the community footprint: shared value for business and communities

8/3/2019 The Community Footprint: shared value for business and communities

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The CommunityFootprint

shared value for business

and communities

Thomas Neumark,Emma Norris,Gaia Marcusand Steve Broome

February


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About the RSA

The RSA has been a source o ideas, innovationand civic enterprise or over 250 years. In thelight o new challenges and opportunities orthe human race our purpose is to encourage thedevelopment o a principled, prosperous societyby identiying and releasing human potential.This is reected in the organisations recentcommitment to the pursuit o what it calls 21stcentury enlightenment.

Through lectures, events, pamphlets andcommissions, the RSA provides a ow orich ideas and inspiration or what might berealised in a more enlightened world; essentialto progress but insufcient without action.RSA Projects aim to bridge this gap betweenthinking and action. We put our ideas towork or the common good. By researching,designing and testing new ways o living, wehope to oster a more inventive, resourceuland ulflled society. Through our Fellowshipo 27,000 people the RSA aims to be a sourceo capacity, commitment and innovation incommunities rom the global to the local.Fellows are actively encouraged to engage and

to develop local and issue-based initiatives.


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The Community Footprint: shared value or business and communities

Contents

Foreword 5

Acknowledgements 6

Executive summary 7

Context 9

Method 12

Findings 13

B&Qs Community Footprint 20

Principles 21

Processes 23

Proposals 24

Bibliography 26


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4

Sir Georey Chandler, 19222011

Sir Georey dedicated the later years of his life to encouragingbusiness to engage with wider society. We would like to dedicatethisreport to his memory.

The RSA in

partnership with


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Foreword by Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP

Everyone knows that dynamic busi-nesses underpin a strong economy. Butas this report shows, businesses arealso vital to building a strong society.

Britains shops, pubs and caes are thespaces where society happens; wherepeople come together, meet their neigh-bours and connect with their communi-ties. So i we want to create ourishinglocal communities we need to ocus onthe places including businesses thatlink people together.

The creativity and innovation o busi-nesses can be powerul tools in helpingus to tackle some o the most pressingsocial problems in our country. It cansometimes be tempting, when aced

with a major challenge such as obesity,worklessness or amily breakdown, tosimply reach or new legislation or moreregulation. O course, government has arole to play but we know that govern-ment alone cant solve every problem.Businesses are oten better placed to re-spond to these challenges. Many are welltrusted and liked. They are situated inthe oreront o peoples lives. Put simply

they can reach the parts that governmentcant reach.

So we want to build a genuine re-lationship between government and

business a partnership or the com-mon good. Our Every Business Commitsagenda sets out the deal at the heart othis relationship: government commitsto helping businesses prosper; in return,businesses invest in their local commu-nities, whether thats through creatinglocal jobs, investing in skills, supportingnew businesses, or improving the wellbe-ing o their employees.

This isnt just good or society; itsgood or business. Countless studiesshow the benets to business o investing

in their local communities. It improvesreputation, builds brand loyalty andhelps with sta retention. There is a vir-tuous circle o responsibility and prot,and we need to draw more businessesinto it.

So I am proud o the progress thisgovernment has made in workingwith businesses. Our Public HealthResponsibility Deal has seen leading

players in the ood and drinks industrtaking action on major health challenlike bing drinking and obesity. We haalso worked with leading retailers lik

B&Q on socially-responsible initiativsuch as reward schemes that encouraenergy eciency. We hope this is just start that in the years to come this rtionship between government and gobusiness grows exponentially.

Its in that spirit that I welcome threport rom the RSA. I hope it encoues the businesses that are already playtheir part and inspires others to olltheir lead.


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This project was made possible dueto the generous nancial support andpartnership oB&Q, or which we aregrateul.

We would also like to thank therenowned designer Ben Kelly RDI,who kindly spent time visiting B&Q inSutton to talk to sta and customers andprovide invaluable insight and advice ondesign and other issues.

We would like to thank the mem-bers o sta who commented on dratso this document including MatthewTaylor and Adam Lent rom the RSA,Kelly Metcale rom B&Q and CarolineMcCarthy-Stout rom Kingsher.

Finally, we would also like to thank

the customers and sta o B&Q Suttonwho were willing to give up their timeto make valuable contributions to theresearch which inormed this report.

Acknowledgements


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Businesses can bring people together,promoting social interaction withincommunities. They can also benet romthese communities. Our research ound

that there is a huge amount o socialinteraction in business spaces. In justone B&Q retail store in Sutton, our inten customers we spoke to had had someinteraction with other customers whilethey were in the store. There is hugepotential to develop this and to explorehow retail stores can become commu-nity hubs, or the benet o both thecommunity and business. Currently, thediculties o measuring social interac-tion, competing priorities and disjointedgovernment policies make it hard or

businesses to promote social interaction.In this report we outline a method orboth assessing the community impact oa given business and producing an actionplan with local people to improve theimpact o a business on the surroundingcommunity. We call this impact the com-munity ootprint.

Proessor Michael Porter has arguedthat businesses should ocus on creating

shared value in which they pursueprot making activities which benetthe communities they work with. Hisrationale is that the competitiveness o

businesses is related to the health o tcommunities with which they operatPerhaps the most striking example ostrong communities beneting businees can be ound in the case o the ThItaly. A community with supportivesocial networks and a complex patteo overlapping working relationshipsproved to be the perect breeding groor a cluster o world leading artisanbusinesses. Indeed, Third Italy workesay that the close links between busi-nesses and the wider community allo

them to be innovative and stay aheadcompetitors because o the condencsuch a supportive and close-knit enviment generates (Criscuolo, 22).

Individual businesses can benetgreatly rom working with local communities and creating shared value. Anumber o leading business thinkersand practitioners suggest that creatinshared value with customers is the m

Executive summary

In this report we outline amethod or both assessingthe community impact

o a given business andproducing an action planwith local people to improvethe impact o a business onthe surrounding community.We call this impact thecommunity ootprint.


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important determinant o building trust(Mukherjee and Nath, 23, 2) andconsumers are more likely to buy romand promote companies they trust. Suchaction includes sharing their experi-ences o the company with others bothon and o-line. Generating strongerlinks to the community will also sustainloyalty amongst customers. Seven in ten

consumers say that they would remainloyal to a brand that demonstrates socialvalue even in a recession. Alongsideimproved reputation and communityrelations, becoming a community hubwill also provide more space or inno-vation as businesses are better able todraw on the ideas and understand theneeds o the community. The communitycan become more than an aggregationo customers and instead assume therole o a complex learning system thatinorms everything rom product designto store layout. As Proessor RosabethKanter has argued, values-driven com-panies have a competitive advantage ormany customers, particularly becausethey are better able to innovate and usetheir close relationships with customersto better respond to their needs (Kanter,2).

Despite these benets, many rms canstill eel like they are moving into un-charted territory when they seek to oper-ate in a way that improves the strengtho local communities. The recommenda-tions we make in this report are chal-

lenging or any business. The existingculture o a business, obligations toshareholders and operational concernscan all be barriers to embracing themore community-driven way o work-ing that we outline here. Furthermore,big businesses in particular are otenseen as the enemy o local communi-ties. Organisations like Tescopoly existto highlight the damage big business cando to i it is not developed in harmonywith local interests. However, we believethat big business has the potential to do

good in communities i such businessesare prepared to collaborate and work inthe interests o local areas as well as orprot. We also believe that businesseswill quickly see the benets o becomingcommunity hubs as they consider thisresearch and its implications.

