Sixteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

As the rapid pace of the fourth industrial revolution fundamentally alters the way we live and work, technology companies are facing the pressure to move from transactional to transformational engagement with communities where they operate. Tech companies are increasingly becoming present in rural communities around the world in the form of hyperscale datacenters. Microsoft’s new datacenter community engagement strategy moves beyond the transactional nature of corporate social responsibility programs to a relationship-based approach that emphasizes long-term, local partnerships for broad, sustainable societal impact. Microsoft understands that if communities aren’t driving the solutions, even the best ideas will not be sustainable over the long term. We show an example of how Microsoft attempted to shift power and promote the community’s ownership in local development funding. Microsoft looked to the philanthropic sector to pilot an unusual initiative: a fund to support local environmental, social, and economic projects co-led by community leaders and Microsoft representatives. Our study describes the journey to developing the Community Empowerment Fund and the Community Advisory Board. We discuss how sustainability, improved capacity, mutual understanding, and creative grassroots solutions factored into the design for the pilot in a rural region of Holland. We share results, hard lessons, and practical tips for other organizations looking to share power with communities in the U.S. and abroad.