata Power-DDL, shared their best practices on social impact analysis and measurement approaches. The Tata Power team covered CSR strategic imperatives, regional development index framework, understanding of social impact tools such as community engagement index, business leaders’ satisfaction and SROI. Ms Tripathi spoke about SIG effectiveness index, NGO scorecard, impact measurement tools and evaluation criteria such as relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
The last session of the event was conducted by Dr Mahesh Thakur, Faculty HR/CSR & Hon. Director CSR Cell, Karve Institute of Social Service, Pune. He covered various social impact analysis and measurement approaches and methodologies, stages of impact analysis, the importance of baseline data/survey, indicators, tools (PRA, FGD, analysis of primary and secondary data, relative stakeholders) and the elements of social audit framework. He concluded the session with a scale-based analysis of awards.
The four days were succinctly summarised by Archana Lawande, Deputy Manager, TBExG. Devraj Chattaraj, GM, TBExG, concluded the event by giving a brief overview of the EDGE portal and its practices.
As the participants reflect back on the learning mission, based on the specific needs identified, TBExG will work with group companies on their social impact analysis journey through detailed best practice sharing and adoption from these sessions.