32
Identify a clear value creation goal: never implement a sustainability action without
fi rst identifying the value creation goals the given initiative will contribute to
achieve. The answer might be growth, enhanced reputation, improved risk management, or anything else, that is connected to value drivers generating business
value within the organization. So, before thinking about implementing any
LCM-based tools, fi rst answer the questions “for what purpose?”, or “what do
we want to achieve?” and map a pathway that carries these actions all the way
through to value creation for the organization.
Think how you can best achieve the identifi ed business value by reverse-engineering
the path to value creation. This should include links to value drivers, business
benefi ts, implementation strategies, and ultimately to identifying the appropriate
life cycle management tools to support a given sustainability initiative. One has
also to keep in mind that an organization is not homogeneous and needs are different depending on the department and place in the organizational hierarchy.
The right team to reach the objective: sustainability actions are transversal to different departments, which is one of the challenges, and building the right team is
important in order to ensure success. The team should include, at least a sponsor
or a pilot from the department that is expecting fi nal value creation (HR for
employee engagement, marketing for product positioning, etc.) and a representative from each department involved in the value creation path. If necessary, also
involve external stakeholders concerned by the value creation goal. Involve them
from the beginning, i.e. from the project scoping. In large organizations, where
sustainability actions are developed company-wide and are too large to be supported by a single team, they need to be subdivided into smaller actions and subtasks. Though each one of these sub-projects might not have a clear understanding
of the fi nal goal of the company, they all support the global goal and are to be
monitored by the overall project sponsor, through KPI and follow-up means.
Measurable indicators : defi ne appropriate KPIs for all the different steps of the
cause-effect chain, up to the value creation. The defi nition of indicators and target will fi rst align all participants on results that can be expected from the action
and will then help to follow the results.
References
Accenture and United Nations Global Compact (2013) The UN Global Compact–Accenture CEO
study on sustainability 2013: architects of a better world
Beiersdorf (2013) Our commitment to people. Accessed March 2015. http://www.beiersdorf.com/
sustainability/people/why-people
Bonini S, Görner S (2011) The business of sustainability: putting it into practice.
McKinsey&Company. Accessed Oct 2011. http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_
resources_materials/the_business_of_sustainability_mckinsey_global_survey_results
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
Noncommercial License, which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
S. Harbi et al.
Identify a clear value creation goal: never implement a sustainability action without
fi rst identifying the value creation goals the given initiative will contribute to
achieve. The answer might be growth, enhanced reputation, improved risk management, or anything else, that is connected to value drivers generating business
value within the organization. So, before thinking about implementing any
LCM-based tools, fi rst answer the questions “for what purpose?”, or “what do
we want to achieve?” and map a pathway that carries these actions all the way
through to value creation for the organization.
Think how you can best achieve the identifi ed business value by reverse-engineering
the path to value creation. This should include links to value drivers, business
benefi ts, implementation strategies, and ultimately to identifying the appropriate
life cycle management tools to support a given sustainability initiative. One has
also to keep in mind that an organization is not homogeneous and needs are different depending on the department and place in the organizational hierarchy.
The right team to reach the objective: sustainability actions are transversal to different departments, which is one of the challenges, and building the right team is
important in order to ensure success. The team should include, at least a sponsor
or a pilot from the department that is expecting fi nal value creation (HR for
employee engagement, marketing for product positioning, etc.) and a representative from each department involved in the value creation path. If necessary, also
involve external stakeholders concerned by the value creation goal. Involve them
from the beginning, i.e. from the project scoping. In large organizations, where
sustainability actions are developed company-wide and are too large to be supported by a single team, they need to be subdivided into smaller actions and subtasks. Though each one of these sub-projects might not have a clear understanding
of the fi nal goal of the company, they all support the global goal and are to be
monitored by the overall project sponsor, through KPI and follow-up means.
Measurable indicators : defi ne appropriate KPIs for all the different steps of the
cause-effect chain, up to the value creation. The defi nition of indicators and target will fi rst align all participants on results that can be expected from the action
and will then help to follow the results.
References
Accenture and United Nations Global Compact (2013) The UN Global Compact–Accenture CEO
study on sustainability 2013: architects of a better world
Beiersdorf (2013) Our commitment to people. Accessed March 2015. http://www.beiersdorf.com/
sustainability/people/why-people
Bonini S, Görner S (2011) The business of sustainability: putting it into practice.
McKinsey&Company. Accessed Oct 2011. http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/energy_
resources_materials/the_business_of_sustainability_mckinsey_global_survey_results
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
Noncommercial License, which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
S. Harbi et al.