1st Edition
Becoming a Sustainable Organization A Project and Portfolio Management Approach
Organizations find that a performance gap exists between sustainability vision and benefits realization. Effecting transformational change requires incorporating sustainability into organization’s culture including policies, processes, and people. Although they are often overlooked, project management professionals and HR professionals are valuable organizational resources for driving sustainable transformation. This book lays out a framework to improve sustainability integrations including case studies, lessons learned, best practices, and tools and templates to facilitate transforming into a sustainable organization.
Becoming a Sustainable Organization: A Project and Portfolio Management Approach lays out a framework to create organizational value while preserving natural and social capital. The book provides a roadmap for organizations during their sustainability journey by sharing case studies, best practices, and lessons learned, as well as tools and techniques to drive change.
This book is an ideal resource for project and portfolio managers, as well as executive managers, in organizations that are embarking on a sustainability journey. It explains how to engage both internal and external stakeholders in order to reframe strategy to drive this transformation. It examines the role human capital management professionals and policies can play in ensuring that employees become fully engaged in sustainability. It also recommends baseline measurements and metrics to help managers ensure sustainability initiatives remain on track.
The case studies and interviews in this book include sustainability stories and projects from a variety of organizations in both function and size, including family-owned businesses, higher-education institutions, NGOs, municipal and federal government agencies, and large global organizations. These cases are based on interviews with experienced sustainability and project management professionals who have not just "talked the talk" but also "walked the walk."
The voices of these professionals provide invaluable inspiration and guidance to sustainability champions and to program and project managers seeking to move their sustainability portfolio components forward within their organizations.
What Is Sustainability? Why Does It Matter?
Defining Sustainability
History of Sustainability
Sustainability in Business
Social Capital
Natural Capital
Megatrends
Natural Resource Scarcity
Climate Change
Population Growth, Urbanization, and Demographic Change
Global Connectivity and Information Transparency
Stakeholder Interest in Sustainability
Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Impact
Conclusion
Notes
Building the Business Case for Sustainability
Sustainable Strategy Drives Value
CEO Perspective
Financial Performance/Competitive Advantage
Managing Risk
Climate Change Risk
Creating New Opportunities and Products
Access to Capital
Engaging Stakeholders
Competitive Ratings and Rankings
Operational Improvements and Energy Savings
Project and Portfolio Management Impact
Conclusion
Notes
Gaining Stakeholder and C-Suite Support and Sponsorship
Creating Value through Sustainable Strategy
Planning for Sustainability Success
The Sustainability Journey
Building the Case for Sustainability
Engaging the C-Suite
Finding a Champion in the C-Suite
Materiality
Barriers to Adoption
Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Impact
A Conversation about Engaging the C-Suite
Conclusion
Notes
Alignment of Business and Sustainability Strategy Creates Sustainable Strategy
Alignment of Business and Sustainable Strategy
Creating and Implementing Sustainable Strategy
Organizational Alignment
Portfolio Management Selection to Promote Alignment
Alignment of Programs and Projects with Sustainability Vision
Materiality Supports Alignment
Developing a Framework to Promote Sustainability
Value Creation Drivers
Aligning Programs and Projects with Sustainable Strategy
Conclusion
Notes
Project Management Techniques Inform Sustainable Strategy Development
Project Manager Barriers to Effectively Managing Sustainability
Project Management Maturity and the Sustainability Journey
Sustainability Project Charter
Sustainability Drivers
Sustainability Assessment
Sustainability Continuum
Harness the Power of Project Management
Scope, Time, and Cost
Building Sustainability into All Projects
Program Management
Conclusion
Notes
Creating a Culture of Sustainability
Organizational Culture
Culture of Sustainability
