As I navigated through the Business and Social Justice online course at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), I encountered a transformative framework that reshaped my understanding of the role businesses play in addressing pressing societal challenges. The course introduced me to the six dimensions of social justice (CISL, 2023), each illustrating how deeply intertwined environmental and social issues are, and how crucial business intervention is in these areas.
Since my expertise is in communication, I wondered how to apply these insights through effective communication strategies. Understanding each dimension can significantly enrich communication practices, providing a strategic lens to craft messages that resonate with deeper societal impacts. Below, I explore how these dimensions can be applied in communication strategies, supported by real-world examples.
Communicating through the six dimensions
1. Equitable distribution of costs and benefits
CISL definition: The distributional dimension of justice calls for a principled, equitable approach to the distribution of benefits (e.g. resources, opportunities and freedoms) and costs (e.g. risks and limits to freedom).
Communication actions that promote equitable distribution:
- Ensure that everyone has access to critical information by utilizing diverse communication channels. This can range from community radio and social media to public forums and multilingual materials, ensuring that messages reach audiences regardless of socio-economic backgrounds.
- Think of your communication team as a supply chain. How can you turn it into a value chain? Who do you hire and with whom do you do business with? What materials, software and channels do you use? Are you perpetuating social injustice through them?
2. Full recognition of needs and rights
CISL definition: The recognition dimension of justice addresses the underlying, and often cultural and institutionalised causes of injustice which can lead to inequitable distribution of costs and benefits.
Communication actions that promote full recognition:
- Strive to highlight the voices and experiences of marginalized groups. This involves storytelling, case studies, and testimonials that bring these experiences to the forefront. Who are you highlighting in your stories? Who are you forgetting?
- Develop and enforce policies that recognize and address biases, stereotypes, and systemic injustices. Platforms that amplify these often-underrepresented voices can ensure they are heard and respected in all discussions.
2. Equal participation
CISL definition: The procedural dimension of justice promotes equal participation by all stakeholders in the decision-making process – framing problems, deciding actions and assessing outcomes.
Communication actions that promote equal participation:
- Participation emphasizes the inclusion of diverse stakeholders in dialogues that shape outcomes. True social justice requires that all stakeholders have the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. This can be achieved through forums, workshops, and panels that incorporate a wide range of perspectives.
- Employing participatory communication methods such as focus groups and surveys ensures that everyone has a say, while maintaining transparency in how decisions are made and communicated.
"Communication is a catalyst for positive change when it creates understanding, builds bridges and breaks barriers."
4. Equal capabilities
CISL definition: The capabilities dimension of justice is about a person’s opportunities to do and be what they choose. To fully ´function´ in lives of their choosing in a given society and to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. This includes both the ability to access opportunities and make choices as well as the freedom to do so.
Communication actions that promote equal capabilities:
- Empowering individuals, particularly those from marginalized groups, to lead lives of their choosing is a vital aspect of social justice. This can be supported by providing access to educational resources, mentorship programs, scholarships, and community services.
- Success stories that demonstrate overcoming barriers can also serve as powerful motivators and role models.
5. Justice over time
CISL definition: The inter-generational dimension of justice captures the moral duties owed by the current generation to future ones. In current decision-making processes, these duties tend to be neglected by both governments and business. In democratic societies, the presence of elections every four or five years means that politicians direct their actions towards satisfying the needs and desires of present citizens
Communication actions that promote justice over time:
- Time involves considering the long-term impacts of today’s decisions. Communication strategies that address the sustainability of practices and policies, taking into account their effects for a longer time supports this dimension. If you think of your communication team as a business, what decisions are you making now that will have a longer impact?
6. Justice over space
CISL definition: In a globalised world, practices of production, trade and regulation at one location have an impact upon distant sites through extended supply chains and the internationalisation of production. This results in issues of justice across space, in which locations experience consequences as a result of decisions or actions taken elsewhere, or by executives who may not be equipped with insight into the social impacts of their decisions.
Communication actions that promote justice over space:
- Local decisions we make can have far-reaching effects. In an organization operating globally, decisions made in the headquarters impact local offices differently. When working on campaigns, communication should consider that what works in one location will not necessarily work in another.
- Respect for the socio-cultural significance of different spaces and promoting cross-cultural understanding are crucial, especially in culture-related programs such as those promoting belong, diversity, equity and inclusion (BDEI).
In other words
Applying the six dimensions of social justice to communication practices enhances the impact of messages and aligns them with broader societal goals of equity and sustainability. By ensuring equitable distribution of information, recognizing diverse voices, encouraging inclusive participation, empowering individuals, considering long-term impacts, and understanding global contexts, communication becomes a powerful tool for advancing social justice.#
Reference
- Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). Business and Social Justice.
- Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). (2016). Business, justice and the new global economy.
