The Green Key to Corporate Sustainability Success
by Coral Rose
In part one Andrew Winston addressed the integration of higher education and its role in the education of tomorrows sustainability leaders.He also defined the groundswell of students that are interested in making decisions, of where they will seek employment based on a mindset of good for business and good for the environment.
“A global talent strain and shortage is in the works across many industries. How will companies compete if they don’t attract and retain the best people?” Andrew Winston
The question is what do we do about today’s sustainability
leaders those already a part of your team and organization?
How do you integrate sustainability into your organization as a ‘core’ business
strategy?
The path to Sustainability is sequentially a four fold
path;
1. Awareness
2. Education
3. Strategy
4. Action
A clear gap in the Corporate Sustainability Arena is the
need for Executive Education. Companies are going green-in many cases without a
clear vision, strategy and plan to execute where they are going.
This eco-opportunistic,
un-educated GREEN rush to market by wholesalers and retailers in
one case saw the retailer, Lululemon
Athletica make unwanted headlines in the New York Times, about the validity/credibility of a new
so-called eco/sustainable fabric. We have seen other companies shift rapidly
from step 1. Awareness to step 4. Action with consequences.
The Executive Education Gap falls into four buckets:
1. Initial
Sustainability training and education for current employees/associates.
2.
Continuing Education programs for those retained employees.
3. Addressing
employee turnover-continually educating 'new' employees.
4. A shift in recruitment, candidate screening and overall ‘new hire’ thoughts, ideas and practices.
Organizations can address 1-3, by integrating sustainability as a core curriculum to your existing training curriculum.. Organizations that do not have a ‘training' branch-the option is to hire sustainability professionals or utilize Executive Education Programs. Executive Education programs can also be utilized to 'train the trainer.'
Executive Education Programs:
- The University of Arkansas, Sam Walton School of Business Sustainability Leadership Program Is a program that I helped design, create and deliver, where participants study the sustainability movement, and how ethical, social and environmental issues are being addressed and integrated into core business strategies by multi-national corporations.
The course examines the role of
design in products and processes. Emphasis is placed on gaining new insights to
the sustainability paradigm shift, creating practical solutions and
strategies for a sustainable future as experienced through the "lens"
of sustainability.
Participants also explore supply chain issues with emphasis on sourcing
transparency, product integrity, standards, certification & labeling
regulations, consumer marketing and telling an authentic, compelling story.
- The Presidio School of Management has created 5-month (weekend) program modeled after their MBA program in Sustainable Managment; Executive Program in Sustainable Management to meet the specific needs of senior professionals.
Addressing #4- 'New hire’ thoughts, ideas and practices. Here I would suggest looking to the best practices in the industry.
What do organizations that already have sustainability ingrained into their organization do?
I have had several clients that fall into this area, and I can share with you some of what they practice.
The candidate selection and interview
process is not only about skill set, experience, and past successes.
The interview process digs deep into the values, beliefs and the big question are they
practicing sustainability in their personal life--and in what ways? Specific examples of how they are practicing sustainability are key.
There is no distinction between who we are at home and who we are when we walk through the doors of our office, many people believe they are two people--one at home and one at the office? isn't that a bit absurd, unless you have multiple personality disorder. I have a newsflash---YOU ARE THE SAME PERSON--we bring our core beliefs and values to the office--it is at the core of who we are--but many people don't 'express' or perhaps are not comfortable expressing those values at the office.
That is the distinction--they are simply just not 'expressing' their values (why not? that is the topic for another post) Bottom line--this is NOT about being two different people.
Integrating Sustainability into your organization is a multi-faceted path-and requires strategic planning on how it is best executed in your company and culture.
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