Brief

							Innovative participatory dialogue on corporate social responsibility held
with Czech business executives and global leadership experts in Prague


The Business Leaders Forum (www.blf.cz) invited Czech business leaders to explore
the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) with leadership experts from all over
the world. Through the use of a participatory dialogue in the form of the World Café,
over 75 participants shared perspectives and compared current practices on
corporate social responsibility programs in the Czech Republic with other
international approaches. Out of this World Café culture of conversation, a deepened
and collective understanding of the possibilities for the future development of CSR
programs in the Czech Republic emerged.


In a World Café dialogue, people participate in small intimate conversations at small
tables. As the conversation unfolds, people move between groups, cross-pollinating
their ideas around questions that really matter to their lives or work. The network of
new connections increases and knowledge sharing grows. The innovative design of
World Café fosters shared listening to everyone’s ideas and enables new perspectives
to emerge, creating both mutual respect and innovative possibilities for action. This
conversation was hosted by members of World Café Europe (www.worldcafe-
europe.net), a network of social entrepreneurs dedicated to fostering the use of
participatory dialogue throughout Europe.


The Hlahol building provided a unique Prague setting for this exchange of ideas. Its
Art Nouveau architecture, interior design and the last great painting by the Czech
artist of this period Alfons Mucha provided both inspiration and a hospitable space
for the World Café conversation. Built in 1905, the Hhalol building has been listed as
Czech national cultural monument. Both the music of Smetana and Dvorak has been
performed here since the building was constructed for one of the Czech Republic’s
oldest choirs (www.hlahol.cz).
This World Café was a special event held in conjunction with International
Leadership Association’s 11th Annual Global Conference on the topic of “Leadership
for Transformation” (www.ila-net.org). This annual Global Leadership Conference
brings leadership experts, practitioners and academics together from all over the
world to explore the newest trends and research in the field of leadership.


AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
Czech business and European specialists in the use of the World Café collaborated to
host this unique participatory conversation. The Business Leaders Forum
(www.blf.cz) is a non-profit organization which cooperates with business,
governments and civil society to enhance the contribution which companies can
make to sustainable development. World Café Europe (www.worldcafe.eu) is a non-
profit association which is dedicated to fostering positive social change about
questions that matter in a variety of environments.




For additional information contact:
Tomáš Nejedlo
Executive Director
Business Leaders Forum
Štěpánská 61
116 02 Praha 1
tel.: + 420 224 216 275
email: nejedlo@blf.cz
www.blf.cz
www.csr-online.cz



More about World Café Europe is only a click away:

World Café Europe on YouTube:   www.youtube.com/user/TheWorldCafeEurope
World Café Europe on Flickr:    www.flickr.com/photos/8007839@N02/
World Café Europe on Twitter:   http://twitter.com/WorldCafeEurope