Post COVID-19 Perspective: The Nexus of Planetary and Business Health

 

Kristina Kohl, Managing Principal, recently gave a webinar for the Wharton Club of New Jersey discussing new approaches to transformational leadership required to manage in the face of pandemics, superstorms, resource scarcity, and social unrest. Post COVID business strategy needs a more holistic approach focusing on delivering on economic prosperity while considering environmental and social impacts. Sustainability isn’t just for large organizations; it is for all of us. Kris shares her 10 Step Roadmap for improving your ESG strategy as well as her experiences.

Key takeaways include:

1. COVID-19 is a Symptom of Climate Change
2. Climate Change is a Risk to the Health of Our Planet, People and Economy
3. Business Leaders Need to Part of the Solution
4. Incorporate ESG Strategy into Business Strategy to Drive Impact
5. Think About the Legacy You Wish to Leave to Future Generations

We are sharing the You Tube video for those who are interested in seeing the full presentation.

Embedding Sustainability and CSR into Projects, Programs, and Portfolios

I had the opportunity to both present and attend Boston University's Project Management in Practice conference. While we had to be virtual this year, it was a well attended event with many experts presenting on both research and actual projects. My presentation entitled, Building a More Sustainable Project Outcome, was well received and generated a great deal of conversation around embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into project, program, and portfolio management. While it has been several years since I published my book, Becoming a Sustainable Organization: A Project and Portfolio Management Approach published by CRC Press, the conference reinforced the importance of the topics, tools, models, and cases outlined in the book. My focus is to help leaders embedded the sustainable development goals into their organizations' mission, vision, and culture.

I was recently reminded of the impact of my book when I came across a link showing more than 100 libraries globally offering it as a resource for their members. Included in that number are some of the most prestigious research institutions in the world.

As a refresher on the content, I am sharing its Table of Contents.


Chapter 1. What is sustainability? Why does it matter?
Chapter 2. Building the business case for sustainability
Chapter 3. Gaining stakeholder and c-suite support and sponsorship
Chapter 4. Alignment of business and sustainability strategy creates sustainable strategy
Chapter 5. Project management techniques inform sustainable strategy development
Chapter 6. Creating a culture of sustainability
Chapter 7. Portfolio management supports strategic sustainability alignment
Chapter 8. Identifying and engaging external stakeholders
Chapter 9. Leveraging organizational relationships and assets
Chapter 10. Leveraging human capital professionals
Chapter 11. Adopting a culture of change to unlock the benefits of sustainable strategy
Chapter 12. Sustainable strategy as a lever to attract, engage, and retain the workforce
Chapter 13. Tools and techniques to embed sustainability
Chapter 14. Selecting goals and metrics that matter
Chapter 15. Celebrating success

Becoming a Sustainable Organization is available for sale from any of your favorite book retailers. It can also be borrowed from the following libraries . In case you are wondering, yesBoston University Libraries have a copy of my book!

I hope you find my book inspirational and useful as we transition to a post COVID-19 world in which both environmental and social issues are increasingly part of our business and governmental policy conversations.

Framework for Creating a Culture of Sustainability

In my book, Becoming a Sustainable Organization-A Project and Portfolio Management Approach, I discuss many tools and techniques for baking sustainability and social responsibility into an organization's cultural foundation. An impactful tools is the Framework for Sustainable Culture Change Management found in Chapter 11, which is entitled Adopting a Culture of Change to Unlock the Benefits of Sustainable Strategy.

One of the most important areas is addressing why an organization's sustainability strategy is important to both internal and external stakeholders. A key starting point is asking, "What does sustainability mean to our customers, employees, and community?" The answers to this question begin the help form a plan for action as well as a list of priorities.

As part of the planning process, it is important to engage with leadership and to create alliances with C-suite influencers. Once the plan has been adopted, drive the change management process using ongoing C-suite engagement, recruiting senior level sustainability champions, identifying key organizational influencers, and empowering teams to select initiatives and implement change. Creating an effective communication plan supports the process including clear messaging around sustainability goals. Aligning performance metrics and incentives with these goals reinforces leadership's commitment. Ensuring that status updates are reporting both failures and achievements gives a more authentic and actionable outcome. Often the most important lessons are learned from failures. Promoting a culture where it is safe to fail creates an environment that supports innovation and change. Sharing results, adopting best practices, and revising plans as needed moves a an organization toward success.  Encouraging feedback from all levels of the organization as well as key external stakeholders promotes engagement and provides meaningful input.

In the following table, I provide a provide a framework to guide this change management process as well as highlight key best practices for success.


( Source: Kohl, Kristina, Becoming a Sustainable Organization, Boca Raton, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, 2016)

While a plan facilitates the process, it is important to not underestimate the the time, resources, and commitment that will be needed to drive change in people, processes, and policies. Understanding that there will be resistance and anticipating risks by identifying and incorporating them into the planning process helps to ensure success. In the change process, it is also crucial to take an appreciative approach asking what is working and how can a successful project or pilot be scaled effectively across the organization.

Best wishes for your sustainability journey!