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Executive Report Sustainability and Corporate Culture

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    embedding sustainabilityin organizational culture

    A How-to Guide for Executives

    Prepared by

    Dr. Stephanie Bertels

    Simon Fraser Universityand NBS

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    Cv im cusy f Hh, Inc. | PHotograPHer: Phiip Csn

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    93% of CEOs see sustainabilityas important to their companys

    future success. Yet, mostdo not know how to embedsustainability into their company.

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    What are you doing to develop aculture of sustainability?

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    A How-to Guide for Executives

    2010Nk f Businss Susinbiiy

    nbs.n

    embedding sustainability inorganizational culture

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    How om oh h v?

    Organizations launch change initiatives on a regular basis. In fact, many organizations are

    undergoing multiple change initiatives simultaneously. There is a wealth of research on

    implementing total quality management, building cultures of health and safety or building

    cultures of compliance. While the lessons learned from these kinds of culture change may

    prove useful, a shift towards a culture of sustainability presents some unique challenges.

    Most organizational change initiatives are bounded and internal. In contrast,

    sustainability is part of a broader societal agenda that extends beyond the organization.

    External forces often provide the motivation for a sustainability change initiative. Whenthe change is motivated internally, it may be driven by a desire to do the right thing,

    rather than an effort to improve competitiveness. Furthermore, key levers required

    for change may be beyond the control of the organizationthe power may reside in

    the organizations supply chain or with its key stakeholders. This often means that

    organizations embarking on a sustainability journey must be willing to collaborate

    with other organizations. For these reasons, transitions to sustainability may require

    paradigm-breaking business models or approaches.

    a 2010 accnu b suvy f m

    hn 700 Ceos fund h 93 pcn

    s susinbiiy s impn hi

    cmpnys fuu succss.

    Hv, mny businss ds

    su buid susinbiiy in

    hi dy--dy pins. and,

    susinbiiy pms fn

    dpndn n ky d. excuivsnd sni mns n kn

    h susin susinbiiy v

    h n m. t mk susinbiiy

    n vydy, nduin p f h

    nizin, i nds bcm

    mbddd in nizin cuu.

    What isbusiness sustainability

    Businss susinbiiy mns mnin h ip bm in

    incudin finnci, sci, nd nvinmn isks, biins nd

    ppuniis.

    Susinb businsss siin nd c cnmic vu,

    hhy csysms nd sn cmmuniis. Susinb businsss

    suviv v h n m bcus hy inimy cnncd hhy cnmic, sci nd nvinmn sysms.

    Sustainability has become an increasingly importantpart of doing business.

    OrganizatiOnal culture Of sustainability

    I is cuu in hich nizin mmbs hd shd

    ssumpins nd bifs bu h impnc f bncin

    cnmic fficincy, sci quiy nd nvinmn ccunbiiy.

    onizins ih sn cuus f susinbiiy siv supp

    hhy nvinmn nd impv h ivs f hs hi

    pin succssfuy v h n m.

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    This report represents a framework for embedding sustainability in organizational culture. Designed for executives,

    senior HR managers and senior sustainability managers, it presents a portfolio of practicesboth those practices that

    the research has shown to be effective and those that show potential but remain untested.

    To produce this report, the Network for Business Sustainability commissioned a systematic review of the entire body

    of research on sustainability and organizational culture. Synthesizing data from 179 studies spanning 15 years of

    research, this review presents the most comprehensive and credible evidence to date on embedding sustainability inorganizational culture.

    The sustainability movement exhibits strong parallels to the

    safety and ethical conduct movements of years past. Research

    in those elds indicates that organizations must implement

    a combination of diverse practicesotherwise known as a

    portfolio approachto fully entrench the desired changes.

    Consider the organization-wide safety practices that

    now represent standard operating procedures for many

    organizations in the developed world:

    Safety goals are often integrated directly into anorganizations strategic objectives.

    Responsibilities are embedded into current roles, or

    new roles are created, to address safety issues within the

    organization.

    Formal safety policies are written and enforced.

