Sustainable organizations contribute to society

Sustainability is a commitment to ethical behavior in three areas of responsibility: economic, social, and environmental. This effort is an environmental and human focus that is profitable for the organization. Sustainable organizations create value and long-term stability while contributing to society at large.

Use the Five Ps to view sustainability systemically

The Five Ps model illustrates how you can view the value of sustainability systemically. The model illustrates how you can integrate the value throughout the organization.  

Where is sustainability in your Core Culture?

• First, is sustainability a core principle guiding the organization? If so, it can be either a part of the organization’s Purpose, Philosophy or Priorities.
  • If sustainability is the organization’s:
    • Purpose, then it is why the organization is in business–the reason it was established.
    • Philosophy, then it is a distinctive value of the organization that has endured over the years. It guides how employees do their work.
    • Strategic Priority, then it is a goal that the organization wants to focus on and pay attention to in order to be competitive and thrive.

Align Practices and Projections with sustainability

• If sustainability is a core principle, then, you must infuse the value in the Internal Practices of the organization. It must guide employee interactions and how they do their work.
• Additionally, you must infuse sustainability in the External Practices of the organization. This means that sustainability guides the products and services provided by the organization as well as serves as a guiding principle for selecting customers, vendors and business partners.
• And finally, you must reflect the value of sustainability in the Projections. To clarify, these are the images that the organization projects to the public. For example, they include the image of the organization’s offices or stores and the organization’s marketing, pr and advertising.

Without viewing sustainability through the Five Ps, the value of sustainability may be seen as fragmented. It would have limited impact. In contrast, when it is part of the Core Culture, sustainability is a value that is core to the organization and embedded in all the Practices and Projections of it.