HBR’s Picks on Managing Social and Political Issues at Work

VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce

Clarifying the Case for DEI - Investing in People and Opportunity

2024

ArticleWe Mean Business Coalition

Climate Ambition To Advocacy: A Framework for Responsible Policy Engagement

2024

Recognizing that the right policies enable companies to meet climate targets, this Framework introduces a structure that companies can use to ensure their advocacy efforts align with their climate priorities.

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ArticleHarvard Business Review

Corporate Advocacy in a Time of Social Outrage

Alison Taylor, 2024

This article draws on the Erb Principles for Corporate Political Responsibility to guide companies in navgating social outrage—urging them to ground advocacy in core values, engage employees early to build legitimacy, and embed ethical deliberation into everyday operations rather than issuing reactive or superficial statements.

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ReportGlobal Reporting Initiative

Corporate lobbying impacts: stakeholder demands for transparency

Miguel Perez, 2024

This report engages more deeply with global stakeholder expectations for lobbying disclosure, detailing calls for transparency not only on spending but also on lobbying positions, trade association memberships, and alignment with sustainability goals. It argues that voluntary disclosures remain inconsistent and insufficient, and recommends standardized reporting frameworks to strengthen trust, accountability, and policy coherence.

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ArticleHarvard Law School

Corporate Political Activity Disclosures: A Continued Priority for Investors and Companies

Subodh Mishra, 2024

This report highlights the strong investor demand for transparency in political spending, with lobbying transparency proposals receiving 31% median support in 2024, highlighting pressure for corporate accountability post-Citizens United.

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ReportCenter for Political Accountability

Corporate Underwriters: Where the Rubber Hits the Road

2024

This report reveals that since 2010, U.S. corporations and trade associations have contributed over $1 billion—more than 40% of total funds—to six influential "527" political organizations, significantly impacting state-level elections and policies, often in ways that conflict with their publicly stated values and pose reputational risks.

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ToolThe Erb Institute CPR Taskforce

CPR Decision Tool and Executive Conversation Guide

2024

This CPR Decision Tool and Executive Conversation Guide is part of a suite of tools and resources that make it easier for companies to take a principled and responsible approach to a specific public affairs decision. Specifically, it is meant to help them apply the Erb Principles for CPR to weigh whether and how to engage in a specific political scenario.

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VideoErb Institute

CPRT Mini-Workshop: Managing Political Spending Risk in the 2024 US Election

2024

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ArticleDiligent

De-risking business: What GRC professionals need to know about emerging AI regulations

Jay Cameron, 2024

The EU’s new AI Act—the world’s first legal framework for artificial intelligence requires companies to treat AI as a real risk, with rules around labeling AI content, ensuring human oversight, protecting data, and monitoring system performance. With steep penalties for noncompliance and similar U.S. guidance emerging, the piece urges boards and leaders to bring AI under the umbrella of existing risk, ethics, and governance frameworks—treating it not as a tech issue, but as a core part of responsible corporate strategy.

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ReportUC Berkeley Center for Law and Business

De-risking Corporate Civic Engagement

2024

Outlines steps for companies to implement non-partisan time-off policies for voting, covering legal compliance, leadership support, clear policy creation, and promoting civic engagement through flexible schedules.

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ReportNational Association of Corporate Directors

Directors Should Prepare to Address Five Board Dilemmas in 2025

Friso van der Oord, Ted Sikora, 2024

Drawing on insights from over 500 directors, NACD highlights five governance dilemmas boards must navigate in 2025—including balancing innovation with risk, long-term strategy with short-term pressures, and engagement vs neutrality on social issues. It also addresses the debate over prioritizing subject-matter expertise versus leadership experience in director recruitment.

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ReportClimate Governance Initiative

Effective Corporate Climate Policy Engagement - Road Transport

2024

This briefing is the first in a series that applies effective corporate climate engagement to a particular sector - in this case, transportation. The brief provides five key facts board directors need to know about corporate climate policy engagement in relation to road transport; a snapshot of the current policy and corporate advocacy landscape for road transport and five steps board directors can take to support effective corporate climate policy engagement in the automotive and trucking industries.

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ToolThe Erb Institute CPR Taskforce

Erb CPRT Expert Dialogue Video Library

2024

A guide to selected video clips (and some transcripts) from the Erb Institute’s Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce (CPRT) Expert Dialogues hosted from March 2021 to April 24, featuring conversations with a diverse range of advocates, experts and executives from across the political spectrum, to explore what it means for companies to use their political influences responsibly. A very useful resource for educators, practitioners and associations to spark conversation and action. All clips are coded with keywords for easy selection by topic.

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ArticleHarvard Business Review

HBR’s Picks on Managing Social and Political Issues at Work

HBR Editors, 2024

This HBR collection offers practical guidance on how companies can engage with social and political issues at work, from CEO activism to employee dialogue, and includes a piece by Ed Dolan that highlights the Erb Principles as a framework for responsible corporate political engagement.

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BookHarvard Business Review Press

Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World

2024

Named one of the best businesss books of 2024 by the Financial Times, this book outlines how businesses can more effectively navigate a new ethical landscape.

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ArticlePenn Carey Law

How Did Corporations Get Stuck in Politics and Can They Escape?

Jill Fisch, Jeff Schwartz, 2024

This paper warns that companies risk backlash when engaging in political debates beyond their core business. It argues for an explicit commitment to “non-posturing” —which requires focusing on transparency, stakeholder alignment, and voluntary initiatives instead of symbolic activism or reactive statements.

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ArticleBoston Consulting Group

How Leaders Can Navigate a Polarized World

Pete Engardio, 2024

Amid rising political backlash, most companies are recalibrating—not abandoning—their ESG and DEI agendas. This piece highlights a shift toward quieter, stakeholder-focused strategies rooted in authenticity, measurable impact, and alignment with business goals. It notes how terms like “ESG” are being replaced with less politicized language, and how scenario planning and coalition-building are helping leaders navigate polarized environments without losing credibility.

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce

How Policy Affects Commercial Determinants of Health

2024

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ArticleAustralian Institute of Corporate Directors

How to navigate controversial issues

Patrick Langrell, 2024

As a company’s engagement in social and political issues becomes increasingly fraught, this article lays out decision-making principles companies can use to determine whether and when to engage in social and political issues.

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce

Implications for CPR: How Quantification Strengthens the Case for Action (and CPR)

2024

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