Serious Efforts to Use Tech for Good Shine with hp

For much of this year, technology companies have been showcased in a very poor light.

There was the coverage of Facebook's adverse impact on the 2016 U.S. elections (and other elections worldwide); there was Intel's security scandal and the firing of its CEO following reports suggestive of insider trading; there was the Google+ breach and coverup; and there have been incidents of nastiness and bullying across all the social networks.

As a result, many folks, particularly governments, have been looking at tech firms very unfavorably.

Several firms have been moving aggressively to buck this trend, however.

Dell has provided substantial funding for pro-women programs led by Karen Quintos.

Cisco has made meaningful contributions in cities where it operates, both inresponding to disasters and funding programs to uplift the poor.

Microsoft has flipped to taking the lead in providing transparency andimproving working conditions.

HP has undertaken major efforts to address different types of social injustice.

HP's latest effort, in conjunction with the Clooney Foundation for Justice, is a case in point: an impressive initiative to supply and fund schools in places like war-torn Syria.

I'll share my observations on the importance of efforts like these and then close with my product of the week: the Sprocket 2nd Edition, an update to one of my favorite little HP products.

Doing Well by Doing Good

It's a recurring theme that we -- and by "we" I mean technology analysts and journalists -- should give more focus to the activities of firms that are behaving well over the misbehavior of those that are not.

People learn by example, and if the only examples all of us -- including myself -- repeatedly are pounding is that big companies are unethical, do bad things to their customers and environment, and largely are run by *ssh*les, then we'll promote that bad behavior. Folks will think that everyone else does it, so why shouldn't they?

I think it far better that we focus more on firms that are trying to make the world a better place in order to promote that behavior and actually help make the world a better place. A number of global companies have been busting their humps to do exactly that.

HP's Efforts

HP is one of the firms aggressively going down this path, promising to improve educational opportunities for 100 million students by 2025. This isn't a trivial number, and education is believed to be one of the core elements holding emerging economies and economically troubled countries back.

Lack of education has had an adverse impact on many countries' gross domestic products, the competence of their governments, and their ability to take care of and protect their populations. Educated people have choices. Education is a force multiplier, making citizens more productive. Learning engages people and keeps them from becoming social problems -- or worse, enemy combatants and terrorists.

Technology offerings for students affected by the war in Syria allow them to learn how to use the Web more effectively, to help dig out of the mess their country is in so it can return to being viable. This video, narrated by George Clooney, showcases both the scale of the commitment and some of the progress to date.

Girl Rising

HP also has provided substantial support to the Girl Rising movement. One of its focuses is to share stories about people who use technology to make the world a better place for girls and women. The idea is that when people learn of the successful programs undertaken by others, they are encouraged that these programs can and do work, and they are motivated to emulate them.

This in turn should have a cumulative impact on how people perceive women and open more opportunities to women, and build on the increasing sense that women aren't standing alone or just being given lip service.

HP is standing up and being counted in an effort to do more than complain about the unfairness of it all, and instead to address the unfairness and bring real and measurable change to a world in which female inequality is still very pronounced.

Last week, the winners of the Girl Rising Creative Challenge were announced. All are young women working aggressively to change gender inequality in the world. The people are real, the stories are compelling. I was particularly taken by the fact that none of these women are complaining -- they are working impressively to drive real change.

We've been complaining about inequality for decades, but it is only when people roll up their sleeves and drive change that change happens. These women, heroes all, have done exactly that. Some steps may be larger than others, but every step gradually makes the world a better place for our mothers, daughters, wives and female friends to live.

Wrapping Up: Doing Well By Doing Good

HP is doing very well this year. Out from under the cloud that smothered it for much of the last decade, with powerful focused leadership and a CEO who has forged an impressive team, the firm arguably is stronger than it has been in decades. Rather than using that strength inappropriately or only to increase revenue, HP has been using part of its strength to make the world a better place, particularly for women.

I think that the more we promote and encourage this behavior, the more firms will emulate it, and if this increases in scale, our efforts will improve the world for everyone.