The more a company moves toward and enters into innovation, sustainability becomes a part of the fabric and culture of the organizational culture.
Company's are expanding the role of Chief Sustainability Officer at an ever-increasing rate. They are finding that the CSO's strategic role in corporate governance is more and more important in the public's eyes as well as investors. The expanding role of CSO's is influencing, empowering, and enabling companies to structure themselves to better attract sustainably-minded Gen X and high-performing Millennial and Gen Z talent.
CSO's are also bolstering unity in diversity and cohesion as well. "Our interview data suggest that their responsibility evolves to tasks that relate to forging a strong culture and unifying the different subcultures inside the firm", Miller & Serafeim, Harvard Business School.
This influence will empower and enable the company's structure to better align and stay in alignment as it moves toward fulling its innovative vision, mission, and growth goals (Miller & Serafeim, 2014, p. 19). Lateral thinking accelerates the creative process. Lateral capability is closely linked to empowering employees. It enables decisions on the front lines and people working together across functional lines (Galbraith, Downey, & Kates, 2002). This deepens feelings of individual responsibility and fosters a culture of corporate, environmental, and social responsibility.
If you are sustainably minded, you may want to look at becoming a "B Corporation" or have a local college or university student write an "Aim2Flourish" article about your company. There are over 2000 Aim2FLourish companies whose motto is "Doing well while doing good".
"Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by the government and nonprofits alone...By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment. B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good." https://bcorporation.net/about-b-corps
You can read more about this trend by searching "Environmental, Social, and Governance" (ESG) or by visiting, www.aim2flourish.com
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