The diculties some businessesexperience in promoting social interac-tion are compounded by government

policy. Traditionally, enterprise policyand community policy have been keptseparate rom each other. This trend hascontinued with the current government.On the one hand the Coalition has an-nounced a range o initiatives to encour-age economic development in certainareas, including Local Enterprise Zones.On the other hand they have unveiled

programmes to support community de-velopment, such as Communities First.We worked with B&Q, the DIY

company, in particular the B&Q storein Sutton, London, to understand how acompany could co-produce a measure oits community ootprint with customersand critical riends. What we ound wasthat even in a single retail store there wasa huge amount o social interaction tak-ing place and the potential or ar more.On the basis o our research we have de-veloped the ollowing recommendations:

For government:These policy strands could be broughttogether in Government supportedSocial Economy Zones. Within theseareas government could support andencourage businesses and communi-ties to jointly assess the communityootprinto major businesses and to co-produce action plans to promote socialinteraction, social value and economicdevelopment. Social Economy Zones(SEZ) would be in areas with lowerthan average levels o social interaction,

where businesses operate close to com-munities and in areas where there is aneed or economic growth. Governmentcould provide support to partnerships obusinesses, customers and communitygroups to co-produce community oot-print action plans. Government couldalso provide support to all stakeholdersin implementing these action plans, orinstance through small pots o unding.

For business:Businesses too could seek to understand

the amount o social interaction thatthey currently support and identiyways in which this can be built upon.Newly ormed Local Enterprise Partner-ships provide a vehicle or businesses ina single area to collaborate to developstrategies or increasing the amountand quality o social interaction theypromote. Businesses that have a seriouscommitment to developing the com-

munities in which they operate shouldjointly assess their community ootprinand develop a plan to improve it, withthe communities themselves. Our workwith B&Q in Sutton provides a templaor this.

For B&Q, our partner onthis project:

Design and create a central in-store community space that encourages interactiobetween customers and sta. This spacshould be community-orientated ratherthan commercially-orientated and canbe used or training and skills events,customer inormation sharing (e.g. onlocal traders) and innovation. Alongsidthis, identiy a member o staf who wibe responsible or leading on communiwork, including having responsibil-ity or running the central communityspace. This sta member should i at alpossible be a local person and their roleshould include building local partner-ships (e.g. with third sector organisa-tions and social landlords) and makingeasier or customers o dierent back-grounds to interact.

In the shorter term, B&Q store stashould rmly commit to a more commnity-driven approach to business. Storemanagers should back the CommunityFootprint initiative and begin to embedit in their everyday practice. This will include devoting space to discussing community work in daily meetings (known

as huddles) and giving permission tostafto spend a certain amount o timeevery week on relevant activities (e.g.participating in training or encouragingcustomers to interact with each other).

In a time o austerity we cannot relyon the public sector to und and delivereorts to develop communities. In a timwhere innovation is more importantthan ever, businesses must look morebroadly or new ideas. Communities anbusinesses co-producing plans to jointlimprove their communities by promotin

social interaction is one way o addressing these two problems.

. See: www.goodcorps.com


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Context

There is an emerging consensus amongst

politicians, policy makers and somebusiness leaders and thinkers that busi-ness has a vital role to play in buildingand sustaining the type o communi-ties in which people want to live. In thispamphlet we suggest these include build-ing on the interaction that takes place inbusiness spaces as a means o promotingwellbeing, resilience and opportunitiesor innovation and growth.

Matthew Taylor, Chie Executiveo the RSA, argued in his 2 annuallecture that businesses can combine a

strategy or competitive success witha commitment to social good (Taylor,2). Similarly, John Denham MP,ormer Shadow Secretary o State orBusiness, Innovation and Skills hascalled or the spread o the goodcompany protable businesses andcorporations which add value both tothe economy and to society (LabourParty, 2). This chimes with the

emphasis that the Prime Minister has

placed on the role o business in helpto build the Big Society. As he said in speech to the Business in the CommuLeadership Summit corporate re-sponsibility is much more than simplbusinesses avoiding doing harm, itsabout contributing to a better society(Cameron, 2).

Business thinkers have been mak-ing these arguments or some time. InCreating Shared Value: RedefningCapitalism and the Role o theCorporation in Society Porter and

Kramer argue that the competitive-ness o a company and the health othe communities around it are mutuadependent. They conclude that the oor business should be on identiyingand utilising the ways in which businadvantage and societal progress overl(Porter, 2).

Businesses can support strongercommunities in a number o ways.

By extending their

community impact,businesses will benet romimproved reputation, trustand loyalty rom customersand the ability to accessnew ideas or products andservices rom the community.Ideally, this would createa positive loop wherebybusinesses promote socialinteraction and this socialinteraction leads to morecreative ideas which thebusiness can implement.


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For example, the RSAs ConnectedCommunities project ound that theSainsburys store in New Cross Gate,London, is one o the ew places in thearea in which relatively isolated peopleinteracted with their better connectedneighbours. It is also one o the ewplaces in which those who are in workinteract with those who are out o work

(Rowson, Broome & Jones, 2). Weknow rom the work o Granovetter andothers that many people nd employ-ment and other opportunities throughweak ties (acquaintances and otherrelatively weak social connections)(Granovetter, 3). This throws newlight onto the role that businesses suchas Sainsburys play in building more con-nected, resilient communities.

B&Q has long prided itsel on operat-ing in a responsible manner. This hasincluded support or national and localcharities, a % reduction in CO2 emis-sions (with the objective o a % reduc-tion by 223) and Job Done, their DIYprogramme or schools. For this reasonB&Q were interested in working with

the RSA to both assess and improve thecommunity impact o their stores andexplore how their stores could becomehubs or their local communities.

This document details the componentparts that make up a business commu-nity ootprint and oers recommenda-tions or how businesses can developgreater shared value with communi-

ties and customers. The examples aretaken rom research that we undertookwith B&Q, especially the B&Q storein Sutton. However, the process that weoutline can be used by any business toassess its community ootprint and todesign and evaluate an action plan andour recommendations are valuable orall businesses interested in pursuing thesocial and business benets that becom-ing a community hub will deliver.

Community FootprintAt a recent speech at the RSA IanCheshire, FRSA and Chie Executive oKingsher,2 explained that each B&Qstore has a community ootprint (RSA,2). This idea has also been cham-

pioned by Business in the Community(Business in the Community, 2).We are used to the idea o individu-als, companies and countries having acarbon ootprint, a way o measuringthe impact that our activities have on thenvironment, especially in relation toclimate change. Cheshires argument isthat, in an analogous sense, each B&Q

store has an impact on the communitiein which it operates.The idea o a carbon ootprint impli

a number o things: that the ootprintcan be assessed with a reasonable degreo accuracy; that a plan o action canbe drawn up to change the ootprint;and that the impact o this plan can bemeasured.

The same is true o the communityootprint o a business. For the idea tohave any power we need to develop away o assessing the current ootprint oa given business as well as the outline oa process or changing the ootprint andassessing the eectiveness o any changes. By ocusing on community ootprintwe naturally ocus on collective issues.


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This document provides any retailbusiness with a set o questions to askitsel to assess its community ootprint,that is, the positive impact a businesshas on the community. It also providesa set o principles and processes thatshould be ollowed in order to developand evaluate an action plan or improv-ing a business community ootprint.

Our work on the community ootprintwith B&Q in Sutton is an initial surveyand taster o the multiple ways in whicha store can strengthen the communityin ways which are also in its business in-terests. It is intended to provoke urtherdiscussion about the potential which ex-ists or ull scale community engagementand strengthening shared value strategiesin retail businesses.

Social NetworksThe RSAs Connected Communitiesproject describes communities throughthe lens o social networks - the relation-ships and connections that give commu-nities their unique qualities (see: Rowsonet al, 2 and Marcus, 2). Ratherthan viewing people as atomised indi-viduals or as members o homogenousgroups, we see people as individualswith a set o relationships. The patternand quality o these relationships canhave emergent eects such as the devel-opment o social norms and can lay theoundations or innovation and collectiveproblem-solving.

