An agent of change?
S Cooper, P Corrie, SKM
SKM
1965 1975 1985 1995 2007
• Its the right thing to do
• Attracting and retaining staff– 60%+ of staff indicate it is important to their decision to be with SKM (2008)
• Remaining relevant and effective for our valued clients– 90% of Clients believe it is an important to very important issue (2009)
• Enhancing organisational strength– Sustainable organisations exhibit enhanced performance and resilience
• It’s a natural fit – Convergence of mega-trends that are driving fundamental change.
The business case
• Confusion about what sustainability means – as a term and in practice
• Generic, intangible concept – making it real and relevant to a group of problem-solvers and across all disciplines
• No burning platform for change (legislation, penalties)
• Hierarchy, inertia and resistance to change
• “Just give me the spreadsheet”
Challenges
That’s the international symbol for ‘don’t rock the boat’.
Recognise and work with the reality
The elephants in the room: • “It’s a greenie issue”• “It costs more”• “Our clients don’t want it”• “Its just a fad – won’t be around in 5 years
Organisational challenges• What is the right balance between technical content and general information?• What program design will really engage people and change thinking, behaviours?• When is a targeted approach best – instead of going broad and fully inclusive?
The 4 year journey (2009-2011)
From what and why.............................to howFrom awareness........................to application
Scale, regional diversity and roll-out10 countries, 4 languages, 3,400 staff in 9 months
Trained 56 of our own senior staff to facilitate
sessions (1.5 day training program)
Simple, practical ‘ready reference’Demystifies, simplifies
•7 steps•6 key questions to ask for every project
4 steps to apply into projects
(sustainability) Conversations with
clients
Adding value, not cost
‘soft’ as well as hard tools•How to make a conversation meaningful•How to structure a conversation•Using questions effectively
From awareness to application - Sustainability by design toolkit (any project, any scale)
Target the senior influencers
Apply to real projects, prospects
Enlist champions with clout
Makes it real Engages their expertise, experienceServes up a challenge – engages with problem solving
‘Hardwiring’ into the business DNA
• KPI’s for senior managers• Specifics into procedures,
processes, business systems• Rewards• Training• Roles
• Link into organisation and behaviour change principles and insights
• ‘Soft’ skills are vital - influencing, communicating, facilitating, convincing. Personal style and skills important – the ‘zealot’ creates problems
• Make it real (with the power of stories): a meaningful and relevant translation for the organisation
• Go to the heart of core business and activities (don’t get bogged down in tea-bag wrappers!)
• Think of it as a program – not a ‘one off’
• Targeted and focused (where to invest time and effort??)
• Need to transition from the what and why.......to the how
• Work with the willing and the influential agents of change
Final reflections