The Change Leadership Sustainability Demands

Change ain't ever easy, and sure as hell ain't easy for organizations.  Thus, Luneburger and Goleman discuss just how an organization undergoes the transformation between a solely economic focused business unto a sustainable, forward thinking leader. 

"Sustainability initiatives can’t be driven through an organization the way other changes can. They have three distinct stages, and each requires different organizational capabilities and leadership competencies."  True dat, right?

Companies don't deny that transitioning into amore sustainable companies isn't a good idea.  Rather, they just stumble into a bad plan to make that transition; they assume making one change over a long period of time will suffice.  Alas, it actual requires "three distinct cases, each needing different leadership skills on the part of the executive heading the effort."

Phase One: Sustainability leader within the organization has the great idea to change and must determine a way to translate this idea into a business plan.

Phase Two: That great idea and plan manifests itself into something concrete;  It must have clearly laid out initiatives and "hard commercial targets." Sustainability and idealism infect the entire company, not just the one leader.
"At the end of this phase, sustainability becomes an organization-wide imperative that is tracked through economic, environmental and social metrics over the business planning cycle."

Phase Three:Sustainability becomes a core value of the company, in its DNA, and its leader must anticipate future needs, set long-term goals, etc.  (i.e. what we were sayin' anyway)

Lueneburger, C. & Goleman, D. (2010). The Change Leadership Sus tainability Demands., MIT SloanManagement Review, Summer, 49-55.