ReportUniversity of Notre Dame – Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership

When and How to Respond to Controversial Topics in the Workplace

This guidance helps leaders decide when to engage—or refrain—from responding to controversial social and political issues at work. It offers a framework for assessing relevance, risk, and responsibility, emphasizing the importance of consistency, listening, and clarity to avoid internal polarization while maintaining trust and organizational cohesion. 

Notes on Related Topics

Employee Polarization or Activism (A) – Addresses internal division arising from controversial issues. 
Reputational Risks (A) – External and internal reactions can damage credibility

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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ReportWorld Benchmarking Alliance

Deep analysis of how to incorporate CPR into financial institutions, with a benchmarking proposal to drive successful market signaling initiatives. (See pg 3-20)

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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ArticleHarvard Business Review

This article urges companies to actively reduce the polarization that can impact their businesses, by carefully considering their public stances, promoting inclusivity, and fostering collaboration across differing viewpoints within their organizations and communities.

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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ArticleForbes

This article argues that Modern Portfolio Theory falls short in today’s interconnected and complex risk landscape, calling for “system-level investing” that integrates social, environmental, and economic factors to boost long-term resilience and sustainability.

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BookHarvard Business Review Press

Introduces the concept of “net positive advocacy,” which involves working with partners to advocate for policy that supports systemic solutions and net positive outcomes for all competitors. This requires courage and a shift in mindset, but actually helps de-risk both sustainable business strategies AND political interactions for companies. Their Readiness Test tool provides a useful conversation starter about the change in mindset required.  

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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BookRealClear Publishing

This book shares the results of Diane Hessan's weekly interviews with 500 voters from every state, of every age and ethnicity, and along different points of the political spectrum. The topics ranged from race to guns, from character to party politics, from masks to rallies, from the Supreme Court to the pandemic to immigration and climate change. She finds that Americans have more common ground than they realize, but that they need new approaches to listening and understanding each other.

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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