Organisational Sustainability: Shaping the 21st Century Organisation.

2011-06-11T02:40:00.000-07:00

The shape of organisations in the public and private sector are, in effect, destroying us. Fundamentally unhealthy places, making unhealthy decisions affecting society.

I’ve been reading this book by Paul Hawken “The ecology of commerce: A declaration of sustainability” (a US national best seller) and without telling you the ending, there are hints with phrases like “business is destroying the world”.....”marching society to the Undertaker”....”stealing the future selling it in the present.”

The problem is that not only does he justify his arguments, but others agree too: World Bank economists, well researched United Nations reports, and many others. It’s more than climate change (with or without a carbon tax).

Fundamentally as our economies grow this is continually outstripped by the social and environmental costs that go with it: Literally we are eating and undermining our childrens future.

It’s not all bad news, there’s a trickle of organisations that are changing the way they are doing business to progress toward becoming Sustainable Organisations. Also there are books, articles, and reports that are beginning to explain the enormity of the issues and how to address them.

But it’s understandable if you’re wondering what this all about what with the lack of media coverage and political inaction. Truly we live in the eye of a very, very nasty storm. Living in a “false economy” where the true costs we simply do not comprehend.

So what does a Sustainable Organisation look like? Well in one sense it does what it has always tried to do; work efficiently and deliver what the customer/citizen values and needs (I put this under the category of productivity) but now the ask is much wider taking in community and environmental issues. It means addressing and integrating three sustainability factors:

Nationally, these are Economic, Social, and Environmental sustainability factors.

Organisationally, these translate into Productivity, Well-being (of employees & community), and Resources (waste minimisation and renewal of energy and ecosystems).

You might read into this that it’s just a matter of a bit of “continuous improvement” on energy saving and waste management. But it is not: Far from it.

Something altogether on a much bigger scale requiring major attitude shifts and innovation driven “discontinuous change”: We’re having to move to at least ZERO harm and waste not just within our organisations but to those we touch outside, and seek the health, growth and renewal of living communities (human and natural).

If you’re interested in how all this could affect you, your colleagues, your organisation (whether in the private or public sector), and the larger community then please click onto my Organisational Sustainability slide show for a fuller explanation at http://www.slideshare.net/davidalman/organisational-sustainability .