Your team is divided on sustainability strategies. How do you find common ground and move forward together?

Absolutely! Understanding each team member's stance on sustainability is crucial for building a cohesive strategy. It’s about more than just listening – it’s about truly valuing the diverse perspectives that each person brings to the table. Ultimately, the intersection of technology and diverse perspectives drives us towards a sustainable future, where every team member's input helps shape a resilient, equitable, and environmentally responsible world.

To find common ground and move forward when your team is divided on sustainability strategies, start by understanding everyone's views. Encourage open dialogue where team members can express their perspectives and concerns. Actively listen to understand the motivations behind each viewpoint. Identify shared values and common goals within the team. Use these shared principles as a foundation to build consensus. By fostering an environment of mutual respect and understanding, you can bridge differences, align on core objectives, and collaboratively develop a unified sustainability strategy that reflects the team's collective vision.

Lo más importante es comprender cuál es la visión sobre sostenibilidad de las diferentes áreas y sobre todo, cómo estas acciones o prácticas contribuyen a los objetivos empresariales. Con esto en mente, es mucho más sencillo definir de manera objetiva, cuáles son las prácticas o actividades que están alineadas con los objetivos estratégicos de la empresa. Adicionalmente, hay que priorizar esfuerzos y concentrar los recursos en todas aquellas iniciativas y proyectos que contribuyan de manera directa y clara al cumplimiento de objetivos relevantes.

Facilitate a discussion to define shared goals and priorities that align with the team's values and the organization's mission. Break down larger sustainability aims into specific, measurable, and achievable objectives. Encourage each team member to contribute to shaping these goals, ensuring everyone's voice is heard. By establishing a common set of objectives, you can create a unified direction, foster collaboration, and develop a cohesive strategy that addresses diverse perspectives and drives collective progress in sustainability.

En la dinámica de priorización de actividades y proyectos, es importante analizar los horizontes de trabajo y de desarrollo de la empresa. Es decir, se podría hacer ejercicios de categorización de proyectos con un enfoque en horizontes a corto, mediano o largo plazo. Esto nos permite comprender qué actividades necesitan recursos particulares o más urgentes como dinero, tiempo, personas o nueva tecnología.

When faced with division on sustainability strategies within a team, the first step is to facilitate open and respectful discussions to understand each member's perspectives and concerns fully. Actively listen to their viewpoints and seek common ground by identifying shared values and overarching goals that align with the organization's mission and sustainability objectives. Encourage collaboration and compromise to bridge differences and find mutually agreeable solutions. Once consensus is reached on common objectives, outline clear and actionable steps to achieve them, ensuring they are SMART. Foster transparency in decision-making and allocate resources effectively to support the agreed-upon strategies.

En varias ocasiones luego de priorizar las iniciativas o proyectos con mayor valor para el desarrollo de la sostenibilidad y los objetivos empresariales, es relevante profundizar en el contenido y estado actual de estas iniciativas. Es posible que varias de estas necesiten mejoras o incluir perfiles profesionales con habilidades diferentes para cumplir los objetivos planteados.

El punto de evaluación más importante es el cumplimiento de objetivos empresariales. También es importante visualizar y usar los criterios de evaluación de proyectos como lo marca la norma, las recomendaciones internacionales; como es el caso de los ODS.

When your team is divided on sustainability strategies, find common ground by evaluating each strategy objectively. Facilitate open discussions where team members can present their ideas, supported by data and potential impacts. Assess the pros and cons of each approach based on alignment with your sustainability goals and feasibility. This collaborative evaluation helps to build consensus, ensuring that the chosen strategy is well-supported and understood by the entire team.

Compare each strategy against these SMART criteria to prioritize those that best align with organizational objectives and have the highest likelihood of success. Consider factors such as potential environmental and social impacts, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and stakeholder engagement. Engage stakeholders, including team members, leadership, and external partners if necessary, to gather diverse perspectives and insights during the evaluation process. Ultimately, selecting strategies that meet SMART criteria ensures a focused and effective approach to achieving sustainability goals while maximizing positive outcomes for the organization and its stakeholders.

Todas las áreas de la empresa pueden aportar de manera positiva al medio ambiente y a la sostenibilidad en general. Es importante definir roles y actividades claras, que contribuyan, desde la expertis y trabajo de los responsables del área, puedan aplicar sus conocimientos y contribuir al medio ambiente.

With a shortlist of strategies identified, the next step is to create a cohesive joint action plan. Prioritize these strategies based on their potential impact and alignment with organizational goals, assigning clear responsibilities to team members for implementation. Establish SMART goals for each strategy and develop a detailed timeline with milestones to track progress and maintain accountability throughout the implementation process. Allocate necessary resources such as funding, personnel, and technology to support the execution of each strategy effectively. Foster open communication and coordination among team members to address challenges proactively and capitalize on opportunities.

These questions illustrate how crucial organizational culture is for corporate sustainability. This issue must not only be addressed on a team level, but the divided perceptions of sustainability must also be addressed on an organizational level. Research suggests that organizations cannot rely on a few sustainability experts to ensure that operations are becoming more sustainable. Instead, it is crucial that all employees have at least a basic understanding of the systemic nature of sustainability and the sustainability impact their decisions might have. On an organizational level, these issues could be addressed, for example, by providing sustainability training for employees and working towards solidifying organizational values.