How can change management foster sustainability and social responsibility?

Sustainability is a transformation. Change management can help by articulating a vision that aligns with the company's mission, goals and values, and communicating this clearly to investors, employees and prospects - employees are less likely to quit in they feel their company is making a positive impact in the world.

By running practical hands on workshops company's can align to values that reflect the company's purpose, mission and culture. For example a food company could host a zero waste food workshop, empowering employees with the knowledge and skills to minimise food waste in the workplace and at home.

Education starts at the top. I have met Board members who admitted they didn't know how to 'do' sustainability. It is a complex topic, so the Board needs to be educated and incentivized first to be able to articulate what the company is doing, why, and how they are progressing.

As the adage says, 'what does not get measured does not get done'. Measure and communicate progress, not to greenwash but to be transparent about your commitment and progress. It is not just about how many community events you have run, but more about how you intend to embed sustainable practices into work processes, in your company but also through your ecosystem.

I believe it's Henry Ford who said if you always do the same thing, you'll end up with the same result. I've seen transformations managed badly multiple times in a row because lessons are not learned. If you talk to the people, they know what wasn't done well before, but if this learning is not applied to change how it was approached and the same people are in charge, you will make the same mistakes and fail again - or wind up your employees and lose key talent.

It inspires employees when the positive results from workshops and programmes are shared via the company newsletter, quaterly digital magazine or in workplace channels such as slack. For example, in a recent workshop 3 laptops were repaired by the group resulting in a 1 tonne saving of CO2, from not having to buy replacement laptops.

Change management is pivotal in driving sustainability and social responsibility within organizations. By integrating sustainability into the culture, aligning goals with strategic planning, engaging stakeholders, providing training to build capacity, fostering a culture of innovation, measuring performance, and adapting to emerging trends, organizations can effectively promote sustainable practices and societal responsibility while ensuring accountability and competitiveness.

I think this should be step one. If you tell everyone you're moving to open space working but senior leaders still have their office, it sends the wrong message that there's different rules for different people. I saw how incredibly motivatingbit was for a team to have their senior leader sitting and interacting with them every day. Leaders need to walk the talk.

I've seen a really good example of this where a leader within a company was responsible for decarbonising energy consumption, and in tandem upgraded their home heating system with air to water as well as installing solar panels. A great way to show their commitment to sustainability!