    Employees receive regular education and training related to

    workplace safety.

    Sufce it to say, embedding safety in organizational DNA

    has required a combination of different practices, including

    formal and informal, strategic and tactical, top-down and bottom-up. The same

    appears to be true of the sustainability movement.

    th fin fmk i hp yu impmn pfi

    ppch mbddin susinbiiy in yu nizins

    cuu. th fmk ups h pcics h hp buid

    nd supp susinbiiy in nizins in fu diffn

    cis: fsin cmmimn; cifyin xpcins;

    buidin mmnum f chn; nd insiin cpciy fchn. N h h pfi ppch susinbiiy quis

    bnc. In h sm y pp mus cnsum fd fm ch

    f h fu fd ups, nizins shud mpy scin

    f pcics fm ch f h fmks fu qudns.

    What can you do to build and support aculture of sustainability?

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    This framework depicts the many ways that you can embed sustainability in your organization. Each of the four main quadrants is broken

    into categories of practices. On the following four pages, each category is further divided into individual practices. In the full academic

    report on Embedding Sustainability in Organizational Culture (available at www.nbs.net/knowledge/culture) each practice is described in

    more detail and accompanied by specic examples.

    a Pooo appoh o ems Oo c

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    FormalPractices that establishrules and procedures

    InformalPractices that aect

    values and behaviours

    FulllmentPractices for delivering on current sustainability commitments

    InnovationPractices that move the organization further along the path to sustainability

    http://www.nbs.net/knowledge/culturehttp://www.nbs.net/knowledge/culture
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    Fostering CommitmentInformal Practices for Delivering on Current Sustainability Commitments

    ppo

    Makeiteasierforemployeestomakesustainabilitydecisionsatwork Providesupportforemployeestomakesustainabilitydecisionsintheir

    psn ivs such s nsi pss pms, id shin, nd scubicyc pkin

    mo

    Demonstratesustainabilityleadershipbywalkingthewalkand

    kin h k

    Participateinongoingdiscussionsaboutthesustainabilityjourney

    Prioritizesustainabilityindecision-making

    Showinterestintheworkofsustainabilitycommittees

    ink

    Encourageemployeestobringtheirpersonalsustainabilitybehavioursin h kpc

    Encourageemployeestocarrytheorganizationalsustainabilitymessage

    in hi cmmuniis

    sis Discusscasestudiesofsuccessfulsustainabilityinitiativesinyour

    nizin

    Createstoriesaboutwhatthecompanycouldbelikeinthefuture

    Createsimplestoriesandrepeatthemoftenandusingdifferentmeans

    Starteverymeetingwithaquicksustainabilitystory

    Usemetaphorsandsymbols

    suPPOrted Practices PraCtICeS wItH PoteNtIal

    ths pcics hv bn schd nd, bsd n his sch,

    pp ffciv. thy yu pcics. whn ssmbin pfi f civiis, y incud s f pcics fmhis cy.

    th minin pcics hv bn susd by schs, cnsuns

    yu ps s schs s hvin h pni buid supp cuuf susinbiiy. thy hv undn i n sin vu hiffcivnss. w sus yu cnsid yin hs pcics, bu h yu

    mni nd ssss hi ffcivnss n u bsis.

    Pcics in his qudn im buid nd infc h impnc f susinbiiy f h nizin nd supp nd ncu mpys

    h mkin ffs mbd susinbiiy. th fiv cis f pcics: nin; sinin; cmmunicin; mnin n; nd

    infcin.

