That annoying little voice whispering to you that your organization will never be future-proofed

Deep inside, something is eating at you for a while. Unsettling that vague feeling in your gut. Hear that annoying little voice. That says it's not enough. No matter what you do. That the organization won't succeed to reach its goal. Never going to be future-proof.

You may be meeting your targets nicely, reuse is increasing, more recycling is taking place even deeper in the chain, the production process is slowly but surely becoming more sustainable, emissions are decreasing, and with all of this, the footprint of your company; but that all of these efforts are not having any effect. That the core of the business does not change substantially. You're just fiddling around on the margins. Beating around the bush.

?Whereas just now, there is increasing appreciation for your input. Employees finally understand what you expect of them. You are getting more support and trust from fellow board members. And your results occupy an increasingly prominent place in the annual report. So why do you keep getting that feeling that it is not enough?

?That those SDG and ESG scores and predicates, all those wonderful achievements in sustainability and purpose, that extraordinary ecologically landscaped garden around the energy-neutral headquarters, with all that sustainable wood incorporated into it, together with that eye-catching vertical plant wall in the renovated central hall; that all of this is just for show. It's not going to move the organization forward. No matter how hard you try and just when the time is right.

Unsettling feeling

?That unsettling feeling that you are unwittingly engaged in an extremely sophisticated method of greenwashing. That you are cheating, as it were, like a kind of charlatan. Like the tailor in the fairy tale of the Emperor's new clothes. And so at some point you will be unmasked. No, that's not a nice feeling. Underneath, it eats away at you. And the more you try your best, the harder you work, the stronger and more pressing that feeling seems to become. And, of course, you don't know how to proceed either. How to get to the core. What the next steps should be to really - not just metaphorically - future-proof the company.

When you are at conferences and network meetings, together with all those other managers and directors of sustainability and CSR, all those inspired professionals who treat each other to great results, to the latest research and promising developments, that unpleasant feeling is gone for a moment. For a short time, there is no room for doubt. No, then you are even confirmed that you are on the right track. You and your colleagues are doing just fine. But on the journey home, the doubts begin again.

Would the others share those feelings? But then why is there no one to bring this up, say, name the elephant in the room? Not even at these meetings, when you are among yourselves, and not even afterwards at drinks when tongues are loosened? Would you then be the only one struggling with this? No, that can't be true. Or would the others - like you - be ashamed of it? Would they simply not dare to talk about it?

?

Justifiable doubt

Any incorruptible and self-respecting sustainability manager or CSR director will know the feeling outlined above to a greater or lesser degree, for sure. Because all those technological developments and innovations just don't seem to add up, to form an integral whole, to lead to substantial breakthroughs. To a concrete path that the organization can walk to eventually become future-proof. In spite of all the books that have been written on the subject and all the courses that are given at colleges and universities. It is and remains all rather theoretical, instrumental and not very concrete. The few companies that are cited as shining examples are always the same companies that can be counted on the fingers of one hand, adding to which coincidence has probably played a bigger role than people dare to admit. So no one seems to know how to proceed. How to get to the core. How to make an organization sustainable deep into its pores.

?

Wrong direction

But perhaps we are looking in the wrong direction. Accustomed as we have been since the Enlightenment that progress is a linear process. In which new developments and technological breakthroughs come about by reason and rationality thinking. Reducing and deducing. So using our left brain. Whereas the systemic crisis, which we are now in the midst of, is unpredictable, chaotic and sometimes even exponential. So it calls for different kinds of solutions for which we we really have to put the other half of the brain to work that halt curiosity, creativity, flexibility, resilience and the willingness to cooperate with others are driven. As well as our ability to say goodbye to prejudices, habits, traditions and conventions. The penchant for control and predictability. So that we begin to look around us in a fresh and open-minded way. To recalibrate our motives, ambitions and mentality. Where norms and values and conscience will determine our actions. And from there our consciousness can develop further, we allow compassion and empathy, dare to be vulnerable and thus start to perceive the great inequality around us. The devastation caused by more than three centuries of industrialization. In other words, that start owning that full range of soft forces. Also in our professional lives. No, precisely in our professional lives.