Seeing community in this way enablesus to analyse the qualities and patternso relationships among a given numbero people, using social network analy-sis as a way o getting to grips with thecomplex nature o the communities owhich these people are a part.

Viewing community through thelens o social networks is also useul inassessing the community ootprint oa given business. By studying the pat-terns and qualities o relationships wecan start to see how the activities o a

business impact on the community. Forexample, we can see the extent to whichthe business initiates, sustains, diversi-es, utilises, reduces or prohibits rela-tionships and thereore the consequenceso these relationships.

Communities are more than simplyrelationships. We also need to measurethe extent to which the business im-proves the skills and condence o the

community, provides goods and servicesthat serve the needs and aspirations othe community, uses its supply chain andpurchasing power to benet the localcommunity, and aligns its goals with theambitions o the local community.

Our proposition is that by extendingtheir community impact, businesses willbenet rom improved reputation, trust

and loyalty rom customers and the abil-ity to access new ideas or products andservices rom the community. Ideally, thiswould create a positive loop wherebybusinesses promote social interactionand this social interaction leads to morecreative ideas which the business canimplement.

2. Kingsher PLC is the parent company oB&Q


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In order to assess the impact and poten-

tial o the B&Q store in Sutton on thelocal community, we conducted qualita-tive research with a variety o stakehold-ers. This included:

Short, semi-structured interviewswith B&Q customers, askingthem about their local connectionsand their perception o the store.

In-depth interviews with 2 memberso sta based in the store, askingabout their view o the contributionB&Q makes to the local community.

Short interviews with B&Q staworking on community projectsaround the country.

In-depth interviews with memberso sta at the London Borough oSutton, the Scouts, and the VolunteerCentre Sutton.

Further to our qualitative researchwe also conducted a hal day workshop

with RSA Fellows based in Sutton, rep-

resentatives rom the London Borougho Sutton and experts in communitydevelopment to develop and exploreideas or how the B&Q store could makea more positive contribution to the localcommunity.

The renowned designer Ben KellyRDI also spent hal a day exploring theB&Q store and then gave us the beneto his experience in making imaginativeuse o spaces.

Finally, we met with representativesrom Business in the Community and

the Department or Communities andLocal Government to discuss govern-ment policy around business role in thecommunity.

Method


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This section o the report outlines the

key themes businesses need to takeinto account when understanding theircommunity ootprint and how they canbuild on this to become a communityhub and/or develop greater shared valuewith customers and the community. Thedata gathered rom B&Q Sutton is usedto illustrate this method in action and todevelop a community ootprint or thecompany. This ootprint both highlightsthe good work already being undertakenby B&Q and outlines areas o challengewhere more could be achieved.

1. RelationshipsRelationships are the undamentalbuilding block o communities and areincreasingly recognised as a means otackling social challenges around health,skills, regeneration and economic devel-opment (DCLG, 2). Without strongrelationships it is impossible to have astrong community. The way businesses

operate can impact both positively

and negatively on relationships withithe communities in which they oper-ate. Strong relationships will not onlyhave a positive impact on wider sociaoutcomes but encourage increased trbetween customers and businesses anlower transaction costs. Businesses thencourage strong relationships are mlikely to enjoy high levels o consumetrust and loyalty.3 Naturally this is oenormous benet to individual busi-nesses and brands. At a store-level, itwill cement loyalty amongst existing

customers, help stores reach new peoand help sta eel in touch with custoers and the community.

There are three aspects to considerwhen assessing the impact that a business has on relationships within thecommunities in which they operate.These are the extent that the businessitiates new and diverse connections; stains existing connections; and utilise

Findings

Healthy communities aremade up o people witha variety o skills andcapabilities. As well asdiverse, resilient networks,people need a degree oecacy, accomplishment andautonomy i they are to beable to actively participate intheir communities


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the relationship that it has with custom-ers or the good o the community and,in doing so, the business.

a. New and diverse connections

Businesses should ask themselves towhat extent they operate in a way thatmakes it easy and normal or customersand neighbours to make new connec-

tions. For example, how many customersmake new connections through or as aresult o the business?

In the B&Q store in Sutton we ob-served a number o ways in which thebusiness operates so that customers canmake new connections. For example, weound that 42% o customers had someinteraction with other customers in thestore and that 23% o customers askedother customers in the store or DIYadvice.

Customers standing in ront o products

ask each other about brushes or they ask

does this go with this? (Member o

sta at B&Q)

Although positive, there is clearlyroom to encourage more customers tointeract with each other. There are anumber o ways that B&Q could makeit easier to make new connections. Oneis through developing large, multi-usecentral community spaces in storeswhich can act as a meeting and learningenvironment. B&Q could aim to sup-

port a greater amount o social mixingthrough this innovation. These spaceswould normalise customer interaction,thus strengthening community connec-tions, but could also be a space or in-novation where stores can test new ideasand inormally learn about customerpreerences and behaviour. There arealso technology-driven opportunities orsupporting people to make new connec-tions. B&Q is currently examining howan internet platorm could be used tomake it easier or neighbours or other

groups o people to bulk buy seasonalgoods. For example, this could involveproviding materials or Christmas streetparties, encouraging social mixing. Thiswould conrm B&Qs identity as animportant part o the local communityat key seasonal moments. Local storeswould move rom being another retailoutlet to eeling a more signicant parto community occasions. Initiatives such

as MasterCards and EDFs sponsorshipo The Big Lunch has already establishedrecreational events as a means or busi-ness to encourage stronger communityties.4 But B&Q could take this one stepurther, not only oering sponsorshipbut providing the apparatus needed tohost community events, encouragingsavings or communities by making it

easier to make bulk-purchases and evenproviding planning-areas in new in-storecentral community spaces.

Initiating diverse as well as newconnections is an important role orany institution that is looking to buildstronger communities. We ound thatmany members o sta at the B&Q storeare asked to recommend local traders.The sta are by and large nervous aboutgiving recommendations. They are con-cerned that a trader might do a bad jobor charge too much and that this wouldhave negative repercussions or B&Qand them personally.

You could get in big trouble i you

recommend someone and it doesnt work

out. They might come back and kill you

or something. I someone is certied

Ill say hes a good bloke, but I wouldnt

recommend them. (Member o sta at

B&Q)

Whilst it is understandable that staare nervous about recommending localtraders, an opportunity is being missed

here. Encouraging the use o localbusinesses is an important element ocreating shared value with the broad-er community and supporting localeconomic development (Porter, 2).There are ways in which B&Q couldmake it easier and normal or customersto make a connection with handymenand other local traders. For example,Kingsher supports www.jobsorted.com, a website that allows customers toreview and recommend traders to eachother. A similar approach could be used

in the store by having a noticeboard ordirectory which customers can use toselect, review and recommend traders.By encouraging knowledge-sharing inthis way, B&Q both supports local busi-ness and provides a valuable communityservice which could have the added eecto making people more likely to use thestore. Local stores could take this initia-tive themselves, creating noticeboards

in the ront o stores beore the longer-term goal o a community space isimplemented.

By and large the customers in theB&Q store in Sutton have high levels osocial capital. They tend to have lived inthe area or longer than average, 4%are homeowners compared to a nationaaverage o .% (ONS, 2) and they

are more likely to volunteer than aver-age. One member o sta described thelocation o the Sutton store as an up-market borough.

