Sustainability is on every corporate radar. The strength of the signal and distance from action vary. In some cases, internal task groups have been formed, sustainability risk assessments have been performed, and actions have been incorporated into operations, products, and services. In other cases, none or some of these activities have been started, or actions have not gone beyond PR drivers.
In the current MIT Sloan Management Review, Christopher Lueneburger and Daniel Goleman make a valuable contribution with a presentation of a sustainability implementation model and identification of different competencies needed at different phases of implementation. They also identify differences between traditional implementation techniques and practices in large corporate initiatives from those needed in a sustainability initiative. Lueneburger and Goleman argue that a common mistake is approaching the implementation of a sustainability initiative with the same tools and mindset used in the past, stating that sustainability is “not your father’s corporate initiative.”
To achieve the kind of results needed or desired, Lueneburger and Goleman outline three ways that sustainability is different. First, sustainability is “about operational reality, and public perceptions second.” When these two issues get mixed up, there are risks to reputation as characterized by the term “greenwashing.” Second, there is much more ambiguity with sustainability. There is no one gold standard on how it is defined; Michael Porter addresses this point (Harvard Business Review, December, 2006), providing guidance on how to define CSR strategy and ways to define drivers. Third, sustainability cuts across all departments and functions in an organization that “requires widespread operational as well as cultural changes.”
EHS professionals who are either thrust into the role of leading their company’s sustainability effort or who activity pursue this leadership role, will benefit from reviewing the range of leadership and management competencies identified by Lueneburger and Goleman. In their approach with three implementation phases, different competencies are identified for each phase. In the early phase, they identify the need for strong change leadership and collaboration and influencing skills. In the middle phase, the need for results delivery and commercial orientation skills are identified. In the final phase, strategic and commercial orientation skills are identified.
Beyond the technical expertise that is indispensible in forming and executing a sustainability strategy, EHS professionals are challenged to develop new skills that ignite cross-functional teams, help “see systems” and think from a systems perspective, and harness a collective wisdom that transforms the culture to fulfill the company’s sustainability vision and goals.
One place to begin working on this is through the development of a sustainability management system that builds on an integrated EHSMS platform.
© Redinger EHS, Inc. (2010)