This book is the first to combine the much talked about topics of leadership and sustainability, and provides readers with a comprehensive overview and pragmatic approach to leading sustainable organizations. Chapters include discussions, case examples, steps, and useful tools centred on the components of the Leading the Sustainable Organization model. This model provides managers with a pragmatic, end-to-end framework for creating (in the case of new entities) or shifting (in the case of existing firms) their organizations’ workforces to a sustainability focus. Leading the Sustainable Organization is the perfect tool for executives and managers in small, medium, and large companies, and in all industries, to assist with the difficult and confusing topic of leading sustainability efforts. This book will be of great interest to students and academics who want to learn more about corporate sustainability.
The business case for acting sustainably is becoming increasingly compelling - reducing our global footprint to sustainable levels is the defining issue of our times and it is one that can only be addressed with the active participation of the private sector. However, persuading well-established organizations to act in new ways is never easy. This book is designed to support business leaders and organizational scholars who are grappling with this challenge by pulling together leading edge insights from some of the world's best researchers as to how organizational change in general - and sustainable change in particular - can be most effectively managed. The book begins by laying out the economic case for change, while subsequent chapters describe how leaders at firms such as Du Pont, IBM and Cemex have transformed their organizations, exploring issues such as the role of the senior team and the ways in which firms shift their identities, build innovative cultures and processes, and begin to change the world around them. Business leaders will find the book a source of both powerful examples and immediately actionable ideas, while scholars will be deeply intrigued by the insights that emerge from the cross-cutting exploration of one of the toughest challenges our society has ever faced.
The business world is at an important crossroads. The age of the stakeholder is rapidly superseding that of the shareholder as climate change and political and societal shifts upend years of seeming prosperity. To move past this agitated age, business and society must learn to lead sustainably by putting purpose on equal footing with profit. The first step is understanding what's meant by sustainability and how it offers an opportunity for both business and society. Inspired by the launch of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the book captures the ideas of more than 100 change makers from around the world about how business is putting sustainability at the core of strategy to survive, thrive, and realign its interests with society's. Leading Sustainably looks at how sustainability has evolved in a business context, offering powerful insights, key facts, and guidance on building sustainability capability within companies, measuring and managing impact, sustainable finance's transformation, and other topics critical to aligning businesses' central activities with sustainable principles. The book introduces five vignettes profiling best-in-class companies that were sustainable from the start and international case studies on business sustainability efforts, spanning industries from hospitality to waste management, fashion, finance, and more. Finally, Bridges and Eubank provide frameworks and in-depth direction firms can leverage when accelerating their transition to more sustainable business models. The book is a perfect guide for mid-level to senior managers seeking to understand this fast-changing business environment, how to factor sustainability into their decision-making, and why the SDGs changed everything.
A small but influential group of mainstream global industry leaders are now reinventing the role of business in society. They are shifting the focus away from minimizing negative impacts to offering new solutions to global problems that the public sector has been unable to tackle alone. In this new competitive environment, societal challenges such as climate change or the alleviation of global poverty are not only risks, but huge business opportunities, not only for niche players, but for mainstream business. These leaders are creating "Sustainable Value". They are creating it through the provision of value to both their shareholders and their stakeholders – an ever-growing list of diverse constituents impacted by the social, environmental, and financial performance of global business. In short, they are doing well by doing good. In this outstanding book, Chris Laszlo defines, illustrates, and shows how business can action 'Sustainable Value' in three profoundly different ways. First, a management fable looks at the experiences of a dynamic business leader as she grapples with the new business realities of managing stakeholder, as well as shareholder pressures. Second, with the real thing – inside stories from some of the largest corporations in the world that are successfully integrating sustainability into their core activities, not only from a sense of moral correctness, but because it makes good business sense. And, finally, with frameworks, tools, and methods that will make sustainable value creation concrete for business practitioners everywhere. This book is a masterful synthesis – part novel and part executive briefing – a refreshing kind of prophetic pragmatism, helping leaders anticipate and see the future in the context of the actual. In Sustainable Value Chris Laszlo speaks with resounding clarity to the living challenges, the real dilemmas, and haunting questions of CEOs everywhere.