But this general picture masks someinteresting diversity. For example, whenpeople start their tenancy in SuttonHousing Partnership (the Arms LengthManagement Organisation that man-ages the London Borough o Suttonshousing stock) they are normally givenvouchers to spend at B&Q. This meansthat, in addition to having customers thahave higher than average social capital,the store also has a number o customerwho are likely to have lower than averagsocial capital. As has been highlightedby the Homes and Communities Agency(HCA, 2) there are ew circumstanceor spaces in which people with high so-cial capital and people with lower socialcapital could or would make contactwith each other. This is an opportunitythat B&Q needs to harness; more needsto be done to make it easy and normalor these customers to speak with eachother and interact. For example, B&Q

sta, who are oten highly experiencedand well respected by customers, couldtake on the role o network weavers, aterm coined by June Holley to describepeople who are adept at bringing togethdiverse people and organisations (Holley2). In particular this could be the rolo a dedicated member o sta with re-sponsibility or community developmenProviding a central community space thais designed and dedicated to promoteinteraction would also be benecial hereAgain, this has added benet to B&Q

itsel. I customers eel that a particularstore is a place that they will meet peoplthey know or is a place where they meetpeople that are useul to them, then theywill eel more positively towards the storand be more likely to drop in.

b. Sustain existing connections

Human connections are ragile. Someendure while others last or only a brie


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period o time. The reasons or this aremany and varied. However, institutionsthat seek to build stronger communi-ties should ensure that they are doingas much as possible to make it easy toboth sustain existing and develop newconnections.5 For instance, Mario Smalloutlines how childcare centres in NewYork were able to signicantly expand

the social networks o mothers byshiting pick-up and drop-o times toencourage interaction between parents(Small, 2).

The ca in B&Q Sutton is a good ex-ample o the type o initiative that helpsto sustain existing relationships. Weobserved a number o customers sittingdown in the ca with others to enjoy acup o tea and to gossip or catch up witheach other. Having a space such as thismakes it straightorward or people thatknow each other to come together andto engage in the types o activity thathelp to sustain relationships. Providinga central community space in stores alsomakes it more likely that new connec-tions will be sustained.

To expand work in this area, B&Qcould explore ways o strengthening tiesbetween customers by using the centralcommunity space, or in the mean-timein-store cas, to encourage customersto share their DIY ideas with each otherat lunch or tea clubs or regulars. Thiswill help local stores eel like communityspaces as well as retail spaces.

c. Utilising existing relationships

Surveys show the B&Q brand has strongpositive associations, ar higher thanother DIY stores (YouGov, 2). Therelationship that customers have withB&Q is also an asset that can be usedor the benet o the communities inwhich B&Q stores operate. To demon-strate the relationship customers have

with B&Q we asked customers whatour words they would use to describeB&Q. Words such as convenient, help-ul, variety, good, riendly and value ormoney all stand out.

B&Q is able to use this positivebrand association or the benet o thecommunity. For example, B&Q has orseveral years been a champion o theOne Planet initiative, a global initiativedeveloped by BioRegional and WWFto promote sustainable development.B&Q Sutton not only stock a number oOne Planet products6 but they also oeradvice to customers on more sustainableliestyles. It is possible that this advice ismore readily received by B&Q custom-ers, as a result o the positive associa-tion they have with the brand, than ithe same advice was coming rom, orexample, the Local Authority. There iscertainly business value in using existingstrong relationships with customers topromote socially and environmentally-riendly activity and behaviour. As theCarbon Trust (25) and Futerra (2)have reported, climate change mitigation

and pro-environmental behaviour arecompetitive issues or companies suchB&Q that have a strong brand value.

B&Q could do more to utilise ex-isting relationships or the benet ocustomers and the community. For example, as has already been shown, B&customers are likely to have higher thaverage social capital. However, custo

ers did not score well on one particulmeasure, so-called linking social captal. When asked whether they agree odisagree that they can inuence decisaecting their local area 52% said ththey strongly disagreed, compared toSutton average o 3%. Those who sthat they strongly disagreed that theycould inuence decisions aecting thlocal area reported that they spent mmoney in B&Q, than those who saidthat they could inuence decisions. Tsuggests that a number o people wheel alienated rom public sector bod-ies such as Local Authorities, but havstrong positive eelings towards theirneighbourhoods also have positive eings towards B&Q.

I a B&Q store wanted to utilise tpositive relationship that it has withthese customers it could set up a B&community seed-corn und. The RSAhas run a similar und called Catalysa number o years. This und is open Fellows o the RSA7 to bid or small po unding (up to 2,) to assist wicommunity projects. As well as being

Figure 1: Wordle o most common customer responses to question What our words woulyou use to describe B&Q?


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open to Fellows, it is Fellows who decidewhich projects are unded and everyeort is made to ensure that everyonewho applies to the und is linked in withother Fellows that may have an interestin the area. We have also worked withthe London Borough o Camden to helpthem develop a new Innovation Fund,along similar lines, that will support

local voluntary groups to develop moreinnovative solutions to social problems.8

Similar principles could be applied toa B&Q seed-corn und. This could be asmall-sparks und that is only open toloyal B&Q customers. They would pro-pose projects to improve their local area(or example, reurbishing o commu-nity buildings or improvements to parksor green spaces) and apply or supportwith unding, materials and training.The successul applications could bedetermined by other loyal customers in

partnership with store management andevery eort would be made to link theseprojects in with other customers thatmight be interested in assisting. Thisund could be overseen by a member osta whose remit it is to manage com-munity activities and the central com-munity space (both recommendations othis report). Alternatively, B&Q couldexplore making this unding available via

a partnership with a local communityor charitable organisation who wouldbe responsible or the management ounds, with a sta member o the B&Qstore sitting on an awarding commit-tee. In this way B&Q would not onlybe utilising the relationships that it haswith its customers but it would also beostering new connections and encour-

aging positive community activity andregeneration.

2. SkillsHealthy communities are made up opeople with a variety o skills and capa-bilities (JRF, 2). As well as diverse, re-silient networks, people need a degree oecacy, accomplishment and autonomyi they are to be able to actively partici-pate in their communities (Dellot, 2).Skills are particularly important in thecontext o increasing community resil-

ience, inclusion and wellbeing. A rangeo research studies have ound that oneo the major drivers or people ailing toparticipate in their communities is a lacko condence that stems rom a sel-perceived lack o skills (NCVO, 25;TSA, 2; Demos, 2; Norris, 2).And as leading examples o communityregeneration such as Balsall Heath haveshown, having skilled and condent

individuals in deprived areas is a cruciaelement o helping communities tomake changes and become more resilien(Demos, 2). To become a communithub, stores such as B&Q must play anactive role in supporting local people togain skills and condence.

B&Q already prides itsel on its worto build the skills and condence o its

customers. There are clear commercialreasons or it to do so. Ater all, the better B&Q customers are at DIY the morthey are likely to spend in B&Q stores.In order to assess B&Qs work withregard to skills, we need to look at theextent to which it provides opportunitieor customers to improve their skills ancondence; empowers and supports itssta to assess, advise and supervise customers; provides space or customers tolearn rom each other; and works with number o partners to improve the skil

and condence o a range o people.

a. Provides opportunities or

customers to improve their skills

B&Q already provide a range o op-portunities or customers to improvetheir skills including demos, kids classeonline materials including videos andmanuals, the Job Done initiative and instore DIY advice or customers. Taking


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You Can Do Itas an example, partici-pants in classes are taught by B&Q stahow to perorm DIY tasks such as patchplastering and tiling walls. Accordingto the customers that took part in ourresearch, You Can Do Itparticipantsnot only gain in condence, they alsoeel more in control and make new localconnections with other participants.

In order to build on this work, B&Qshould build on these existing initiativesand explore other ways or customers toimprove their skills. You Can Do It isa relatively new venture or B&Q and iscurrently available in 5 o 35+ stores.Given the success o the scheme to date,growing it up in other stores should be apriority.

