Here is a situation you may find yourself in: you have created a sustainability plan but feel isolated in the implementation of the plan and are finding it an uphill battle to make real change happen in your organization.  This is a common challenge we’ve observed with our clients and if you are in this situation then we suggest that you consider three key questions to change it:

1)  How does sustainability enable our organization’s strategic business narrative?

Organizations have a shared narrative, or story, that drives their decision-making.  This narrative articulates what the organization wants to become, who it wants to serve and how it will go about doing it.  In short, it explains why the organization exists.  In organizations where sustainability really comes alive, sustainability is identified as a key enabler for business success and everyone knows it.  What this means for you is two-fold: first, you need to engage staff  and clarify why and how sustainability enables success throughout the organization, in areas such as operations (efficiencies), people (productivity), products (innovation), and markets (brand).  Second, you need to create a shared and compelling vision for sustainability in the organization.

2) How is sustainability embedded into our governance and decision-making systems?

Organizations establish expectations around priorities for decision making through a number of ways, such as board and senior leadership accountability, modeling, organizational policies, job descriptions, performance management systems, orientation programs and so on.  In organizations where sustainability comes alive, they are very intentional about how lines of accountability connect to each individual - from the board to the newest recruit.  Expectations are clear.  What this means for you is that you need to clarify the key metrics necessary to understand performance and then understand how those fit into your organization’s performance management systems. 

3) How are we building the capacity of our people to make decisions that are aligned with our sustainability-inspired narrative?

Organizations provide training and tools to their people to make decisions that drive business success.  If the narrative answers “why sustainability?”, then training and tools answer “how sustainability?”  This could cover a wide range of areas such as decision support on procurement options, major capital investments, product/service development, communications messaging and so on.  What this means for you is that you need to understand what skills, knowledge and tools are required to deliver on the narrative and help create the programs that will give people every chance to succeed.

Considering these questions will likely help you identify different strengths and weaknesses in your sustainability initiatives.  They may also bring up new questions that you may have not considered before.  In any case, we hope that this has provided you with a bit of insight and hope to see sustainability come alive in more organizations!

If you are interested in learning more about our Service Path for Sustainable Business and how we can help your business develop a bold sustainability vision, strategy, and action plan, please contact us or join our next FREE Introduction to Strategic Sustainability for Business in Canada webinar.