Sustainability Forever? Embedding sustainability in your ... - Ashridge
Sustainability Forever? Embedding sustainability in your ... - Ashridge
Sustainability Forever? Embedding sustainability in your ... - Ashridge
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organisations with strong express<strong>in</strong>g cultures tend to be<br />
market-led, have a powerful pioneer<strong>in</strong>g or entrepreneurial<br />
spirit, or are will<strong>in</strong>g to experiment with values-based <strong>in</strong>novations.<br />
Examples from our research <strong>in</strong>cluded InterfaceFlor, SAP, Skanska,<br />
Virg<strong>in</strong>, coca-cola Enterprises and Unilever. their identities are<br />
closely coupled to their brand image and strongly guarded.<br />
What are the products and services that reflect <strong>your</strong><br />
<strong>susta<strong>in</strong>ability</strong> values? Is <strong>your</strong> portfolio consistent or does<br />
it send mixed messages to <strong>your</strong> customers about what you<br />
value? What is the identity <strong>your</strong> portfolio portrays?<br />
ThE FOUR ‘E’S’ OF ThE TAlIk:<br />
e<br />
e<br />
encOd<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Redesign<strong>in</strong>g<br />
systems<br />
& processes<br />
Internal<br />
experience –<br />
culture and<br />
energy<br />
enact<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Align<strong>in</strong>g cultural<br />
practices<br />
ENCODINg<br />
Shifts <strong>in</strong> culture and behaviour, visibly embody<strong>in</strong>g ethical stances,<br />
leads to determ<strong>in</strong>ation to codify <strong>in</strong>to everyday practice. this may be<br />
as subtle as a rewritten policy document or as transformational as<br />
redesign<strong>in</strong>g the fundamental bus<strong>in</strong>ess model. From encod<strong>in</strong>g new<br />
processes, plans, products, services are imag<strong>in</strong>ed, and the cycle<br />
goes around aga<strong>in</strong>. Key process owners from across the bus<strong>in</strong>ess,<br />
org design specialists, Procurement and customer fac<strong>in</strong>g<br />
functions will likely dom<strong>in</strong>ate here.<br />
ENACTINg<br />
As new mean<strong>in</strong>g is made through on go<strong>in</strong>g discourse on purpose,<br />
strategy, identity, values, over time that new mean<strong>in</strong>g is enacted<br />
through shifts <strong>in</strong> behaviour that collectively appear as culture<br />
change. Interventions at this po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>in</strong>clude disrupt<strong>in</strong>g fixed rout<strong>in</strong>es,<br />
strengthen<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formal communication channels, workshops,<br />
learn<strong>in</strong>g and leadership development, amplify<strong>in</strong>g values and new<br />
norms through group sense-mak<strong>in</strong>g, ideation and experimentation.<br />
Arguably responsibility for Enact<strong>in</strong>g sits everywhere, though<br />
Learn<strong>in</strong>g & development, HR, R&d and operations may take the<br />
lion’s share.<br />
3 DIRECTIONS FEBRUARY 2012 SAlTERBAxTER<br />
SENSE-<br />
mAkINg AND<br />
REFRAmINg<br />
Strategic realignment of<br />
identity purpose and values<br />
<strong>Ashridge</strong> Bus<strong>in</strong>ess School http://www.ashridge.org.uk<br />
Engag<strong>in</strong>g<br />
M-Pesa proved to be a surpris<strong>in</strong>g success for Vodafone.<br />
the ability to pay farm workers directly without lengthy<br />
and hazardous trips to the banks <strong>in</strong> town, remand<strong>in</strong>g funds<br />
to doctors to care for sick relatives: with so many applications<br />
M-Pesa took off. With positive feedback from stakeholders, the<br />
<strong>susta<strong>in</strong>ability</strong> team had no problem engag<strong>in</strong>g further, <strong>in</strong>ternally<br />
and externally, and were able to expand the programme.<br />
Effective engagement is critical to embedd<strong>in</strong>g <strong>susta<strong>in</strong>ability</strong>.<br />
Stakeholders mediate between an organisation and its<br />
engag<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Sensitis<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
context<br />
External<br />
experience –<br />
reputation<br />
and brand<br />
exPreSS<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Articulat<strong>in</strong>g external<br />
proposition<br />
e<br />
e<br />
ENgAgINg<br />
despite the best efforts of the espoused communications,<br />
stakeholders – customers, <strong>in</strong>vestors, suppliers, op<strong>in</strong>ion formers –<br />
reflect back <strong>in</strong>to the organisation their own impressions of the<br />
organisation’s activities. How these groups are engaged with and<br />
how those impressions are <strong>in</strong>terpreted (or not) can have profound<br />
consequences – for emotional relationship and loyalty, for values,<br />
strategy and the abid<strong>in</strong>g sense of purpose. Participative whole<br />
system processes can help here, enabl<strong>in</strong>g collective sense-mak<strong>in</strong>g<br />
and build<strong>in</strong>g of social capital. Responsibility for ‘engag<strong>in</strong>g’ is<br />
diffuse, though can <strong>in</strong>volve Market<strong>in</strong>g, Strategy, Procurement,<br />
cSR, HR and specific Engagement functions.<br />
ExpRESSINg<br />
organisations express themselves through their espoused value<br />
proposition: products and physical artefacts – annual reports,<br />
adverts, logos, market<strong>in</strong>g collateral, built spaces – and services,<br />
customer <strong>in</strong>teraction, partnerships and collaborations, PR, awards<br />
and surveys. Intentionally or not they are cont<strong>in</strong>ually send<strong>in</strong>g<br />
messages about their identity and values. Express<strong>in</strong>g is often the<br />
prov<strong>in</strong>ce of Market<strong>in</strong>g, Product design, communications, Retail.