The creation o new central space inB&Q stores that is devoted to innova-tion and interaction could be a ocalpoint o skills-sharing and development.In this space, customers could suggestsskills they would like to see demon-strated, try things themselves or evenoer to share their own skills with othercustomers. In particular, this space couldbuild on the idea o teaching design asa generic skill to customers and sta.This would extend beyond design o thehome, to include the principles o designthat allow people to approach problemsor challenges in new ways and gener-ate innovative and resourceul solutions.The practice o teaching generic de-sign skills and principles as a means o

encouraging resourceul and innovativethinking has already been successullypiloted in other elds by the RSA includ-ing amongst people with spinal cordinjuries.9

Teaching these skills would have ben-ets or participating customers, as re-search has shown that design skills makepeople more resourceul and sel-reliant(Campbell, 2). But there will also bebenets or B&Q: people will attend thestore to learn skills and be more likely topurchase materials relevant or the skills

they have learnt. Design training mightalso encourage customers and sta toseed new ideas or product design asthey start to approach household chal-lenges in dierent ways. For local stores,running design training and askingcustomers to share their ideas and needswith regard to product design will alsohelp store managers order stock accord-ing to what local people want. And as

has been previously outlined, providingspaces or community-relevant activi-ties will also increase trust and loyaltyamongst customers and the wider com-munity which will benet B&Q as abrand and the standing o local stores intheir respective communities.10

b. Empowers and supports sta

to build customers skills and

confdence

Sta that work directly with customersare a key resource or building custom-ers skills and condence. B&Q staare oten highly experienced and mostmembers o sta that we interviewedenjoyed working directly with custom-ers. Many members o sta explained tous that they oten built up relationshipswith customers who are initially nerv-ous around DIY. The more support thatsta are able to oer customers the morecondent they become.

As well as providing specic trainingevents and initiatives such as You CanDo It and Job Done, B&Q should ndinnovative ways to support and valuethe eorts o sta who build the skillsand condence o customers. As onemember o sta explained custom-ers ask or me specically because Ibuild up a rapport understand theirneeds. These sta members are crucialor building condence amongst custom-ers that will be o benet to the widercommunity and improve the reputation

o the store. B&Q should ocus on wayso spreading these skills and behaviouramongst all o its sta members. Thiscould be achieved by providing statraining (eventually in the proposedcentral community space) again empha-sising the innovative and shared valueapproach that is at the heart o the busi-ness. In the shorter-term, store managerscould organize sta training sessions totake place in sta space or in the storeoutside o business hours.

c. Works with partners to improve theskills and confdence o a range o

people

As well as building the skills and con-dence o customers, business shouldwork with partners to reach a popula-tion beyond its immediate customerbase. This will ensure that B&Q has apositive impact on a wider cross-sectiono the local community. But extending

relationships beyond immediate custers will also have positive implicationor B&Q, improving its reputation incommunity at large and raising awareness o its brand. B&Q has alreadypursued some initiatives in this vein. example, B&Q has a longstanding retionship with the Scout Association. well as sponsoring the Cub DIY badg

B&Q also run training events or Cuin which basic DIY skills are taught bB&Q sta.

B&Q Sutton has adopted a lo-cal charity, the Sutton Centre or theVoluntary Sector. Through this partnship they are training a number o yopeople in the area in basic DIY skillsThis will enable them to reurbish thlocal volunteer centre. The B&Q storGateshead has or several years provitraining courses to people who are justarting their new tenancy with a soclandlord.

Through these partnerships B&Q able to improve the skills and condeo a broader range o people, who alare more likely to spend money in B&as a result. B&Q is also demonstrat-ing its commitment to shared value awider social and community activitywhich according to our research han impact on consumer behaviour. Othe customers that participated in ouresearch, the average spend or thosewho think B&Q contributes to commnity is , whereas the average spe

or those who think that B&Q does ncontribute to the community is 5.

One way o urther developing comunity partnerships would be to makthem more reciprocal. For example thSutton Centre has lots o ideas andexperience on how to run communityprojects. They could be brought in asvisors on how to adapt, or example,You Can Do It classes or how to run in-store central community space. Thwould provide B&Q with a ready-maand powerul way o improving the p

jects they run.

3. Supply chain and the loceconomyA business supply chain is one o theprinciple ways in which its operationimpacts on the surrounding communEnsuring that a supply chain has a potive community, social and environmetal impact is a key element o creatin


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shared value (Porter, 2). In relationto supporting stronger, more resilientlocal communities, businesses need toask themselves how they are using theirpurchasing power to support local trad-ers, create local jobs and support localindustry.

a. Does the store support local

industry?

A dynamic local economy is a prerequi-site or a strong and healthy community(ne, 2) but with unemploymentcurrently at a seventeen-year high (ONS,2) communities are suering. Along-side nancial hardship and even poverty,unemployment has other adverse eectson communities. In previous research weound that unemployed people are armore likely to be isolated and not eelpart o their communities (Marcus et al,2). This also has adverse eects orB&Q. Our research ound that peoplewho do not eel part o their communityspend an average o 4 whereas thosewho strongly eel that they belong havean average spend o ,3. The needor businesses to use their supply-chainleverage to support and generate localeconomic growth is thereore more nec-essary than ever both or economic andcommunity wellbeing.

The principle way in which B&Q cur-rently supports local business is throughthe TradePoint initiative. Local trad-ers are able to become ree members o

TradePoint and gain access to discountsas well as extended store opening hours.Whilst this is commendable, more couldbe done. For instance B&Q could gourther and link traders with accreditedapprentices who have trained in store.B&Q could also play a more active rolein advertising local traders to customers,perhaps via a real or virtual communitynoticeboard or recommendation systemthat is accessed in-store (this could belocated in central store communityspace or at the ront o the store in the

shorter-term).B&Q also supports local community

organisations through its waste dona-tion scheme. Through this scheme B&Qdonates unsaleable products and wastematerials or re-use or the benet othe local community and the environ-ment. Items which are typically donatedinclude damaged tins o paint, cut-oso timber, odd rolls o wallpaper and

end-o-range materials. In the guid-ance or the waste donation scheme itis specied that donations made shouldbe o benet to the local communityand to the environment. Resale o thedonations is prohibited. The scheme iscurrently organised through an applica-tion system usually managed by in-storeenvironmental champions or Warehouse

managers, and applications are encour-aged rom community groups, schoolsand charities. In order to measure theimpact and range o the scheme, B&Qstores that operate the waste donationinitiative should support central B&Qoces in tracking donations. This willallow B&Q to report on the impact ithas had through the scheme and developmore permanent relationships with regu-lar applicant organisations.

As well as supporting local tradersand providing local employment, busi-nesses can support the communities inwhich they operate by supporting clus-ters o industry (Porter, ). By clus-ters o industry, we mean small pocketso similar businesses that operate in alocal place. For B&Q, this might meanidentiying the places in a communitywhere home and trade-related businessesare housed and attempting to supportthem. This does not mean automaticallychoosing local suppliers over all others.Rather, it means being aware o any lo-cal clusters o industry and supportingthe growth o these clusters through the

power o the business supply chain. Formany rms, the presence o related andsupporting industries is o critical im-portance to the growth o that particu-lar industry. For example, Silicon Glenin the UK is a techno-cluster o high-technology industries which includesindividual computer sotware rms. InGermany, a similar cluster exists aroundchemicals, synthetic dyes, textiles andtextile machinery. B&Q could attempt tosupport clusters o DIY, home and trade-related businesses in communities in

which it operates. There is little evidencethat B&Q was doing this in Sutton. Thisis something that should be addressedin Sutton and in other store locations.Local stores should earmark time inmanagement meetings to think aboutthe connections they currently have toother local businesses, and discuss theirideas or deepening these relationships.This will benet local stores; by building

stronger connections to neighboringbusinesses, B&Q is more likely to be thsubject o their recommendations.