The order in which we make sustainability will then change naturally. You discover that only when an organization is fully aware that it needs to change, only then is it time to think about what needs to change and only then can you determine how to do it. Because those last two aspects - which currently still dominate any attempt by companies to become future-proof - are the result of that awareness. Flow logically from that. And not unimportantly: lead to different and more intrinsic solutions.

It also then becomes clear that the transition to a future-proof version of the organization is not a linear process that you can manage or control from above. You have to tackle this transition from the very beginning not only organization-wide, but also directly involve suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. Because the interaction between all these different groups and opinions inside and outside the company creates greater awareness, and thus a better understanding of the other bottlenecks. Not to mention the collective wisdom and the enormous reservoir of knowledge and insights that then become available.

?

Rightsholders

And of course you involve the rightsholders in that. Because they are the real outsiders. By definition independent, objective, unbiased, empathetic and altruistic. Standing up for, and giving voice to, everything and everyone who has no voice or whose voice is barely heard. They represent the Earth, nature, air, water and soil. Consider future generations and watch over our health. Look at inequality, poor working conditions, exploited people and child labor also further down the chain of companies. Sometimes the rightsholders are neighbors of the company, people who use the same resources such as air, water and soil. But all kinds of action groups and NGOs can also be formidable rightsholders with increasing knowledge. All these rightsholders speak on behalf of our society. Function as the conscience of our society.

It is no coincidence, then, that two organizations at the forefront of this thinking, r3.0 and the Scale of Significance, argue that:

'an organization is future-proof only when it is supported by society. When society praises a company without being paid for it, that is, without advertising, marketing or lobbying.'

That is quite something. Not a management board, shareholders, government or Brussels will determine with all sorts of restrictions, laws and standards whether an organization is or becomes future-proof, but society, represented by the rightsholders. That takes some getting used to. That the very people and organizations that many companies and citizens now see as troublesome and annoying meddlers will determine whether an organization is or is not future-proof.

?

Love

One of those two forward organizations, the Scale of Significance, goes even a step further in emphasizing that soft values must be leading in the transition to future-proofing. And it therefore expresses itself in - don't be alarmed - the amount of Love an organization has or lacks. Because Love is not only the highest and oldest value we humans know and from which all our other values are derived and a life without Love makes no sense anyway, but also because Love, unlike money and profit - which are still the most important values in business today - is an all-encompassing human value. And we also desperately need soft human values in our business life to deal with the major problems we are facing today. Because a business that wants to become future-proof should no longer compete with other businesses, but rather work closely with them. Profit can then no longer be an objective and money has become a means. To make the world a better place. To combat further global warming, to take on the regeneration of the ecosystem, to increase inclusiveness, as well as the social and societal impact of the organization. And thereby radically reversing the core, the why of a business, or the Golden Circle as Simon Sinek once termed it.

?

Method

In the Scale of Significance methodology, all employees including the management of an organization are extensively asked for their opinions. As well as suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. And, in addition, the rightsholders. All these different groups from inside and outside the organization mirror each other on divergent answers. Then discover why the other thinks as they do. Where that comes from. What worldview underlies it. In this way, new insights, solutions and applications arise almost automatically. And by conducting this survey with some regularity, not only does the progress that an organization makes become visible - which of course provides extra energy - but one also discovers what the next step should be and which steps still need to be taken to penetrate deeper and deeper into the organization and its processes. Right down to the organizational and revenue model.

In recent years, this methodology has been thought out, improved and tested through trial and error with a diverse group of Dutch organizations. Based on this outcome, an international version was developed and perfected that is ready for an extensive and global pilot test to be held soon.

Bert Rorije

?

Bert Rorije invents and develops meaningful businesses together with entrepreneurs and is also a climate activist. He is also co-founder and developer of the Scale of Significance. A methodology that helps companies to quickly become future-proof. And where mirroring by society plays a crucial role.

?

?