This document outlines five ways for organizations to move towards next-stage sustainability: 1) find allies in unlikely places, 2) frame sustainability in different ways to different audiences, 3) recognize future trends from across the organization, 4) be prepared to act on opportunities, and 5) challenge the culture to support innovative, long-term value creation. Sustainability leaders provide examples of how they implement these strategies at their companies to advance sustainability goals.

1. Five Ways to Move Your Organization to Next-Stage Sustainability
Paige SoffenandTrishaKing
September21,2015
Overthe nexttwoweeks,headsof state,dignitaries,andcorporateexecutiveswilldescendonManhattan,
NewYork,for the UnitedNations General Assemblymeeting,the launchof the Sustainable Development
Goals,the ClintonGlobal InitiativeAnnualMeeting,andthe firstevervisitfromPopeFrancis.Eachof these
events, at its core, focuses on creating better conditions for global society to thrive.
As the most powerful institution of our day,
business, with its capacity to create social,
environmental, and economic value for wider
society, should listen closelyand take notes as
these events unfold. Fortunately, many global
companiesare alreadywell ontheirwaytoward
developing their own plans for aligning their
business strategies with the common good.
Below, we share insightsfrom top sustainability
strategists, each a member of the Aspen
Institute Business&SocietyLeadersForum,who
are helping their companies move beyond
incremental change — to addressing global
social and environmental issues at a systems
level.
1. Look for allies in unlikely places and become one yourself.
You can’t move the needle alone. The best sustainability strategists look for untapped resources and
unlikelyalliestohelppropelthe sustainabilityagendaforward.Assuch,itisimportanttothinkdeeplyand
strategically about which departments and individuals you might be able to work with in new and
innovative ways.
Talya Bosch, vice president of internal
communicationsandsocial venturesatWestern
Union,has a strong partnershipwithherhuman
resourcesdepartment.“AtWesternUnion,”she
said,“the degree towhichan employee exhibits
behaviors consistent with the company’s
responsibility goals is a metric included in
employee performance reviews.”
When Michael Kobori, vice president of sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co., needs to generate new
approachesto marketingandsellingsustainability,he lookstohise-commerce andretail colleagueswho
have become unexpected allies. “Colleagues in these functions are seeking new and innovative ways to
engage consumers and we are able to create some exciting programs withthem, including our clothing
recycling initiative, which launched in all our US retail stores last month,” he said.

2. Asimportantasitistofindallies,Koborinotesthatitisalsoessentialtobe one yourself.“Insteadof asking
who your best allies are, ask yourself if you are the right ally for others to help drive the business,” he
said. “Do you really understandpricing,supplychain, regulations, and compliance? Sometimes in order
to close loops and build bridges, we first need to acquire more knowledge.”
2. Frame, re-frame, and frame again.
Be readyto tell yourstory 10 differentwaysto 10 differentinfluencers.Youwill needthemall on board
inorderto reachnextstage corporate sustainability.Whatframe bestexplainsthe businessimperative to
each influencer?Isit operational efficiency,consumerdemand,internal culture,resource availability,or
disaster preparedness/resilience?
Nicola Acutt, Vice President of global
sustainability strategy and giving at VMware,
connects sustainabilityto one of the company’s
core technologies: virtualization software. “A
key value proposition for the software has
alwaysbeenthatithelpscustomersreducecosts
because theycan linkseveral operatingsystems
and applicationstorunonone physical serveror
‘host,’” Acutt said, “Working with our business
leads is critical to framing the environmental
benefits associated with our software solutions
in a way that is relevant and compelling to
customers and partners.”
At the same time, Acutt also works closely with HR executives to connect her work with the company’s
culture, values, and employee experience because “sustainability is a talent and employment brand
differentiator.”Asa resultof usingmultiple framestoillustratethe value of sustainability,she hasfound
business leaders across functions are enthusiastic to support the company’s sustainability strategy.
3. Recognize signals.
As a cross-functional leader within your company, you should begin to see yourself as an intelligence
gatherer. Become an expert at synthesizing information and data from across your organization and
picking up on signs and future trends. Take Mark Weick, director of sustainability at Dow: he believes
“trendspotting” is an essential aspect of his job. “Sometimes we think an issue is just social or
environmental… until it becomes an economic one,” he said. “Forecasting when the social or
environmental issuewillbecome economic— and developingproducts,services,andpracticesbasedon
those signals — is key to advancing next-stage sustainability within your organization.”
“We view futures thinking as an essential skill for 21st century leaders in citizenship — after all,
sustainability at its core is about creating a brighter future for the world,” said Aaron Frank, director of
corporate citizenshipatDisney.“We’ve builtateamof practitionerswithincitizenshipatDisneytofocus
on developing this skill. We invest in the team through focused trainings and applied learning
opportunities.Inturn,theydedicatetimetoidentifyingthelatesttrendsthatmayaffectourbusinessand
citizenship efforts.”
4. Be ready to act at a moment’s notice.

3. As an executive working within a large, complex organization — often with competing priorities and an
infinite numberof projectsthatneedfunding — you mustbe readyto pitch,frame,woo,and cajole at a
moment’snotice.Youneverknowwhenyou mightsee an opportunitytostrategicallypushyourideaor
program into the spotlight. Hesitate and the opportunity might disappear. That is why, as one Leaders
Forum member said, “Planned opportunism is the key.”
5. Dare to challenge the culture.
Creatinga culture that supportsinnovative,long-termvalue creationismissioncritical toreaching next-
stage corporate sustainability. “It goes beyond building a culture that allows people to be creative,
celebrate success,andlearnfromfailure,”saidone Forummember.“Whenitcomestochangingculture,
youhave to be constructivelydissatisfied...Withthatstance youwill avoidcomplacencyandstayvigilant
for opportunities to adapt and change."
Although you can’t actually prototype culture itself, companies can prototype things like strategy,
structure, process, and incentives to see if they lead to the desired behaviors in the organization.
Members of the Leaders Forum are thinking deeply about how to cultivate this culture within their
companies. One critical lever is hiring and retaining employees that support this culture. In early 2016,
the Business and Society Program plans to continue exploring how HR/talent practices contribute to a
culture that supports next-stage corporate sustainability. Stay tuned and visit the Leaders Forum
webpages for more information.
Voices is a periodic series reflecting the expertise of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Leaders
Forum. The Forum, created in 2012, is a working platform for senior sustainability executives.
Paige Soffen is a senior program associate at the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program (BSP).
Trisha King is a program coordinator at BSP.
For citation and referencing this blog in APA format
Soffen,P.,&King,T. (2015). Five waysto move yourorganizationtonext-stage sustainability.TheAspen
Idea Blog, September21, 2015. Availableat:http://www.aspeninstitute.org/about/blog/5-ways-
move-your-organization-next-stage-sustainability.Retrievedon:October24, 2015.