We asked customers how B&Qbenets the local community. The mostcommon response was jobs. We arenot advocating a orm o protectionismHowever, clearly a business will benetthe communities in which it operates i

it is able to provide rewarding jobs to thlocal population. B&Q should strive todirectly support local employment wheever and whenever possible.

4. ServicesWhen assessing the community oot-print o a given business we need to looat the extent to which the goods andservices that are provided are benecialto the community. Are they high qualityproducts and services? Are they relatedto local needs and aspirations?

a. Do these products and services

relate to local needs and aspirations

In order to measure a business com-munity ootprint we need to understanthe extent that the products and servicerelate to local needs and aspirations, aswell as assessing the quality and valueo these products and services. Thecommunity around Sutton is somewhatvaried. Using the MOSAIC system obreaking populations down in to groupwe ound that amongst B&Q Suttoncustomers there are a large number o

people in the three groups symbolso success (.5%), suburban com-ort; (22.2%) and urban intelligence(4.%).11 O these three groups itwould be air to say that B&Q predomnantly appeals to the suburban comorgroup, people that MOSAIC describe athose who have successully establishedthemselves and their amilies in comorable homes in mature suburbs. B&Qcould do more to relate to the needs anaspirations o the urban intelligencewho are mostly young and well educat

ed people who are open to new ideas aninuences and who are eager consum-ers o the media and with a sophisti-cated understanding o brand values,they like to be treated as individuals, anvalue authenticity over veneer.

Whilst Sutton is on the whole anafuent borough and ranks very lowin terms o overall social deprivationcompared to other London boroughs (i


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is ranked 3th out o 33 where is themost deprived in the Index o MultipleDeprivation) it could do more to reachand meet the needs o more deprivedresidents (IMD, 2). Despite thestrength o the IMD scores across Suttonas a whole, these statistics conceal localconcentrations o disadvantage. Threewards, including one (St Helier) that

sits only a mile rom the B&Q store areidentied as deprived with IMD scoreso 5 or more (IMD, 2). Accordingto our research, B&Q Suttons currentcustomer base does not include a highproportion o these local residents.More should be done to understand theneeds B&Q might be able to supportin-store in terms o products and train-ing and skills initiatives and establishingmore partnerships with social landlordssimilar to the existing partnership withthe Sutton Housing Partnership.

One specic initiative that B&Qwould be particularly well-placed to leadon would be around providing repairworkshops or incorporating repair intoexisting You Can Do Itclasses. Thiswould involve providing skills work-shops on how to repair household items.Currently, the idea o repair is oten as-sociated with poverty (i.e. being unableto aord new items). B&Q could aimto rehabilitate the concept o repair,presenting workshops as a means odeveloping new skills and meeting newpeople. And the money customers would

save as a result o understanding howto undertake repairs whilst not theprimary aim o the workshops wouldnonetheless be o benet to disadvan-taged people in the local community.This would also be o benet to B&Qsreputation, promoting trust amongstcustomers who might respond well tothe idea that B&Q is not always aboutselling something new but also aboutvaluing and repairing high-quality goodswhich are already owned.

5. Good NeighbourBusinesses can have enormous powerin inuencing decisions aecting thecommunities in which they operate.The extent to which a business uses thispower to build stronger communities is avital component o their overall com-munity ootprint. Good neighbours will,or instance, share interests and valueswith the local community, collaborate

with customers and residents, build trustlocally and be reliable and support localplaces in times o emergency. Exampleso how B&Q could develop its reputa-tion as a good neighbour are includedthroughout this report. As well as beinga good neighbour, businesses shouldensure that they are not bad neighbours.Bad neighbours might, or example, ail

to promote local supply chains and jobs,dispose o unwanted products in an ir-responsible manner or ignore anti-socialbehaviour that takes place on businessgrounds.

a. Goals are aligned to local

ambitions and values

Businesses need to assess whether theirgoals are aligned to local ambitions andvalues. B&Q has invested greatly in pro-moting sustainable liestyles. They havedone so in partnership with, amongstothers, the London Borough o Sutton.A senior ocer at the London Borougho Sutton explained that B&Q is care-ul to ensure that its business goals arealigned with those o the local authority.The Borough has always ound themto be an excellent partner, or exampleworking closely together on a projectaround promoting and installing lotinsulation.

In a time o greatly reduced unds orpublic agencies such as local authorities,there is clearly more that B&Q can doto align its business activities with local

strategic goals. For example, the LondonBorough o Sutton aims to make thearea saer, airer and greener. B&Qalready supports some o these objec-tives, e.g. through Home Planet prod-ucts. But it could go urther, or instanceby helping to co-ordinate a car pool orcustomers or building closer links withdisadvantaged areas o the community.

b. Amplifes customers ambitions or

their neighbourhood?

Businesses have the potential to be able

to act as champions or the ambitions othe communities in which they operate.B&Q has a relationship with a number ocustomers who do not eel able to inu-ence decisions that aect their local area.B&Q could do more to ampliy the ambi-tions that these customers have or theirneighbourhood. For example, i there areconcerns about joy-riding in the car parko a B&Q store, the management could

and should actively engage with localpublic services to address these concerin partnership with customers.

B&Q could also support local amtions or a greener borough by en-couraging the use o more sustainabltransport and appealing to its customers better selves. LB Sutton has oneo the highest car ownership rates in

London: at the time o the 2 Censthere were ,3 cars owned in theborough, 24.2% o households had tcars and 4.% o households had thrcars (ONS, 22). B&Q Sutton couldsupport the ambition to become greeby reducing the number o car-parkinspaces outside the store and replacingthem with bike racks (or smaller itemand advertising local bus timetablesin-store. B&Q could also arrange oradvertise a car pool through its centrcommunity space, which would be paticularly advantageous or older peopwho do not drive but want to transpobulkier items to their homes. This wohave the added value o encouraging teraction between older people withotheir own transport and other local pple, possibly o a dierent generation

3. See: www.goodcorps.com

4. See: www.thebiglunch.com

5. See Small, M. (2) UnanticipGains Oxord: OUP on the impact institutican have on initiating and maintaining soci

relationships

. See: www.diy.com/oneplanetho

. See: http://www.thersa.org/__ dassets/pd_le/3/444/RSA-Catalyst-Brochure.pd or details

. See: http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/community-and-living/voluntary-organisations-and-unding/volutary-and-community-sector-review-2/vuntary-and-community-sector-vcs-investmand-support-programme-22-25.en?pa

. See: http://www.thersa.org/__daassets/pd_le/2/22/RSA-Design-Rehabilitation-seminar-transcript.pd

. See: www.goodcorps.com. Mosaic UK is Experians system

classication o UK households. It is one o anumber o commercially available geodemographic segmentation systems, applying the ciples o geodemography to consumer houseand individual data collated rom a number governmental and commercial sources. Therent version, Mosaic UK 2, classies the population into 5 main socio-economic groand, within this, dierent types.


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B&Qs Community Footprint

Domain Strengths Weaknesses Way forward

Relationships Provides an atmosphere in which it is easyand normal for people to initiate and sustainconnections e.g. through the caf. 42% ofcustomers to B&Q Sutton say they interact inthe store.

Provides a space in which diverse groupsinteract, for instance by attracting customersfrom low-income backgrounds throughpartnership with Sutton Housing Partnershipand encouraging the use of traders throughjobsorted.com and Trade Point.

Uses strong, positive brand association withexisting customers to promote good causes,e.g. by championing Bioregional and WWF OnePlanet Home Initiative through products andin-store sustainable lifestyle advice.

More could be done to foster and sustain diverseconnections and to utilize the relationshipthat B&Q has with its customers for the goodof the community. Staff members reportedbeing nervous about recommending traders tocustomers and connections between customershappen more by chance than by design.

