- Creating common purpose with shared priorities
- Differences provide depth and understanding
- Maximizing the impact of community engagement in the communities where we work and live
Establishing common community engagement priorities among nearly 9000 employees in 70 countries is easier than you might think. While the communities where we live and work can be geographically very far apart, the needs of these diverse communities are surprisingly similar.
To identify the priorities for Lubrizol’s community engagement strategy – Global Goals/Local Actions – we took our guidance from three simple data points:
- Local needs, as reflected in the community activities already under way with our local teams
- The global impact of Lubrizol’s businesses in improving lives every day
- The mission statement of The Lubrizol Foundation.
Aligning our activities under common priorities provides unity of purpose, while respecting the local team’s expertise about what is meaningful in the diverse communities where we live and work.
1. Employee passions and local perspectives
The culture of an organization is best reflected in how its people choose to take action. Our local teams all over the globe are fostering their passions for community engagement by addressing uniquely local needs. And while the activities may differ in execution, common themes shine through, for example:
- Tutoring middle school children in North America and vocational training for human trafficking victims in India both reflect our common belief in the power of education to change lives.
- The common desire to improve health and wellbeing is seen in caring for the elderly in Singapore and in organizing and funding after-school youth sports programs in Brazil.
- Beach clean-up activities in Spain and natural habitat preservation in the UK both demonstrate our shared passion for environmental stewardship.
2. How Lubrizol’s businesses improve lives every day
As a business, Lubrizol makes positive contributions to society every day. Aligning community engagement priorities with these contributions ensures that our community engagement strategy is authentic because it amplifies what the businesses are already doing right:
- Best known for its research capabilities and innovation, Lubrizol has a revered history of sharing knowledge and educating the world about responsible science.
- Through our newest business, Lubrizol Life Science, we improve health outcomes by innovating pharmaceutical and medical applications, as well as applications to deliver improved hygiene for ourselves and our homes.
- Lubrizol’s additives business has long delivered technologies to reduce emissions and increase engine efficiency, serving to reduce environmental impact.
3. Lubrizol’s rich history of giving
Established in 1952, The Lubrizol Foundation set Lubrizol’s earliest philanthropic direction: “The mission of The Lubrizol Foundation is to complement and support the interests, values and vision of The Lubrizol Corporation by awarding financial support to educational institutions and charitable organizations” in the communities where Lubrizol employees work and live.
Aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals
With our Community Engagement Priorities – education, health, environment – clearly identified, aligning our priorities with Lubrizol’s sustainability strategy, as an element of Lubrizol’s Corporate Social Responsibility, was next. Fortunately, our three common priorities aligned perfectly with the UNSDGs:
- Improving Health Outcomes: SDG 3 - Good Health and Wellbeing
- Improving Education and Knowledge: SDG 4: Quality Education
- Improving Environmental Protection: SDG 13: Climate Change; SDG 14: Life Below Water; SDG 15: Life on Land
Aligning our Community Engagement Priorities with these SDGs will help us to find direction and inspiration as we move toward achieving our global goals. By speaking the common language of the SDGs with our communities we can find common ground to continue our uniquely local positive impact the places we call home.
Enhancing our impact through diversity
While alignment under Community Engagement Priorities instills a sense of common purpose, Lubrizol’s community engagement strategy, Global Goals/Local Actions, will only succeed if we continue to honor and respect the differences in the needs of our local communities. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. We must look to our local teams to identify how Lubrizol’s engagement can be the most impactful in each individual community. These differences will only enhance our experience and deepen our understanding of our global community and Lubrizol’s role in improving it, one life at a time.
