Sustainability: Closing the Gap Between the “Knowing” and “Doing”

A few years back, MIT Sloan Management Research reported that 90 percent of companies around the globe consider a sustainability strategy necessary to remain competitive. The leaders in this sustainability movement included well-known firms such as Nike and Adidas, Unilever, Nestle, Walmart, IKEA, BMW, Toyota, and retailer H&M.?

However, we find that while many companies and company leaders worldwide are putting greater emphasis on sustainability - viewing it as key to their future competitiveness and profits – a gap appears between "the knowing" about the importance of sustainability and "the doing" of taking action.

This comes back to the old quandary of people and organizations "talking the talk" but not necessarily "walking the talk." Those companies that stand out regarding their sustainability efforts have managed to close this gap. They are living out their beliefs; however, getting there takes work. They followed a variety of steps to close the gap.?

The following are examples of the steps these organizations have taken, many of which can also be implemented by all types of organizations in the process of closing their own knowing/doing gap:

Connecting the Sustainability and Strategy Dots

An organization may be very sustainability-focused, but when they find it might result in cost increases, committment to the sustainability strategy can become fragile.?

Toyota faced this situation as it grew into a powerhouse, manufacturing hybrid cars. These cars depend on rare earth minerals, which are becoming increasingly costly. Hybrid cars already tend to be more expensive than traditional gas-using cars. Further increasing costs might hamper sales and profitability.

To address this, they developed alternative engine technologies far less dependent on these minerals, keeping costs down, sales up, and remaining sustainability focused.

Never Letting a Good Crisis Go to Waste

Several years ago, Nike faced boycotts and public anger from customers and many of its vendors. This is because the company has presented itself as sustainability focused and supportive of human rights. It turned out some of their suppliers around the globe paid meager wages, work conditions were poor, and environmental concerns were a back-burner issue if they were considered at all.?

Since then, Nike has selected new suppliers that share their corporate views. They publish reports revealing where their products are manufactured, how workers are paid, what benefits they receive, working conditions, and the sustainability programs in place. The result: Nike has returned to the top of the mountain regarding being a sustainability-focused organization. Some other ways to close the gap include the following:

Transparency

Communicating with staff, vendors, and customers is crucial to letting people know about your sustainability initiatives. Therefore, I encourage those in the professional cleaning industry and all industries incorporating sustainability initiatives to let everyone know. They must be open to discussing their successes and accomplishments and what they still plan to accomplish. They will be respected and honored for doing so.

Get the Board on Board

The MIT study referenced earlier found that less than half of the board members of companies taking an active role in sustainability are behind the program. Many are skeptical and reluctant to address sustainability challenges should they arise. We need them on board. When the C-suite is behind the program, challenges can be overcome.?That’s what happened at Toyota.

The Power of One-One-and-One

One of the most effective ways a company can get its entire team onboard with sustainability and bridge the gap between knowing and doing was created by Salesforce.com. Referred to as their 1/1/1 program, the company gives one percent of its time, one percent of its equity, and one percent of its products and services to the communities they serve.

Putting this into practice, Salesforce.com employees are awarded six paid days off during the year to volunteer for a program that helps their communities. One percent of their products and services are offered at no charge to 8,000 nonprofits, and one percent of their stock value is turned into technology innovation grants for nonprofits and youth organizations.

Moving Forward

The MIT study found that most organizations believe sustainability allows them to be more competitive. It also allows them to be leaner, higher performing, find and retain workers, and be leaders in their industry. Moving forward I expect to see more organizations, including those in the professional cleaning industry, operate more sustainably, finding it is one of the best steps they have ever taken for their companies.

?Stephen P. Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in Green cleaning and sustainability, and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools LLC, for measuring and monitoring sustainability to protect natural resources and reduce facility operating costs. He can be reached at?[email protected].