Organizations that prioritize environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues are well placed to attract better customers, better talent, and today's growing number of socially responsible investors. But, to gain these benefits, companies must choose the right sustainability strategies, and then manage and measure them well. Now, leading business sustainability consultant Peter Soyka offers a complete and actionable guide to driving greater value through sustainability. In Creating a Sustainable Organization, Soyka bridges the disparate worlds of the EHS/sustainability professional and the investor/analyst. Readers will learn what the evidence says about linkages between sustainability and value... how to manage key stakeholder relationships influencing corporate response to EHS and social equity issues... how to effectively manage sustainability throughout the business... how to evaluate sustainability posture and performance from the standpoint of external investors and internal management... how to maximize the influence of organizational actors focused on sustainability, and much more. This book will be invaluable for all environmental, health, and safety decision-makers and professionals concerned with improving sustainability and value; for executives and strategists seeking long-term competitive advantage; for stock analysts evaluating potential investments; and for researchers and MBA candidates currently studying the techniques and potential of corporate sustainability.
IF YOU CAN READ A GPS DEVICE, YOU CAN NAVIGATE--AND SUSTAIN--YOUR COMPANY’S PATH TOWARD DRAMATIC GROWTH AND PROFIT SIMPLE IS BETTER! Businesses today are overwhelmed by complex, expensive, and time-consuming initiatives. These ideas sound great in the boardroom but fail when deployed in the real world. You need a business tool that takes your organization where it needs to go and is so simple and repeatable that anyone can use it. Just like a GPS helps get us where we are going, Leading Your Business Forward lays out a proven but simple process that any business can follow! Using the same five simple steps in every car's global positioning system--Acquiring, Settings, Where To, Recalculating, and Arriving--this book demonstrates just how quickly you can energize and transform your workplace. Leading Your Business Forward utilizes a simple Leadership GPS to show you how to: DETERMINE YOUR ORGANIZATION’S LONG-TERM GOALS ENGAGE YOUR STAFF TO WORK TOWARD THEM GAUGE AND IMPROVE PERFORMANCE ON AN ONGOING BASIS MANAGE SUCCESS SO IT STICKS You will learn how to apply GPS-based methods to mobilize operations while incorporating "destination-focused" initiatives. The authors explain why high-performing companies devote enormous energy toward three vital components: goals, people, and systems. And while the world's most profitable corporations all share a clearly defined vision and mission, what's often missing is a direct link between tactical operational goals and strategic direction. Not anymore. With Leading Your Business Forward you'll learn to incorporate measurable goals into your company's daily regimen. Plus, you'll have the management tools to maintain teams that are engaged, focused, accountable--and poised to drive results. Leading Your Business Forward provides everything you need to determine baseline indicators of capability and measure employee engagement, while setting a course for transformation--from the inside out. Set Your Company's Course for Unparalleled Growth! Over the past decade, business leaders have been given a number of different road maps to success, all of which promised viable how-to solutions for business growth. They were very good maps, yet, with few exceptions, they did not guide us to a sustainable level of success. What's missing? A true GPS for leaders. Utilizing the five simple steps associated with your car's GPS system, this guide shows executives how to manage expectations and measure employee engagement and accountability while boosting productivity. Having brought their critical insight and innovation to bear at firms like Michelin Tire, Harley-Davidson, Learjet, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Styrolution, DuPont, Boar's Head, Kroger, Revlon, Pfizer, Genentech, and Merck, the authors now present the ultimate resource for leaders. LEARN HOW TO: ESTABLISH KEY BENCHMARK INDICATORS DESIGN LEADERSHIP "PARAMETERS" SET DESTINATION GOALS TRACK COMPANY PROGRESS AND INCORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY DEFINE BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS AMONG STAFF IMPLEMENT BUSINESS-FOCUSED SCORECARDS TO EDUCATE, MOTIVATE, AND FACILITATE