    F m pcics, visi h fu sysmic vi.

    e s comm M t ro

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    Clarifying ExpectationsFormal Practices for Delivering on Current Sustainability Commitments

    po Developenvironmentalpolicies;health&safetypolicies;ethics

    picis; cim chn picis ImplementSustainabilityCodesofConduct

    Createsuppliersustainabilityperformancepoliciesorprocurement

    picis

    po o o

    Assignresponsibilityforsustainabilitytoboardmembersand/ora

    bd subcmmi

    AssignresponsibilityforsustainabilitytotheCEO

    Assignresponsibilityforsustainabilitytoroleswithinthesenior

    dship (c VP Susinbiiy, f insnc)

    incn Includesustainabilitymetricsinemployeesperformanceappraisalsand

    ssssmns Linkcompensationtosustainabilityperformance

    Redesignpromotions,raises,bonusesandbenefitstorewardsustainable

    pfmnc

    Beclearhowpeoplewillbemeasuredandensurethatthetargetsare

    ihin h psns cn

    p Implementacorporateenvironmentalreportingsystem

    Publishinternalandexternalenvironmental,sustainabilityorCSRreports

    Reportonsustainabilityprogress,addressingpreviouslysetgoals

    Reportonfutureplansandcommitments

    suPPOrted Practices PraCtICeS wItH PoteNtIal

    Pcics in his qudn invv sbishin us nd pcdus, ih h f cifyin mpy xpcins din susinbiiy. ths

    pcics im in susinbiiy in h c f h nizins sis nd pcsss; quip nd ncu mpys vi inin nd

    incnivs; nd msu, ck, nd p n h nizins pss. th svn cis f pcics : cdifyin; inin; ssinin

    responsibility;training;incenting;assessing;andverifying/auditing.

    F m pcics, visi h fu sysmic vi.

    co i a t i a V/a

    po o po po oo

    incn invny udi

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    in businss pcsss nd sysms p

    in xisin s

    ths pcics hv bn schd nd, bsd n his sch,

    pp ffciv. thy yu pcics. whn ssmbin pfi f civiis, y incud s f pcics fm hiscy.

    th minin pcics hv bn susd by schs, cnsuns

    yu ps s schs s hvin h pni buid supp cuuf susinbiiy. thy hv undn i n sin vu hiffcivnss. w sus yu cnsid yin hs pcics, bu h yu

    mni nd ssss hi ffcivnss n u bsis.

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    F m pcics, visi h fu sysmic vi.

    Building Momentum for ChangeInformal Practices for Innovation

    r aw chmpo iv expm r-vo sh

    m hmpo sk xpm dfin susinbiiy sh kndinny

    i isn bck-cs sh kndxny

    sk xn hp cb ih hs

    m asafinancialopportunity,ortry

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    suPPOrted Practices PraCtICeS wItH PoteNtIal

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    m susinbiiy s. ths pcics inspi nd ssu mpys s h hy cn xpimn, y n hins, nd buid n ch hs ids.

    th cis in his qudn : nss isin; chmpinin; inviin; xpimnin; -nvisinin; nd shin.

    xpm

    Encourageresearchand

    xpimnin h is ind

    ih h cmpnys susinbiiyvus

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    ths pcics hv bn schd nd, bsd n his sch,pp ffciv. thy yu pcics. whn ssmbin pfi f civiis, y incud s f pcics fm his

    cy.

    th minin pcics hv bn susd by schs, cnsuns yu ps s schs s hvin h pni buid supp cuuf susinbiiy. thy hv undn i n sin vu hi

    ffcivnss. w sus yu cnsid yin hs pcics, bu h yumni nd ssss hi ffcivnss n u bsis.

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    Instilling Capacity for ChangeFormal Practices for Innovation

    Pcics in his qudn im c sucus supps h i fm fundin f fuu chns in h nizin. thy psn us

    nd pcdus h d innvin. th cis in h qudn nin nd dvpin.

    Nn f h pcics in hisqudn hv bn h fcus

    f cdmic sch.

    scn Attendindustryandenvironmentalconferences

    Joinasustainabilitygroupinwhichmembersshare

    infmin nd bs pcics

    Observeyourcompetitorssustainabilityactivity

    Developdiverseinternalandexternalknowledgeandnks

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    Scanforchangesinlegislationandupcomingregulatory

    quimns

    dvp n pducs nd svics Developnewproductsandserviceswithminimalnegative

    impcs n h nu nvinmn

    Developnewproductsandservicesthatmeetunmet

    susinbiiy nds

    pi Adoptinitiativesthatoriginatedatthegrass-

    rootslevelasformalpilotprojects

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    cin sucs piin h bs ids

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    pilotprojects

    bnchmk Selectsustainabilitymetricsusedbyothersto

    fcii bnchmkin

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    s yu pfmnc cn b cmpd ih

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    divisins, businss unis cins

    F m pcics, visi h fu sysmic vi.

