If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will see that there are many exciting advances in our field that go way beyond our compliance and technical roots. With the evolution of CSR, sustainability, and systems thinking, for example, there are many ways EHS/S can contribute and make a difference in organizations, beyond traditional compliance and risk management. There is a new context evolving; a new EHS/S space is available for capture.
To do this, at some point you will need to think about how you will reintroduce EHS/S.
Let’s face it, the EHS/S department, function, and staff is not always popular. With our background in regulatory compliance and with a technical focus, we can be viewed as enforcers, cops, nags, etc., and we don’t always do a good job in communicating purpose and value. This history needs to be addressed and the evolution from it needs to be demonstrated. Another challenge is that even within a new context for EHS/S, there are very real compliance and risk management requirements that must be met. Even so, there are ways to do this and provide leadership.Key to making a larger difference and contribution is the reintroduction of the EHS/S function or department to the rest of organization.
For the reintroduction, it helps to think in terms of your “EHS/S Brand.” There is value in spending time reflecting on this and using what you and your team see to help drive the reintroduction process. Within the context of an EHS/S Brand, think about the full scope of what you currently do and then what you see is possible for contributing in other areas, such as CSR, or a wider role in sustainability (e.g., product sustainability), overall leadership, or even stronger strategic partnership with the C-Suite.
Next, identify the leverage points within the new context; these could be both internal and external to the organization. For instance, look from the C-Suite to the hourly level for people who may be champions, and identify other functions that may fall outside of the traditional EHS/S partners with whom you link.
Think about how you will articulate the new context. You can think of this as a story or narrative. There are numerous ways you can approach this, with differing levels of detail and breadth. You may want to include in the story/narrative some of the EHS/S roots and the evolution in the field that have led to the development of your new vision purpose.
Consider how you will demonstrate your new abilities and leadership. A starting point is highlighting the work you have done within your EHS/S function, department, or team with the development of an integrated management system, forward looking metrics and auditing, and expanded systems thinking capabilities. You can then demonstrate how your integrated MS can be a platform for other organizational functions, and how your EHS/S high performance team skills are transferable to others in the organization.
© Redinger EHS, Inc. (2010)