Leading Change Toward Sustainability

1. Leading Change Toward Sustainability POLI 319 Class 16 Organizational Sustainability P. Brian Fisher

2. Keys to Org Sustainability • How do you transform your organization from top to bottom so that your vision of sustainability drives everyday decision-making and defines short and long-term success? • Vision and Leadership are key. • Vision: exemplary orgs are exceptionally clear about their purpose • Leadership: Effective leaders set the tone, defining their orgs with clarity of their vision, conviction and commitment. • Vision provides the goal; principles frame the path

3. 7 Key Levers for Change to Sustainability • Alter the thinking, assumptions, beliefs on org functioning • Alter the planning and decision-making (by getting people with different attributes and views involved) • Reorient the vision, goals and guiding principles of org • Restructure the strategies to achieve goals/mission • Shift the flow of info to service new sustainability-based vision, goals, and strategies • Improve the org’s capacity to learn • Embed new vision, goals and strategies in standard op procedure

4. 3 Key Principles for Successful Sustainability Org • 1. Sufficient tension between a desired state and current conditions—constant striving for improvement • No tension, no change  basic systems thinking • 2. people involved in org must have “self-efficacy”  must believe they can successfully implement the changes to close the tension gap • Constant learning is the core element • 3. People must believe that the benefits of the new approach outweigh the downsides by at least 2 to 1. • Participants must see two upsides for every downside to the shift

5. Focus on Cities • 75% of world’s emissions are from cities • More power at municipal level • Can see across differences easier • Fewer political barriers • Enhances local • Need networked regional approach to be sustainable • Cities and Organizations are the key to transformation