B&Q Sutton customers have relatively highlevels of social capital but relatively low levelsof belief in their ability to affect change in thecommunity. B&Q should do more to realise thesecustomers abilities for the benet of the localcommunity. .

1. Creation of a new, central and community-focused space in stores that promotesinteraction between customers and staff andallows innovation to happen.

2. Creation of an internet platform that allowscommunities/ groups of citizens to purchase bulkseasonal/ festive goods at competitive pricesfor community-building events such as streetparties.

3. Dedicated staff member whose role is tosupport customers from diverse backgroundsto interact with each other. This communitystaff member could also manage the centralcommunity space in stores.

4. Small sparks start-up fund B&Q Catalyst for customers to apply to for community projectfunding.

Skills Provides a number of opportunities forcustomers to improve their skills and condence,for instance through the You Can Do It classeswhich teach DIY skills.

B&Qs agship Job Done schools programmespreads skills to young people. 42% ofsecondary are currently registered to participate

in this programme.

B&Q also works with partners including theScouts Association and voluntary organisationsto reach a range of people and spread skillsbeyond direct customers. For instance, with theScouts Association B&Q provides the Cubs DIYbadge.

More could be done to value the role thatfrontline staff play in building the skills andcondence of customers.

B&Q should also seek to extend the work italready does on developing DIY skills amongstcustomers nding new and innovative ways todevelop and share other (non-DIY) skills which

are relevant and useful to local communities.

1. Use central community space to share skillsbetween customers and staff and providedemonstrations. This could include providinggeneric design skills and principles training tocustomers and staff.

2. Provide training for frontline staff (possiblyin central community space) on how to build

the condence and skills of customers in non-intrusive ways.

3. Develop more reciprocalexternalpartnerships. For instance, invite third sectorpartners to provide B&Q staff or customers within-store training on the basics of starting andrunning community projects.

Supply chainand localeconomy

Provides support for local traders through theTradepoint system which allows traders toaccess longer opening hours and discounts.

Supports local charities, community groups andschools through the waste donation scheme.

Provides jobs for the local population.

B&Q should nd more ways to use their localleverage to promote the work of reputabletraders.

Signicantly more could be done to ensurethat the supply chain supports local industrialclusters.

1. Institute an online and/or physical communitynoticeboard/ recommendation system whichcustomers use to share information andrecommendations about local traders. This couldbe located in the central community space butcould be located in the front of the store in theshort-term.

2. Ensure the B&Q supply chain is used tosupport local clusters of industry.

3. Provide local jobs where possible.

Services Customers nd B&Qs products to be high qualityand good value, and the stores convenient.

B&Qs products and services relate well to itsmost regular customers.

B&Q could do more to ensure its products andservices appeal to a wider range of potentialcustomers e.g. young people.

It could also reach out to other segments ofthe population who live nearby, particularlylow-income people who live in the deprived StHelier ward only one mile from the Sutton outlet.Ensuring goods and services are availableand appropriate for their needs is an importantelement of becoming a hub for the localcommunity.

1. Undertake research to understand what thewider population, particularly groups who do notcurrently use B&Q would like from the store. Thiscould involve providing skills and training eventsthat are particularly relevant to young people/ StHelier residents in the central community spaceand encouraging interaction between peoplewho would not normally meet.

2. Building on the relationship with SuttonHousing Partnership, reach out to other groupsand organisations that work with a diverserange of local people/ communities to developreciprocal partnerships.

3. B&Q could also aim to rehabilitate the conceptof repair providing repair workshops aimed atteaching new skills and saving money.

Goodneighbour

B&Q works closely with the local authorityto ensure that it is aligned with localstrategic objectives. For instance, its workon sustainability is closely aligned with localambition and includes working with the councilon a project around installing loft insulation.

B&Q could use its local inuence to addressmore local concerns and support strategic goals(e.g. making Sutton safer and fairer).

It could also amplify the ambitions of customersfor their neighbourhoods by appealing to localpeoples better selves.

1. Develop closer alignment with local strategicgoals e.g. working with services to discourageanti-social behaviour (e.g. in B&Q car-parks) aspart of the goal to make Sutton safer.

2. Promote greener transport options amongstlocal people by cutting the number of car parkspaces available, advertising bus timetables inprominent spaces in stores, making cycle spacesaccessible and plentiful outside stores andcreating a car-pool which promotes interactionand allows people without their own transport tomove bulkier items.


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Using these ve domains (relationships,

skills, supply chain, services and beinga good neighbour) a business can co-produce (with customers and criticalriends) an assessment o its currentcommunity ootprint and on this basiscan draw up a plan o action. The tableprovides a roadmap or how the B&QSutton store could begin to improve itscommunity ootprint, both by buildingon existing good practice and startingnew initiatives.

When devising ways to improve itscommunity ootprint business should

bear in mind three principles; the impor-tance o promoting inormal connec-tions; the need to bring dierent groupstogether; and the power o interventionsthat can spread.

1. Promoting inormalconnections and actionswherever possibleRelationships are the oundation o

communities. Businesses can support

ormal institutions such as charities,community groups or public bodies.However, they can have greater impaon the strength o the communities inwhich they operate i they ocus on intiating and sustaining inormal conntions between people.

2. Bring people togetherwho might not otherwise bbrought togetherIn healthy, resilient communities peophave a variety o connections as well

as a number o connections. People adrawn to make connections with oththat are similar to them (the principlhomophily) (Rowson et al, 2). Tcan lead to negative consequences suas suspicion o other groups and canmean that inormation and opportunties are not made available to all.

Institutions such as businesses havimportant role to play in providing th

Principles

Businesses are in a powerulposition to inuence ourbehaviour. Wherever possiblebusinesses should ensure thattheir interventions to changepeoples behaviour holdout the possibility o thisbehaviour spreading.


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22

space and opportunity or people rom

dierent backgrounds to come together.This could include people rom dierentages, classes or religions. B&Q and busi-nesses like it are particularly well-placedto do this because they trade in com-mon languages such as DIY which cutacross socio-economic divides.

3. Seeking to promotepositive behaviour in a waythat can spread to riendsand amilyBehaviour can spread through social

networks (Rowson et al, 2). Peoplemimic the behaviour o those aroundthem. Businesses are adept and experi-enced at inuencing peoples behaviour.For example, B&Q uses a range o

techniques to persuade people to do DIY

rom celebrity endorsements (such asKirsty Allsop), vouchers, adverts and thelayout o the store. This clearly has aneect on people. Nearly hal o custom-ers told us that they elt that simply be-ing in the B&Q store encouraged themto do more DIY.

Businesses are in a powerul positionto inuence our behaviour. Whereverpossible businesses should ensure thattheir interventions to change peoplesbehaviour hold out the possibility othis behaviour spreading. For example,

B&Qs You Can Do It Classes should bedelivered so that they build the con-dence and skills o not only the partici-pants but also, or example, the peoplethey live with.

Next steps or local stores

This report draws together research and recommendations thatare applicable to government, businesses, senior managers andlocal stores. For stores that want a head-start, this box outlines theve steps store managers and sta could take in the short-term tostart improving their community ootprint . By taking some o thesesteps the benets to local stores could include better relationshipsand reputation within the local community; an expanding and more

diverse customer base; products that refect local customer needs;sta members eeling their work is relevant to the community aswell as to the business; and stronger, more reciprocal relationshipswith other local businesses that increase the number o times yourB&Q store is recommended to local people.

1. Read through this document, sign-up to the Community Foot-print initiative, and advertise your participation.

2. Give community work a regular slot in sta meetings/ huddles.Use this time to plan implementing some o the ideas in thisdocument (e.g. setting up a local trader recommendation boardin the ront o the store).

3. Give shop-foor sta permission to spend a dedicated amounto time working on community issues each week (e.g. one or two

hours a week). They can use this time to actively engage withcustomers, participate in training or undertake another commu-nity-based activity.