Solving today’s environmental and sustainability challenges requires more than expertise and technology. Effective solutions will require that we engage with other people, wrestle with difficult questions, and learn how to adapt and make confident decisions despite uncertainty. We need new approaches to leadership that empower professionals at all levels to tackle wicked problems and work towards sustainability. Leadership for Sustainability gives readers perspective and skills for promoting creative and collaborative solutions. Blending systems thinking approaches with leadership techniques, it offers dozens of strategies and specific practices that build on the foundation of three main skills: connecting, collaborating, and adapting. Inspiring case studies show how the book’s strategies and principles can be applied to diverse situations: Coordinating the activities of widely dispersed individuals and groups who may not even know they are connected, illustrated by the work of urban planners, local businesses, citizens, and other stakeholders advancing ambitious climate action goals via a Community Energy Plan in Arlington County, Virginia Collaborating with diverse stakeholders to span boundaries despite their differences of opinion, expertise, and culture, as illustrated by the bold actions of a social entrepreneur who transformed the global food service industry with the “plant-forward” movement Adapting to continuous change and confounding uncertainty, as a small nonprofit organization mobilizes partners to tackle poverty, water scarcity, sanitation, and climate change in rural India Readers will come away with a holistic understanding of how to lead from where they are by applying leadership principles and practices to a wide range of wicked situations. While the challenges we face are daunting, the authors argue that these situations present opportunities for creating a more just, healthy, and prosperous world.
Using specific examples of incremental and transformational changes, and outlining the long-term corporate benefits of sustainability, the book examines the changes required to achieve true sustainability.
Given recent financial crises and scandals, the rise of corporate social responsibility and the challenge of environmental sustainability, few would disagree that the role of ethics has taken centre stage in the management of organizations. In reality, however, organizations have found it extremely difficult to promote successful, ethical behaviour as this rarely results in short-term gains which can be appraised and rewarded. By and Burnes bring together leading international scholars in the fields of organizational change and leadership to explore and understand the context, theory and successful promotion of ethical behaviour in organizations. By focusing on real world examples, contributors analyze the issues and challenges that hinder ethical change leadership which can lead to sustainable organizations. This unique volume brings together the worlds of organizational change, leadership, business ethics and corporate social responsibility, resulting in a book that will be valuable reading in all four fields. With contributions from leading scholars, including David Boje, Dexter Dunphy, Suzanne Benn and Carl Rhodes, Organizational Change, Leadership and Ethics is a must-read.
A pragmatic new business model for sustainability that outlines eight steps that range from exploring a mission to promoting innovation; with case studies. Many recent books make the case for businesses to become more sustainable, but few explain the specifics. In this book, Francisco Szekely and Zahir Dossa offer a pragmatic new business model for sustainability that extends beyond the traditional framework of the triple bottom line, describing eight steps that range from exploring a vision and establishing a strategy to implementing the strategy and promoting innovation. Szekely and Dossa argue that businesses and organizations need to move away from the business case for sustainability toward a sustainable business model. That is, businesses should go beyond the usual short-term focus on minimizing harm while maximizing profits. Instead, businesses on the path to sustainability should, from the start, focus on addressing a societal need and view profitability not as an end but as a means to support the sustainable organization. Szekely and Dossa explore key problems organizations face when pursuing a sustainability agenda. Each chapter presents one of the eight steps, describes a business dilemma for sustainability, provides a theoretically grounded strategic framework, offers case studies that illustrate the dilemma, and summarizes key findings; the case studies draw on the experiences of such companies as Tesla Motors, Patagonia, TOMs, and Panera. The book emphasizes leadership, arguing that leaders who question the status quo, inspire others, and take risks are essential for achieving sustainable business practices.
