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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to outline how CSR can be effectively implemented and driven through the organisation. The emphasis of the paper is not on CSR definition but on the skills and capabilities needed by individuals and organizations to fully implement CSR application.Design/methodology/approach -As a qualitative study, interview, data feedback, and participant observation were the particular methodologies adopted.Findings -Three stages of CSR implementation and, within those stages, ten leadership skills and capabilities are identified. The nature of their inter-relationship and how that impacts on application, is discussed and explored. The ten skills and capabilities form a portfolio for individual leaders to consider and indeed develop in their management of CSR. These capabilities are called forth in three logical stages from those required for early decision making to those required for full enactment of CSR, forming a clear model. This model provides a road-map for leaders to increase their consciousness and their effectiveness in the implementation of true rather than token CSR.Research limitations/implications -A limitation is the qualitative case-based method. The learning arising from the study can be pursued and further tested through quantitative survey methods in order to provide for balanced, comparative analysis.Practical implications -A road-map to effective CSR application for leaders of organisations is offered. This road-map can be used to guide current leaders and as a guide to developing future leaders.Originality/value -Originality is high as no such model of CSR application exists. The value of the paper is to offer a research-based practical guide to CSR implementation.

ith the speed of change itself now gaining pace there is more and more pressure on organizations to succeed through increased flexibility. Those at the head of these organizations need to adapt quickly to different demands and environments by shedding old ways in line with demand. The previous reactivity of the contingency approach to management (Fielder, 1967) has been replaced by the proactivity of contemporary chameleon-type facilitators who adapt ahead of the environment -having seen the change coming or recognized the need for change and so initiated it.There are greater demands on leaders in the new millennium from more highly educated and informed stakeholders and shareholders who put extra pressure on their personal performance. This makes it more and more difficult to get things exactly right and also to extract the necessary skills to bring results about from one particular individual.Relying on the character or transformational (Yukl, 1998) ability of one figurehead alone becomes too risky a bet in a competitive environment where the rules change more quickly than the average shelf life of a CEO. This article presents a method of leadership that unlocks the existing potential from within the organization and encourages it towards a more considered leadership born of a wider perspective and more long-lived and successful for it. Locked-in leadershipPrevious models of leadership have generally channeled responsibility through and to one individual with certain attributes, behaviors, traits, and styles considered favorable or fashionable for the time. Indeed, most leaders themselves unconsciously or consciously take part in reinforcing a ''hero leader'' role or hierarchical leadership structure. The search for the ideal leader is always ongoing and the question arises as to whether it is indeed possible to arrive at that one person who has it all for every eventuality. Even where there is the serendipity and the individual seems to fit the needs of the moment, there remains the uncertainty around their longevity and just when their ''sell by date'', or ''best by date'', is due. Such uncertainty colors the endeavors of those trying to achieve a true ''leadership'' definition. The pursuit of the perfect individual becomes less likely and less important than the overall aim to succeed. To do that a team approach to leadership may be a more appropriate route (Kakabadse and Kakabadse, 2004). The team approachIf no one individual is that perfect choice, and a team of diverse individuals stand more chance of providing what the organization actually needs, then maybe competitive advantage may well be gained more rapidly by evaluating the whole ability of that team from within the company. By ensuring that the energy, efforts and ability of the whole team is channeled upwards in a positive way, and therefore directly contributes to and augments

᭹By setting out to highlight the potential confl icts linked to the decision choices of the pressurized leader, this paper stokes a passionate argument about the components of leadership discretion. With a deliberate attempt to question all infl uencing aspects on the decision itself and contextualization of where that decision sits between corporate and personal interest, it clearly magnifi es a number of governance issues for future consideration.᭹ A focused study of CEOs provides fi rm qualitative underpinning for discussion. Honest comment is collected regarding the effect that personal infl uence can have, not just on the discretion application, but on its ultimate manifestation. The wide-ranging opinion stresses the many levels of prior consideration necessary for most effective outcomes. ᭹ A self-help message is left in legacy. As each leadership discretion situation is unique and no blanket answer possible for ensuring absolute success, self-audit is encouraged so each individual works through their actual motivations with a democratic approach even where delivery must be, by necessity, more autocratic.

᭹ This paper avoids the linear route to establishing where the biggest impact on customer service lies and instead examines the influences on the quality of the customer experience from all angles in an organization. From the culture and policies of the organization itself, to the front-line individuals and their managers, it is evident that customer satisfaction is influenced at many levels and this directly affects organizational success and competitive standing. ᭹ The Cranfield Top Executive Leadership studies, across 12 countries, examine senior managers' commitment to customer focus. The sample's division, into three distinct groups according to their customer focus commitment levels, highlights a range of arguments about individual, management and corporate dedication to levels of customer satisfaction with hints at where these may conflict with each other. By taking a rounded look at the customer focus process from all its pivots within an organization, potential bottlenecks in the process are also highlighted. ᭹ Most interestingly, it is concluded that there is actually little difference between the groups in pure quantitative terms, but it is that small difference indeed which makes all the difference to a substantial increase in positive customer experience.