Biography:
Diana Herr is a Senior Manager at CPC AG and heads the sustainability transformation team. She focuses on change management, project and programme management (PMP, scrum.org), organisational development, digital transformation, sustainability and international rollout. Together with her team she developed “SustainABLE”, a change management methodology for sustainability projects.
Ambitious sustainability goals – how do we implement them?
We have set ourselves ambitious sustainability goals, but how do we achieve a real, successful transformation in which everyone comes along?
The goal of sustainability has arrived in most companies. For many clients and applicants, a company's sustainable business practices have long ceased to be a motivator and are now a hygiene factor. For investors, too, the topic is gaining importance. Ambitious sustainability goals with a fitting, clear strategy for achieving them are important for this. What often gets stuck, however, is the actual implementation of this strategy with the entire organization. For a successful sustainability transformation, we need the motivation, the creative ideas and the drive of employees.
Co-creation and innovation for real sustainability change
From the supply chain through technical infrastructure, real estate and energy management to employees' environmentally friendly commutes – potential lies in all areas of the organization. But sometimes it is hard to make a start.
It takes a holistic approach that considers the organization as a whole. Sustainability or corporate social responsibility departments must work more closely together with specialist departments, but also with organizational development, culture initiatives and top management. Different viewpoints and areas of expertise make it possible to develop creative solutions for complex problems.
For this, consistency within the organization is needed between vision and leadership, culture and processes.
Also important is good innovation and idea management that involves as many employees as possible. So far, sustainable business practices play a subordinate role, or none at all, in the work of most employees. Yet tackling the challenges together is the success factor. We want to create awareness, break up silos and strengthen co-creation.
Change management as a success factor for sustainability projects
Challenges such as a lack of awareness and silo thinking are not new; they show themselves to us as change consultants just the same in other major transformations, e.g. through digitalization for municipalities or agilization. To address employees, engage them mentally and move them into active doing, off-the-shelf solutions do not help, but rather measures tailored individually to the organization.
As a Hidden Champion in change management, in organizational design we put people at the centre, because we are convinced that they are able to shape their organization to be future-proof and successful.
Are you interested in the topic and need change management for your sustainable transformation?
