Institutionalizing sustainability into organizational culture is becoming increasingly relevant as corporations begin to enhance on their sustainability strategies and practices. Corporate sustainability has grown away from a compartmentalized business unit into a more integrated and diverse medium for delivering on business strategy and value. The Network for Business Sustainability recently completed a comprehensive review of information on organizational culture and sustainability and compiled the information to produce a framework detailing how to implement a culture of sustainability within any organization. This framework takes a broad ‘portfolio approach’ that includes four main categories:

1. Foster Employee Engagement and Commitment:  By creating support for employees who are integrating sustainability into their lives, they will feel more committed to supporting corporate efforts.

• Key Words:  Engage, Model Behaviour, Allocate Resources, Communicate, Manage Talent, and Reinforce Good Behaviour. 

2. Clarify Expectations and Process: Clarifying expectations into more formal practices/processes will help guide the organization and its people towards developing a culture of sustainability. The development of policies, the assignment of senior staff accountability and the creation of sustainability roles throughout the organization can empower employees to lead their company in a structured way towards becoming more sustainable. 

• Key Words:  Create Policy, Integrate, Assign Accountability, Train, Incent, Assess, Verify/Audit. 

3. Build Momentum for Change:  It is important to support a culture of innovation by creating the space for employees to develop new ideas that will bring the corporation closer to its sustainability goals. 

• Key Words:  Raise Awareness, Develop Champions, Invite Expertise (internally / externally), Experiment, Re-envision, Share Knowledge. 

4. Instil Capacity for Change:  Finally, organizations should create structures that allow the organization to evolve over time.  This means developing the rules and procedures that lead to innovation. 

• Key Words:  Learn (benchmark, scan best practice. pilot, continuous improvement), Develop (New Process, Products, Services). 

By guest author Caitlyn Collyer, caitlyncollyer@hotmail.com & Steven Pacifico, spacifico@delphi.ca