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    cy.

    th minin pcics hv bn susd by schs, cnsuns yu ps s schs s hvinh pni buid supp cuu f susinbiiy. thy hv undn i n sin vu hi

    ffcivnss. w sus yu cnsid yin hs pcics, bu h yu mni nd ssss hi ffcivnss n u bsis.

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    Tembec, a forest products company, realized benets for its employees through external

    engagement and partnership activities. This has helped to embed sustainability in a

    company founded on strong social values.

    While many rms are reluctant to share proprietary dataespecially on issues facing

    regulatory uncertaintyTembec has embraced transparency and collaboration. It has

    partnered with the World Wildlife Fund and Natural Resources Canada to share data and

    evaluate the impact of various types of forestry practices on carbon management. The

    results are publicly shared so that other companies, environmental groups, government

    agencies and researchers can observe and learn from the initiative.

    Our people are very pleased to be involved in something that is quite different from

    their core responsibilities and yet integral to the future of our business, explained Chris

    McDonell, Tembecs Manager of Environmental and Aboriginal Relations. Its the kindof thing that were asked about in public meetings and we feel good to respond actively

    as opposed to saying climate change is the governments responsibility. We learn about

    emerging issues that were not part of our education, which increases our professional

    credibility. In this economic climate, there isnt a lot of space to learn and innovate but

    we make it work.

    Its the kind of thing that

    were asked about in public

    meetings and we feel good

    to respond actively as

    opposed to saying climate

    change is the governmentsresponsibility.

    develop metrics, monitor/track, report, share knowledge

    externally, collaborate with others, benchmark, reect

    Practices:

    Case Studies from Leading Organizations

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    Teck, a mining company, has created a cross-functional working group to develop its sustainability

    vision, strategy and action plan. This has resulted in an active, company-wide engagement in

    sustainability.

    We had begun hearing from our employees and sustainability report review panel. They wanted a

    clearer vision and strategy for sustainability, explained Carmen Turner, Leader, Sustainability at

    Teck. Then our CEO made sustainability leadership one of his top ve goals for the year, which was

    our call to action. But, rst we needed to dene where we wanted to go. People representing all parts

    of the organization need to have a say in such decisions. So, Teck invited Gran Carstedt, former

    president of Volvo and IKEA, to galvanize employees. He asked us what kind of company we want

    to be. After that presentation, I had such good feedbackpeople wanted to be part of creating a

    sustainable future. Teck also conducted in-depth interviews with employees across Canada to gain

    even more input on how to develop a clear vision and strategy and gain buy-in.

    Tecks sustainability group then populated a cross-functional working group. Participants were

    invited by our CEO. This set the tone for engagement, and theyve embraced the task. They meet on

    weekends and work late. They run with it because we invited them to engage in something that has

    meaning and purposesomething they want to be a part of.

    Turner recalled an anecdote that summed up how working groups were helping push their thinking

    on sustainability. We were discussing our efforts to create a culture of sustainability, much like weve

    created a culture of safety. It was noted that one difference between how we view safety and climate

    change is that with safety its unacceptable to have a fatality, but with climate change we talk only

    about how to reduce emissions incrementally. Why is it acceptable to have any emissions? The issuewas about dening success, and it was a totally different mind frame that resonated with everyone.

    Setting stretch goals initiates long-term thinking and creates room for innovation and creativity to nd

    new solutions.

    ... our CEO made

    sustainability leadership

    one of his top ve goals forthe year, which was our

    call to action. But, rst we

    needed to dene where wewanted to go.

    seek external help, ask, listen, dene sustainability, back-cast,

    frame, champion, educate, integrate into existing roles

    Practices:

    Case Studies from Leading Organizations

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    Canadian Pacifc (CP), a logistics and shipping company, implemented a campaign to reduce the

    use of bottled water and educate employees about broader sustainability issues.

