Responsible Leadership? Development of CSR at Danfoss, Denmark

Responsible leadership is not just about creating value for shareholders. This viewpoint has created significant challenges to the field of leadership and strategic management but has also generated opportunities for businesses to distinguish themselves positively in the eyes of stakeholders. The Danfoss Group, Denmark, is one such business, now at an advanced stage of CSR development focusing both on Products & Processes and Employee Relations. This development has been a gradual progression influenced by environmental and labor market issues, climate change, its commitment to the UN Global Compact, and a profound learning capacity. The current financial crisis has not impeded implementation of CSR initiatives, but rather has provided an opportunity to 'walk-the-talk'. This underlines that the CSR policies are in place because Danfoss, its owners, and its managers feel it is the right thing to do and that responsible leadership indeed does entail more than just creating short-term value for owners. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley &. Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.