Social responsibility is an intrinsic value in Suara Cooperativa's DNA. It is reflected in our values (close, innovative, participative and socially responsible) and in the definition of the organization's mission. We have a management policy that incorporates corporate social responsibility as a basic principle, a transversal axis throughout the organization.
We are committed to sustainability, understood as the balance between the creation of social value and profitability: we develop our activity generating stable and quality employment. We incorporate the organization's main management plans into our scorecard. In this way, the contribution of value is reflected at all levels of the organization. Their publication is reflected in the different sustainability reports.
We work from an organizational model that promotes networking, which allows us to respond to the needs of the different stakeholders.
Our governance (leadership) model is based on co-responsibility, which is committed to bringing decision-making as close as possible to those who have to execute it. This translates into different actions:
- We transmit information in a transparent manner with a language adapted to each stakeholder group.
- We follow the implementation of strategic planning, key indicators and the different management plans in a custom-developed software with universal access to the entire organization.
- We have a participation model to reach the entire organization. We understand participation as a right of all and a responsibility of the members, a strategy to generate a sense of belonging, an instrument that helps us to feel satisfied with the work, a guarantee of legitimacy in decisions, a pillar of the governance model, the engine of renewal and a way of being in Suara..
- We have a proprietary tool, the Decision Matrix, which defines at what level of the organization and how decisions are made, with the objective of empowering the different teams. A 360° vision allows us to make these decisions according to social, environmental and economic criteria.
- Through a process of training and participation of representatives from all levels, territories and teams of the organization, we have initiated the construction of the structures necessary to ensure behavior based on ethical principles. By the end of 2017, this will result in the constitution of the ethics committee and ethical reflection spaces.
- We have initiated a process of creating the methodology that should allow us to quantify economically the contribution of value to the different stakeholders. The result will be the publication of the integrated social balance sheet for 2017.
- We have a transversal innovation system as an incremental or disruptive improvement process. All teams of professionals have mechanisms to promote and lead work spaces that culminate in the implementation of new ideas and projects.
Our organization is a non-profit social initiative cooperative that reinvests our surpluses in our own activity. Suara defines its financing and profitability policy with the following principles:
- The growth and economic and financial sustainability of the cooperative is the basis to guarantee the survival of the project.
- We seek a balance between the common project and the individual interests of the members.
- We support the changes in the financial model, betting on the social economy.
- We contribute to the development of the Sustainable Development Goals approved by the United Nations (Agenda 2030), allocating a percentage of the surpluses to projects that respond to the objective chosen by all. During 2017 we have financed 10 projects, 6 directly related to our activity, 3 related to our environment and one of an international nature.
At the same time, Suara is committed to a better work-life balance, as evidenced by its adherence to the Timetable Reform initiative. Suara Cooperativa is ambitious and will continue to be committed to social responsibility in all areas. It faces challenges such as improving environmental impact management. Very soon we will see the results through firm bets on innovation.
Imma lluvia. Director of Social Responsibility and Management Systems