    Grete Bridgewater, Director, Environmental Management Systems at CP, recalls: We launched with

    presentations and walk-aboutsyou could see discarded water bottles all over. The need to reduce our

    use was clear. CP used many tactics to get employees engaged. We provided information about the

    consequences of waste from bottles through our newsletter and our intranet. Employees saw pictures

    of mountains of water bottles and associated dollar amounts. We featured interviews on our intranet

    with employees saying now I understand and Im glad to be supporting the environment. But not

    everyone in the company has a desk and a computer, so other messaging and presentations come in

    handy.

    Bridgewater and her team made a conscious effort to link actions at work and actions at home. We

    drew lessons from think globally, act locally. You need to make a personal commitment. [We got]

    individual employees to feel they can participate and make a difference and see a connection much

    broader than one job and one taskto a greater community and a greater benet. Encouragement

    and rewards were also employed. We gave feedback about reduced consumption and encouraged

    [employees] to see that its doable. We translated that into so many fewer emissions, less waste to

    landlls, etc. We have a conference once a year with regional awards. Employees get recognized by

    coming to Calgary in front of senior management for a day. Senior managers also demonstrated their

    commitment to the initiative by making the switch to tap water at their meetings.

    Bridgewater concluded: We can modify our behaviourour employees reduced [bottled water

    consumption] by 30%!

    ... individual employeesto feel they can participate

    and make a difference and

    see a connection much

    broader than one job and

    one taskto a greater

    community and a greaterbenet.

    educate, link, recognize, model, tell stories, customize, repeat,

    monitor/track, report, share knowledge internally, ask

    Practices:

    Case Studies from Leading Organizations

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    Suncor, an integrated energy company, wanted to ensure they were consistently meeting their

    environmental commitments at various facilities. Given that Suncor merged with Petro-Canada in

    August 2009, adopting one company-wide approach was critical for dening the culture of the new

    Suncor.

    The rst step in the process was a strong management commitment to Operational Excellence,

    comprised of four elements: personal & process safety; reliability; people development; and

    sustainability & environmental excellence. Operational Excellence became a key strategic priority,

    and now all employees have goals associated with each element. In addition to this overarching

    internal approach, Suncor also publicly declared four environmental performance goals to focus its

    sustainability efforts.

    One aspect of Operational Excellence involves improved integration of compliance into existing

    business processes and roles, and the development of new business processes and systems to identifyand track compliance across the organization. Suncor sent a strong signal that compliance was

    important by placing senior managers with strong operational compliance records in key positions.

    These managers took a hands on approach by walking the walk. Training tools were developed and an

    effort is presently underway to ensure compliance training takes place across the organization. Finally,

    compliance targets were embedded into performance evaluations at all levels of the organization.

    Our investment in technology is a good example of operational excellence within Suncors culture.

    By deploying different technology, Suncor can improve our operations andreduce our environmental

    footprint, said Peter MacConnachie, Sr Sustainability Issues Management Specialist. A recent

    example is the development of our new tailings technology, TRO, which will allow us to reduce tailingsreclamation time by decades.

    ... By deploying different

    technology, Suncor canimprove our operations

    andreduce our

    environmental footprint

    commit, model, allocate resources, set goals, integrate into

    business processes and systems, integrate into existing roles,

    create new roles, train, incent, monitor/track, develop newbusiness processes

    Practices:

    Case Studies from Leading Organizations

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    ao h rh

    This research was inspired by the NBS Leadership Council, which gathers annually to identify the

    Priorities for Business Sustainability. The research team, led by Dr. Stephanie Bertels at Simon Fraser

    University, reviewed 13,756 academic and practitioner articles, narrowing them down to 179 relevant

    sources. These sources included 96 relevant materials on embedding sustainability (82 academic

    articles and 14 practitioner articles and books). Also included were 83 sources examining other types

    of organizational culture, such as safety and innovation. Using this set of sources, the researchersconducted extensive, detailed analysis and synthesis of the materials to extract the various practices

    that may support embedding sustainability.

