As technology becomes the largest infrastructure investment for enterprises and governmental organizations, the potential to impact lives and do good (as well as harm) becomes a critical new business metric for our industry. Increasingly, employees and investors want to work with companies that align with their own desires to make a positive social impact. This has far-reaching business consequences that impact shareholder decisions, employee recruitment and retention decisions, and investors' portfolios.
The Technology for Social Good research will identify critical new social impact metrics and showcase new and emerging mission-based social entrepreneurs that are harnessing technology to have positive social impact across three primary areas: climate impact and environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and communities at risk. This program also covers growth in CSR programs at major technology organizations and their impact on business and social outcomes.
This research is intended to aid technology organizations, CSR teams, educators, policymakers, investors, governments, and NGOs and mission-based organizations to devise strategies and policies that maximize technology benefits and minimize damaging social consequences. This includes providing a business case for positive social impact and understanding the broad economic effects of technology investments and proposes new metrics and measurement systems for evaluating market success that complement traditional economic measures.
This research is supported by 11 IDC analysts: Michelle Bailey, Jonathan Share, Matthew Eastwood, Ashish Nadkarni, Curtis Price, Mary Johnson Turner, Rory Duncan, Leslie Rosenberg, Jen Cooke, Sean Riley, and Arnal Dayaratna.