4. Work out what connections your store has with other relevantlocal businesses (e.g. hardware stores). Where you identiy busi-nesses that you do not currently have connections with, thinkabout getting in touch to see whether there are ways to supporteach other.

5. Run a share your skills session in in-store caes, in which cus-tomers are invited to share their own knowledge and skills withother customers and with sta.


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Diane Coyle FRSA asks how we can

make business attempts to build strong-er communities more accountable. Thisis a key question in designing an actionplan to maximise a business communityootprint. Evaluation o the action planshould be part o the process itsel, notseparate. Just as with every other aspecto the community ootprint, the evalu-ation should be dynamic and involvebringing a range o people (customers,sta and critical riends) together torankly discuss progress.

In order to develop an eective and

accountable plan to maximise its com-munity ootprint a business shouldensure that:

It co-produces its approach with cus-tomers and critical riends

Businesses that seek to improve theircommunity ootprint cannot hope toachieve this on their own. They willneed to work in partnership with theircustomers and with a range o partners

including local community groups and

statutory bodies.The respective roles and responsibili-

ties should be made clear. Customersshould be consulted or ideas and actas a Community Board or potentialideas. Partners have an important roleas critical riends, critiquing ideas anddrawing on experience o communitydevelopment.

It co-delivers its approach to its com-munity ootprint with customers andcritical riends

As well as using a partnership ap-

proach to designing a communityootprint action plan, businesses shouldwork with customers and communitygroups to deliver aspects o the actionplan. Community groups can help withreaching a wider range o people thana business would otherwise be able toreach. The importance o involving cus-tomers in the delivery o the action plancannot be overstated. Just as government

cannot build strong communities by

itsel, neither can business. Communconnections can only be built and sustained by the people who live in thosecommunities.

It provides eedback on its progresan easily understandable way

Businesses should use simple ormo data visualisation to show the impthat their community ootprint actionplans are having.

It builds its community ootprint ia way that is publicly accountable to customers and critical riends

The advantage o developing an ocial community ootprint action plais that this plan can be made publiclyavailable and progress can be publiclyreported on. Combining this with anapproach that co-designs and co-delithe action plan should ensure that thbusiness improves its community ooprint in a way that is accountable.

Processes


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Recommendations or

government, business andstores

Government recognises the role thatbusinesses can and do play in buildingmore connected, resilient communities.However, the ocus o government policyin this eld has primarily been ocusedon promoting various orms o philan-thropy and volunteering. For examplethere are currently a number o poli-cies and initiatives to encourage payrollgiving, sta volunteering and donationsrom businesses to, or example, the arts.

I government is serious about the rolebusiness can play in building strongercommunities it needs to consider initia-tives that will make it easier or busi-nesses and communities to co-produceplans to improve their community.

. Government should make it easierand normal or businesses to as-sess and improve their community

ootprint, in partnership with local

communities. This could be donethrough the creation o SocialEconomy Zones (SEZ).

These zones would be in areas wilower than average levels o socialinteraction, where businesses oper-ate close to communities and in areawhere there is a need or economicgrowth. Government could providesupport to partnerships o businessecustomers and community groupsto co-produce community ootprintaction plans. Government could also

provide support to all stakeholdersin implementing these action plans,or instance through small pots ounding.

Alongside government developinga geographic and economic contextin which businesses are better able tosupport connected and resilient communities, there are a number o stepwhich businesses themselves can tak

Proposals

The competitiveness o

businesses is related to thehealth o the communitiesin which they operateand by undertaking andimplementing a communityootprint, businesses couldexpect to achieve greaterprot, trust and loyalty romthe places and people theywork with


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to help them become hubs or localcommunities which pursue social andcommunity goals.

2. Businesses that have a serious com-mitment to developing the commu-nities in which they operate shouldjointly assess their community oot-print and develop a plan to improveit, with the communities themselves.Our work with B&Q in Sutton pro-vides a template o how this can beachieved.

Our work with B&Q, particularly thestore in Sutton, has generated a numbero overarching recommendations or howthe business can become a communityhub better at supporting resilient, con-nected communities and wellbeing at alocal level. Although these recommenda-tions are particularly targeted at B&Q,they have relevance or all businessesinterested in promoting opportunity andwellbeing in the places they operate.

. Design and create a central in-store

space that makes interaction be-tween customers and sta permis-sible and normal. This space shouldbe community-orientated rather thancommercially-orientated and can beused or training and skills events,customer inormation sharing (e.g. onlocal traders) and innovation.

2. Identiy a member o sta whowill be responsible or leading on

community work, including havingresponsibility or running the centralcommunity space. This sta mem-ber should i at all possible be a localperson and their role should includebuilding local partnerships (e.g. withthird sector organisations and sociallandlords) and making it easier orcustomers o dierent backgrounds tointeract.

Our in-depth work in Sutton alsohelped us generate more immediate

recommendations or how managersand sta in B&Q stores can begin towork more closely with the local com-munity and use B&Q as a hub or thelocal area:

. Store managers should explicitlyback the Community Footprint ini-tiative and advertise their participa-tion in-store (e.g. through visualadvertisements).

2. Store managers should devote spaceto discussing community work

in daily meetings (known as hud-dles), guided by the principles in thisdocument.

3. Managers should give permission orsta to spend a certain amount otime (e.g. two hours) every week oncommunity-relevant activities (e.g.participating in training or encourag-ing customers to interact with eachother).

The recommendations or govern-ment, the business community and Bcontained in this report aim to elucidhow businesses can best harness theireconomic, social and spatial capital community good. Whilst businessesalone cannot deliver more resilient comunities and higher levels o wellbeithey have a signicant role to play insupporting the places they operate inThis goes beyond simply providing jo(although this is crucial) to encouragcommunities to achieve their ambitio

or greener neighbourhoods, helpingcitizens develop new skills and bring-ing people together. In short, businesshould become community hubs. This not merely altruistic; the competitiness o businesses is related to the heo the communities with which theyoperate and by undertaking and impmenting a community ootprint, businesses could expect to achieve greaterprot, trust and loyalty rom the placand people they work with. Throughcommunity ootprint, businesses and

communities can create shared value achieve shared goals.


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Authors

Thomas Neumark worked as AssociateDirector or the Connected Communitiesproject at the RSA, examining the role o online and o-line social networks in buildingresilient, empowered communities. Prior tojoining the RSA, Thomas worked as a policlead on community empowerment at theCommunity Development Foundation. Thehe produced reports on inormal approach

to citizenship education, culture change witpublic sector organisation and an evaluatioo the impact o the governments communempowerment programmes.

Emma Norris is the current Associate Direcor the Connected Communities project atthe RSA. Previously she was an RSA SeniorResearch Fellow on civic engagement and sjustice. Prior to joining the RSA, Emma hasworked as a Research Fellow at the InstitutPublic Policy Research (ippr), a public policconsultant, a researcher to a human rightsorganisation and as the President o OxordUniversity Student Union.

Gaia Marcus is a Researcher or the ConneCommunities project and the social networanalyst or RSA Projects. Her ocus isexamining the role o social networks inbuilding resilient, empowered communitiesin promoting mental well-being; and inbuilding human capabilities in everything reducation to social entrepreneurship. Priorjoining the RSA, Gaia worked as a ResearchAssociate and online community manager the Space Makers Agency.

Steve Broome is Director o Researchat the RSA and oversees our ConnectedCommunities programme, which includeswork on drug services and recovery, and

social network research methods. Steve hasyears experience o researching communityregeneration and economic developmentagendas. He specialises in understandingimpact through mixed methods research desHe previously worked on a London New Deaor Communities programme, where he ledevaluation and strategy, community saety ancommunity development programmes.


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the community footprint: shared value for business and communities

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