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    b/gp a onw Pom impmo

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    Cic ddiin pcics h yu mih n cnsid,

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    th vw o pvo h p v h oow :

    Embedding sustainability in organizational culture is

    still an emerging eld of research. There has been a very

    limited amount of research that addresses the issue of

    embedding sustainability into organizational culture. This

    is an area where practice often leads theory.

    The research that has been conducted on embedding

    sustainability continues to be dominated by exploratory,

    case-based research with an emphasis on success stories.

    There is a lack of clear denitions (what academics call

    construct clarity) in this eldterms are used somewhat

    interchangeably and are often not dened.

    We encourage you to visit the full systematic review (www.nbs.

    net/knowledge/culture) for a detailed discussion of practices,

    case studies, and implications for research and practice.

    http://www.nbs.net/knowledge/culturehttp://www.nbs.net/knowledge/culturehttp://www.nbs.net/knowledge/culturehttp://www.nbs.net/knowledge/culture
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    Train

    Incent

    Assig

    nIn

    tegrate

    Co

    dif

    y

    frame

    tr

    igger

    champio

    n

    FormalPractices that establishrules and procedures

    InformalPractices that aect

    values and behaviours

    FulllmentPractices for delivering on

    current sustainabilitycommitments

    InnovationPractices that move theorganization further alongthe path to sustainability

    commit

    model

    allocateresources

    self-regulate

    adheretostandards

    accommodatework-life

    balance

    investincommunity

    supporteducatelinkchallengeleverage

    capturequickwinsrecognize

    knowledge

    internally

    knowledge

    externally

    collaborate

    withother

    s

    denes

    ustaina

    bility

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    st

    ask

    liste

    n

    seek

    extern

    alh

    elp

    expe

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    tellstories

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    recru

    itp

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    inform

    rep

    eat

    follo

    w-u

    p creat

    epo

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    ies

    set

    goa

    ls

    operatio

    na

    lize

    productd

    esign

    and

    lif

    ecycle

    mis

    sion

    ,visio

    na

    nd

    values

    strate

    gy

    and

    business

    pla

    ns

    b

    usiness

    pro

    cessesand

    syste

    ms

    existing

    role

    s

    senio

    rle

    aders

    create

    new

    role

    s

    trai

    n

    incen

    t

    inventory

    developm

    etrics

    monitor/

    track

    report

    verifyaudit

    scanbenchmark

    pilotlearnfromfailure

    reect

    busin

    essprocesses

    products&

    service

    s

    am too oem s

    Supported practices are listed in green

  • 8/4/2019 Executive Report Sustainability and Corporate Culture

    20/20

    20

    nbs Kow c

    ForadditionalresourcesvisittheNetworksKnowledgeCentreatnbs.net/knowledge

    ao h nwok

    A Canadian non-prot established in 2005, the Network for Business Sustainability produces authoritative resources on important sustainability issues

    with the goal of changing management practice. We unite thousands of researchers and professionals worldwide who believe in research-based

    practice and practice-based research.

    The Network is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Richard Ivey School of Business (at The University of

    Western Ontario), the Universit du Qubec Montral, and our Leadership Council.

    nbs lhp co

    The Networks Leadership Council is a group of Canadian sustainability leaders from diverse sectors. At an annual meeting, these leaders identify their

    top priorities in business sustainabilitythe issues on which their organizations need authoritative answers and reliable insights. Their sustainability

    priorities prompt each of the Networks research projects.

    Network for Business Sustainabilityc/o Richard Ivey School of Business,University of Western Ontario

    1151 Richmond St.,London, Ontario, Canada N6A 3K7519-661-2111 x80094

    Rseau entreprise et dveloppement durable

    Dpartement stratgie, responsabilit socialeet environnementale,

    cole des Sciences de la gestion,Universit du Qubec Montral

    315, rue Ste-Catherine Est, Montral, Qubec,

    Canada H2X 3X2514-987-3000 x7898


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