| Popis: |
In the last 25 years, the pressure for businesses to operate in ways which are more environmentally sustainable has increased markedly. Calls for change are coming from numerous fronts: government, environmental groups, citizen action coalitions, and the marketplace itself. Responses from industry range from reactive resistance to enthusiastic acceptance, with the large majority of companies still pursuing a position of minimum compliance with regulatory requirements. However, some companies are seeking to go beyond mere compliance and are proactively pursuing long-term environmentally friendly ways of operating. Several of these companies are the subject of this study. There is a need to understand more completely the challenges and lessons learned in the process of attempting to become more environmentally sustainable. Five companies were chosen as firms which have achieved significant success at creating and implementing visions for change toward this end. They are large companies, each with annual sales in excess of 500 million. Eight challenges inherent in implementing any organizational change were examined in the context of environmental improvement efforts. These are: the perceived cost of the status quo (motivation for change); vision clarity; sponsorship; change agent skills; culture/organization alignment; the response of those who actually have to change (targets); internal/external events; and the creation of effective transition management plans. The design of the study is qualitative in nature, using quasi-structured interviews and thematic analysis of written materials as the data gathering methods. Interviewees were selected primarily from the senior management ranks, due to their comprehensive view of the organization. Results indicate that a top-driven change implementation strategy is effective and essential to create shared vision and mobilize the necessary sponsorship within the various parts of the organization. Line managers must be held accountable for measurable improvements in the day to day operations of their units, and environmental management issues need to be integrated into the normal strategic and tactical planning processes. It is also vital to align the performance management and compensation systems with the direction of the change. Finally, the path to environmental sustainability is context-dependent, meaning that every company's situation, technologies, and processes are different and necessitate a unique response. There is no "one best way" to succeed at environmentally-oriented organizational change. The final chapter takes a macro view of the global environmental situation and concludes that though there are some positive examples of individual companies' improvement efforts, it will ultimately prove to be too little too late. The real problem concerns incorrect price signals in the marketplace which guide customers to reward the lowest cost producers, who also happen to hurt the environment the most. A remedy is suggested to address this fundamental problem |
