Sustainable value: is your company a giver or taker?
Austerity, job losses, erosion of wealth and frustration are causing individuals and society at large to revisit and re-calibrate their values – resulting in changing expectations around the creation of a better society and environment. The corporate world is increasingly being included in this thinking. Through the 20th century, companies were largely regarded as economic entities with their primary responsibility being the creation of wealth for... Read More
Aiming for gold in protecting our marine environment
I may not be in the same class as Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott, but I too did my fair share of Olympic canoeing. True, my slalom was unintended and my speed somewhat pedestrian, but I also triumphed in the end. Needless to say, the event was not part of the formal London 2012 programme but one held jointly by Thames 21 and The Blue Mile to help clean up the River Lee upstream of the Olympic Park. With a dozen other volunteer delegates from the Beyond... Read More
Why do 70 per cent of change initiatives fail?
A Harvard Business Review study found that 70 per cent of all change initiatives fail. I’ve met sustainability practitioners in hundreds of organisations, and for every ‘Plan A’ in M&S and ‘Mission Zero’ in Interface, there are dozens of other initiatives that get nowhere near achieving the objectives that were set out. The Harvard Business Review figure relates to all change initiatives, and from my experience I would suggest that... Read More
Five reasons why ‘Plan A’ generated £105m in 2012
At almost exactly the same moment as I delivered my first environmental behaviour change workshop for a client in January 2007, M&S launched its groundbreaking Plan A. I’ve come a long way in the last five and half years and so has M&S, as demonstrated with the recent release of its 2012, ‘How We Do Business Report’, so this blog will review M&S’ progress and highlight five of the reasons for its success. Boldness A key factor... Read More
Barriers to sustainable change: understanding and tackling design obstacles, Steve Jobs-style
Celebrating the life of Steve Jobs, the master of design If you want to create change, the first step ought to be an introspective one. Yet, when it comes to integrating sustainability into business, this stage is often set aside in favour of quick action. Although not inhibiting to short-term success, only through a deep analysis of your organisation and its processes can you expect meaningful, long-term change. This two-part blog series will focus... Read More
The CRC League Table and the power of reputation
Coming top in a league is powerful reputational driver Who doesn’t appreciate recognition? From the primary school child receiving a ‘gold star’ to the football star receiving the Player of the Year award. Your people and organisation are no different. So just how important is the power of reputation? Carbon Reduction Commitment An example of the potential power of reputation is the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). The effectiveness... Read More
Middle managers: how to turn a sustainability hindrance into an asset
At PeopleProfitPlanet we have talked to many organisations about their challenges, and the biggest many of them identify is that middle managers are at best uninterested in sustainability and sometimes hinder its development. This blog is going to consider why, and give some ideas on how to deal with this challenge. Good middle management are crucial to the success of any organisation. They are the grease that oils your wheels, ensuring the strategies... Read More
The big green challenge: sustainable behaviour change
M&S' Plan A You have skills, knowledge and even qualifications that enable you to approach with confidence most of what you face week-to-week, apart from in one area: engaging people around sustainability. Due to your position you are expected to manage a number of areas of your organisations environmental sustainability. This can cover your technical building systems, waste & recycling contracts, standards such as ISO14001 or CDP and... Read More
How can HR influence sustainability?
PeopleProfitPlanet recently conducted two research projects with Leeds University into attitudes to sustainability (one with FTSE350 companies, one with SMEs). A clear finding from this was that whilst many organisations have taken significant steps in developing their ‘technological’ sustainability, for example installing computer switch off or building management systems, they have yet to fully grasp the opportunities offered by what we call... Read More
Green training: plan to succeed
Sustainability training needs planning “A lot of companies have environmental policies, but struggle to bring them to life” This quote comes from the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development report ‘Motivated Staff Make Lighter Footprints’. Training your management and staff in skills for sustainability is an excellent way of bringing your environmental policies to life. However the impact of an organisation’s employee engagement... Read More
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