Corporate Digital Responsibility

Businesses and politicians recognize their responsibility for a digitized society

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The keyword digitization has now been somewhat tapped. But the subject is far from banal. Data scandals and the fear of “digital capitalism” are unsettling consumers.

Responsibility in the economy

There are calls for an ethical design of the digital transformation – not only by politics, but above all by companies.

Finding ways to digital responsibility

Companies that drive digital progress should take responsibility for its impact. They cushion. It is not just data protection and job losses that we have to think about. But also to the social transformation that goes with the influence of new technologies on everyday life. The discourse around the concept of Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) tries to find ways to meet these demands.

What is Corporate Digital Responsibility?

There is no universal definition of corporate digital responsibility. In fact, the actors around CDR are still in the process of sharpening the concept.

Based on social responsibility

The name derives from the more well-known concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This involves corporate responsibility for topics such as environmental and resource protection, emission reduction or compliance with labour and social standards in global supply chains.

Now comes digital responsibility

CDR, on the other hand, deals with issues raised by advancing digitalization. These include consumer protection, informational self-determination, information security and data protection, the use and application of artificial intelligence (e.g. AI in CRM) and the use of digital technologies (for us CRM software and CRM app) to achieve goals of CSR.

Summarized in Corporate Digital Responsibility.

Ethical views on digitalization

These questions are considered not only from technological, business and economic policy points, but in particular from ethical points of view. Existing values and standards are being rebalanced against the background of digitization. The focus is also on cultural change, not just technological change.

The balance is crucial

In all this, the balance must be struck between different interests. While, on the one hand, regulations are being pushed to protect society, on the other hand, freedom is needed if Germany is to remain competitive on the market.

Discourse is important

The tasks of advancing the debate about responsibilities in the digital transformation and building trust with consumers are one of the first tasks in the discourse on corporate digital responsibility.

Some corporate digital responsibility initiatives in Germany

CDR initiative of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV)

• Launched by the BMJV in May 2015.
• BMJV sought dialogue with companies that lead by example in terms of CDR (Deutsche Telekom, ZEIT, Miele, Otto Group, SAP, Telefinica).
• At the October 2018 meeting, terms of the CDR were sharpened, common guidelines were drafted, concrete fields of action were defined and further measures discussed.
• From spring 2019, additional representatives from business, civil society and academia are to be added.
• The initiative aims to further stimulate the debate and increase its visibility, to create solutions and to provide orientation.
• Voluntary action and the exercise of shared responsibility, as well as the promotion of trust, are at the heart of the agenda.

Confidence building or lobbying

Despite all the good intentions, such mergers for the corporate digital responsibility of large companies must also be critically examined. In some places, they are accused of lobbying and the desire to get ahead of the legal regulations.

Either way, they stimulate the discourse about the responsible use of new technologies and increasing networking. The fact that the questions asked also reach the broad society over time and provoke critical examination of the topic can only be advantageous.

This is how GEDYS IntraWare stands for Corporate Digital Responsibility

As a developer of standard software such as CRM systems and an active co-creator of advancing digitalization, GEDYS IntraWare also sees itself as responsible for a careful handling of digital transformation. When developing our software, we take data security in our applications and a trusting handling of customer data particularly seriously.

Work responsibly with data

It is equally important to us to provide our customers with the appropriate know-how so that they can also handle our technologies responsibly. For example, we regularly offer webinars on various topics related to CRM technologies.

Programming to prevent errors

We also see modern CRM functionalities as ways to recapture some of the problems caused by digitalization. Automations can, for example, help to help handle floods of information and data with care, for example, by relieving the burden on individuals, avoiding errors, and protecting them from overburdening.

Corporate Digital Responsibility concerns us all. But our commitment goes even further.