Defining Sustainability as a Core Value
Benefit Corporations
Creating a Culture of Sustainability
Misalignment of Values and Actions
Establishing Goals
Create a Team
Internal Stakeholder Adoption
Metrics to Drive Change
Best Practices
Portfolio, Program, and Project Manager Perspective
Conclusion
Notes
Portfolio Management Supports Strategic Sustainability Alignment
The Portfolio Analysis Process
Identifying the Portfolio Management Process
Sustainability Portfolio Assessment
Communication of Goals and Drivers to Stakeholders
Portfolio Management Alignment
Creating a Supportive Organizational Structure
Portfolio Component Selection
Types of Components
Incorporating Lessons Learned
Conclusion
Notes
Identifying and Engaging External Stakeholders
Impact of Engagement
Creating an Engagement Plan
Identifying Stakeholders and Collecting Requirements
Engaging Stakeholders to Identify Needs and Define Requirements
The Stakeholder Engagement Process
Identifying Key Stakeholders
Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Impact
Conclusion
Notes
Leveraging Organizational Relationships and Assets
Impact of an Organization’s Sustainability Maturity on Stakeholder Engagement
Managing Internal Stakeholders
Engaging Function Business Leaders
Internal Stakeholder Drivers for Sustainability
Best Practices for Engagement
Measuring Engagement
Project, Program, and Portfolio Management Impact
Conclusion
Notes
Leveraging Human Capital Professionals
Human Capital Relevance in Reporting Frameworks
Human Resource Alignment
Impacting Global Challenges
Employee Engagement
Creating Business Value
Integrating Sustainability into Human Capital Management
Relevance to Project Management Professionals
Conclusion
Notes
Adopting a Culture of Change to Unlock the Benefits of Sustainable Strategy
Organizational Structure for Change
Change Management Plan
Barriers to Project Success
Communication Plan
Engaging Stakeholders in the Change Process
Human Capital Advantage
Conclusion
Notes
Sustainable Strategy as a Lever to Attract, Engage, and Retain the Workforce
The Value of Engagement
Building a Sustainable Workforce
Creating a Sustainable Workplace
Employee and Team Engagement
Best Practices to Embed Sustainability and Maximize Engagement
Project and Portfolio Perspective
Case Study: How the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Engaged Employees on Commuting Habits and Effected Change
Conclusion
Notes
Tools and Techniques to Embed Sustainability
Resources
Benchmarking Organizational Sustainability
Opportunities for Employee Engagement
Continuous Improvement Plan
Impact of Maturing on the Sustainability Continuum
Promoting Plug-in Vehicle Adoption by Employees by Developing Workplace Charging Stations
Creating a Sustainable Culture
Diversity as a Cornerstone of Sustainability
Programs to Support D&I
Conclusion
Notes
Selecting Goals and Metrics that Matter
Alignment of Strategy, Goals, and Metrics
Reporting Standards and Frameworks
Selecting Meaningful Metrics
Meaningful Metrics Drive Engagement
Data Quality and Accuracy
Role for Technology
Portfolio, Program, and Project Management Impact
UVM Case Study: STARS Project21
Conclusion
Notes
Celebrating Success
Impact of Incentives
Gamification
Employee Resource and Affinity Groups
Culture of Sustainability
Promoting Project Team Success
Sonoma County Winegrowers Celebrate Sustainability
The Sustainability Continuum Impact
Conclusion
Notes
Index
Biography
Kristina Kohl is the managing principal of HRComputes, a management consulting firm that provides strategic guidance, program, and project management to corporate clients in order to maximize their human capital investment through technology and change management. Kristina leads the Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Strategy practice for the firm and provides strategic guidance to senior management on the value proposition of adopting a sustainable strategy. HRComputes is a registered New Jersey Sustainable Business, WBE, and SBE. They are recipients of the Gotham Green Award for sustainable strategy and earned a certificate of recognition from the New Jersey EPA for sustainability innovation.
Kristina speaks at industry events including the PMI Global Conference and the Society for Human Resource Management Global Conference. In addition, she has been a guest lecturer for the University of Pennsylvania, La Salle University, and the Project Management Institute. She has authored white papers and articles for online publications of Project Management.com, Sustainable Brands, and the Wharton Magazine.