Learning from Anita Roddick's body of work<\/p>\n
Wimar Witoelar, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Body Shop founder and chief executive Anita Roddick is
\ncoming to Jakarta soon. There is a lot to learn from this world-
\nclass figure who is both a successful businesswoman and a
\nrenowned social activist. Perhaps we should consider the
\nrelevance of her visit to the nation's current situation.<\/p>\n
What makes Roddick relevant to Indonesia, specifically to our
\nslowly emerging civil society? To start with, we should not talk
\nabout Roddick's business but use another body analogy, that of
\ndieting.<\/p>\n
Growing a civil society is a little like going to
\nWeightwatchers. Weight loss is easy in the beginning but becomes
\nmuch harder later on.<\/p>\n
Indonesia had a powerful start in 1998 with our reform
\nmovements and NGO activism, largely due to the pent-up energy
\nbuilt up after so many years under the rule of Soeharto. As many
\nthought, the social pressure for positive reform had long lurked
\nbeneath the surface of our culture, and the NGO movement actually
\ngrew under the polarizing effect of Soeharto's New Order. But
\nonce that potential energy was spent, it was not followed by more
\nkinetic energy.<\/p>\n
Many diets succeed in delivering around three kilograms of
\nweight loss quite rapidly. This is largely because of the burning
\noff of excess water and surface fat. The next three kilos refuse
\nto go away so easily and often come back with a vengeance later
\non. So it can be with reform. After the first period of
\nexhilaration, disenchantment creeps in, unprincipled opportunists
\njump on the civil society bandwagon, and unmet expectations
\ncreate a downward spiral of deepening negativity and apathy. Look
\nwhat is happening now. Leaders in civil society are caught in
\ncorruption scandals, cynical political power plays and abuses of
\ntheir parliamentary positions.<\/p>\n
The more mature a society is, the more difficult it is to
\nexact internal reform. But once a critical threshold is passed,
\nreforms do become institutionalized and lasting. This is what we
\ncan learn from Roddick's experience. Her social activism is
\nsupported by her strength in the business marketplace. With this
\nbackground her social reforms are institutionalized into her
\nbusiness network. Good causes are internalized in the work
\npractices of her employees at The Body Shop as they gradually
\ngain legitimacy from broader-based social institutions.<\/p>\n
This model is particularly appropriate for Indonesia because
\nRoddick's institutions cater to the middle class. The Body Shop
\nis not accessible to the common people but it is a regular
\nfixture in luxury malls. Roddick's messages of environmental
\nsustainability and the fight against domestic violence are now
\nbeing spread to shoppers here in a non-threatening way.<\/p>\n
A common mistake in the NGO reform movement is the creation of
\nwhat has been called a \"conscience divide\", where well-
\nintentioned activists have the choice of either preaching to the
\nconverted or taking on hostile communities and running the risk
\nof being ultimately ignored. A better way would be to gain the
\nconfidence of the entire public, including the middle classes.<\/p>\n
Roddick is hugely successful in business. From zero
\nbeginnings, The Body Shop has grown to about 2,000 outlets in 50
\ncountries, with annual revenues approaching US$700 million. Yet
\nRoddick has been outspokenly critical of the business world for
\nits emphasis on capital accumulation over job creation. She even
\nmakes disrespectful comments about the cosmetics industry that
\nhas helped make her a world-class business figure.<\/p>\n
This has invited people from all sides to criticize her. Since
\nthe mid-1990s, detractors have charged that her moralistic stance
\nas exemplified in her book Business as Unusual is a marketing
\nploy. But Roddick has confronted the attacks head-on and won most
\nof the points in the public arena.<\/p>\n
Her role as a force of change in the growth of civil society
\nis now her raison de'tre, rivaling her business success. Her
\nactivism extends from issues in the environment, human rights,
\nsocial justice, illegal logging and stopping domestic violence.
\nTime magazine listed her as a European Hero of 2004. She appears
\nin seminars on leadership alongside Bill Clinton. Britain's Queen
\nElizabeth II awarded her the title of Dame Commander of the Order
\nof the British Empire. The United Nations Environment Program has
\nrecognized her as one of 25 female leaders to have made
\noutstanding contributions to the environment. She has published
\nvarious books such as Body & Soul, Kindness, Brave Hearts, Rebel
\nSpirits and the best-seller Business as Unusual.<\/p>\n
The experience in Indonesia has seen civil society
\nstrengthening since the early 1990s with the mobilization of
\nnumerous committed NGOs. One milestone achieved was the visit to
\nJakarta of the then newly appointed World Bank President James
\nWolfenssohn in WHAT YEAR?. He invited 65 leaders and activists
\nand conducted a spirited dialogue that brought the reform
\naspirations of the Indonesian public to the foreground. Although
\nSoeharto was in power, the activists were not discouraged by
\ngovernment harassment and scrutiny. In 1998 the reformists
\nprevailed and Soeharto stepped down.<\/p>\n
While reformists were fighting a front-line battle against
\npower, they were a force for change, much like Roddick has been.
\nHowever, in Indonesia when the adversary retreated and scattered,
\nadvocates for an Indonesian civil society also lost their focus.
\nThe need for reform is still urgent, but the forces for change
\nhave become like disparate bubbles trying to surface in the murky
\nwaters of the new status quo. Like dieting, getting results gets
\nharder over time.<\/p>\n
This is not the case, however, in Roddick's experience. She
\nstarted by herself in 1976 and is still fighting with the same
\nenergetic stance, picking up different causes without losing her
\nessential role as a force for change. This is where we can learn
\nfrom her experience and her personality. Roddick is engaged in a
\nmultitude of activities, but never loses her focus as a force for
\nchange. In the business area, Roddick introduced The Body Shop
\ncharter, which states that it is the moral obligation of a
\nbusiness to work towards sustainability. Her business practices
\nhave proven this credo to be consistent with market place
\nsurvival. This is a new area of learning for Indonesian
\nbusinesses which are now becoming more aware of Corporate Social
\nResponsibility (CSR).<\/p>\n
Roddick's success shows that commercial profits do not need to
\nbe in conflict with social responsibility. Business can play a
\nmultidimensional role effectively when social values are
\ninternalized into the corporate culture. This is the other lesson
\nwe can learn from Roddick's visit. Anything is possible if you
\nhave enough will to be a continuing force for change.<\/p>\n
The writer is a political commentator. He can be reached at
\nwimar@intermatrix.co.id.<\/p>",
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