Strategy is Only a Start – Making It Happen is What Counts

There's a lot of strategic thinking going on in the corporate sustainability world. However, there is little to no traction for this strategy at the local facilities. This is a huge problem since the so-called license to operate is won or lost at the local level. To a local facility in a location far from the corporate office, strategy is viewed as an unfunded mandate. If local businesses are independent of a corporate office, there is precious little time for strategy.

The current world financial situation has put the brakes on sustainability strategy in many companies. It is time to get back to the basics of cutting costs and making operations more effective and efficient. It is this current focus on the "leaning" of business that has been successful for many operational people for over a decade.

There are five basics for the journey to sustainability at the local level:
1.      Business continuity and risk management
2.      Responsibility
3.      Conformance and Compliance
4.      Performance
5.      Continual Improvement

These basics are rarely noted in the sustainability strategy.

Business Continuity. This represents the long term thinking. Business plan for all sorts of calamities: tornados, hurricanes, fires, floods, power outages and strikes. These events pose operational risks to the business. Management, workers and all stakeholders have little appetite for risk. Sustainability strategists spend all of their time on producing results at the top line and the bottom line to promote change. One bad risk can eliminate their gains in a fateful second. More attention needs to be given to the management of operational, regulatory and reputational risk. There are risk management system standards that can be used for this purpose. Attention to risk management will help assure business continuity even with fluctuations in the economy, changing social norms, new regulation and intense weather events.