I believe we all agree that sustainability goes beyond and
encompasses a much broader area than just environmental aspects, and change in
all of these areas are necessary to sustain business growth and the economy. As
I understand it we are putting environmental sustainability on the forefront
for the purpose of this module and course, as a major part of it is driven by
other areas of business.
“The Change
Leadership Sustainability Demands” refers to three distinct stages”. (MITSloan
Management Review, Summer 2010, Vol. 51 No. 4, by Chrisoph Luenburger and
Daniel Goleman)
Phase 1 – Making the Case for Change
I would refer to this as how to prepare to bring about
change. One of the most important parts to get buy in is to get wins on the
board quickly. This cannot always be done easily. Most people associate
sustainability with huge costs without any direct payback. The introduction of
the carbon tax in Australia since July 1st will certainly change this mindset
somewhat.
If we break down Phase 1 into several steps we may look at
something like this:
• Be convinced that change and sustainability is necessary
• Consider the present and future and analyse change
accordingly
• May the change be resisted and why
• If so, how can fears be addressed and dealt with
• Work on a detailed plan
• Benchmark against competitors
• Ensure others are involved
Now, I agree with Ralph (fellow student), that all this has
to be driven by senior management, and fully supported to succeed. However,
often, senior management are scared to make these decisions, and if they are
seen to be hesitant, the change mechanism is most likely doomed.
Phase 2 – Translating Vision into Action
Basically we are now discussing implementing the change, if
we have been successful in establishing our case. One comment of the article is
that “executives who are effective in Phase 2 tend to be comfortable with the
distinction between the ideology of sustainability and the sustainability goals
that the organisation seeks to achieve”. What do we need to be successful in
Phase 2.
Again, I’d like to break down Phase 2 into several steps:
• Always remember the basics of good
change management (people will go with the flow or if change is really
required, people are more likely to change if they are actively involved,
people generally resist orders or surprises, people like to feel secure, people
cannot be treated as objects, change can sometimes take time)
• Therefore as in Phase 1 ensure people are involved in the
whole
change process
change process
• Ensure that people understand as much as possible about
sustainability
sustainability
• Making sure that staff are fully
aware und understand as to why we are implementing these particular changes
•
Highlight, Promote & Sell the
Benefits
• As a leader you want to be seen as
fully enthusiastic and driving the change, failing to do so will most likely
result in the staff not believing in it either
• Ensure that the staff are armed with
resources and tools, and offer plenty of support throughout the change period
and beyond
• Deal with one project at a time, and
celebrate wins, therefore building a positive track record
• Empower everyone to have continuous
input by regularly discussing new ideas and initiatives
Wow, it all sounds so easy, but is it? If you are entrenched
in a company which has employees that have been there for many years, these
individuals can be your greatest supporters or your greatest opponents. It is
important in my eyes, to involve them, as the “newer” employees are more likely
to join the bandwagon. These individuals will come up with excuses like, “I’m
about to retire, what do I get out of it”, or “why change now” and many more.
The true challenge for the leaders is to harness these employees to make them
supporters. And I strongly believe that herein lays one of the greatest
challenges.
Phase 3- Expanding Boundaries
We are now talking about a strong strategic orientation and
competitive advantage, however we often find that the competitive advantage may
not crystallise for many years, as the rest of the market or world play catch
up. Regulatory changes will help drive the changes, but we also know that
politicians are supported by large corporations, so change will still be slow.
Even with the carbon tax introduction in Australia, the opposition still
promises to abolish it as soon as it is in power. The opposition is also backed
by some major corporates. Therefore if the support from our “main leaders” isn’t
there, how can we expect our staff to fall in line? At the end they are
generally confused and unsure. So a leader changing direction and working
against the direction the company had previously taken will be even more so
difficult.
I have also thought about Phase 3 in regards to some more
elementary points:
• We need to look to the future and stop holding on to the
past
• We don’t see issues as problems, rather as opportunities
• Our strategy needs to encompass us
being able to cope with the change (be aware of the four phases of the change
cycle – denial – resistance – exploration – commitment)
• Understand the change is continuous and nothing is
permanent
Understanding the principles of change will help implement
any new strategy including sustainability. But let’s not kid ourselves, it is a
difficult and long journey, and not for the faint hearted.
The focus needs to be on environmental sustainability to
ensure there will be a world as we know it for generations to come.
Technological advances will play a key role in these as well as the smarts of
our leaders.
The key question for this module is the change leadership
that sustainability demands. We have discussed leadership in detail, and I
think it's great to combine it now with the sustainability part, as they work
hand in hand. Without strong leadership basics and understanding, a leader is ultimately
going to fail, especially when embarking on the sustainability journey.
It is a fine balance between a business being profitable and
sustainable in all areas, or it failing.
The following link is for an article titled "Mining and
the environment: the future of Australia’s brand". It discusses the
questions raised over environmental impact versus the environment and business
areas that are directly and indirectly affected. It is a great independent view
and read, and once again shows the dilemma politicians, corporations and
individuals face when trying to create a sustainable future.
I would agree that sustainability is not a destination, but
would call it a journey rather than direction, although direction works as
well.
I love “the learning to work in systems diagram” (Zeri
system), looks simple enough once you understand it, but there are many players
involved, and they all need to be individually driven towards the better
outcome and goal. They all have to embark on the journey.
This is also where “lean” crosses with “sustainability” Lean
is all about reducing waste, sustainability takes it to the next level. The
first principals of lean are the 5 S’s (you can read more about this on my posting:
http://leanimprovement.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/what-is-5s.html)
The article for me proves that it is great long journey with
continuous improvement required.
Our Professor asked: “Can we hold our leaders accountable
for sustainability?”
Absolutely, they are the ones that need to drive it, without
being driven from the top down, change will never happen. CEO’s are financially
accountable, and in this new age environmental accountability falls in the same
category for me.
