Tick-the-Box?

The current reality around Sustainability is that there is a real danger of it becoming a ‘tick-the-box’ function without any real deeper evaluation and accountability of truly what is longer term impact on the organization, the environment and associated communities. This is due in part to the structure of current reporting and submissions on behalf of companies. There is no real or effective framework and mechanism for measuring and monitoring accountability and longer-term commitment beyond immediate profit generation and ‘good’ marketing and communications.

Missed Opportunities

As a result, there are missed opportunities to create real and lasting change, grow revenues, the bottom line, through initiatives that are driven from within communities and will have a substantial and positive affect on the environment and its community. In many organizations, innovation and creativity are stifled and opportunities for employees to participate in sustainability or community focused initiatives are limited to marketing worthy opportunities rather than impactful ones.

Why is that?

The consequences of the last century of industrialization have played a prominent role in defining what makes a twenty-first century company successful. When we look at those companies that are successful today, what do we see? With most, it is the ability to innovate and to anticipate change -- commercially, socially, and technologically. It is being a good ‘corporate’ citizen: being aware of the environmental impacts of doing business and accepting that society is directly affected by the activities of the company. This is critical to the successful company today.

But it’s more than simply ‘being aware’ and ‘accepting.’ Good intentions are not enough in a world where the market has access to unlimited data and information; where ‘green washing’ and 'ticking-the-box' are obvious and public push-back can have a profound impact on a company’s ability to thrive.

Sustainability?

When we, at Manzimvula®, talk about Sustainability we include a broader definition in our interpretation of the term to include Corporate Responsibility, which to us seems evident and inherent in the practice of sustainability. The key word here being 'practice'. What drives us and what we measure ourselves by is feet on the ground, side by side with members of the communities we serve and the outcomes they achieve and determine to be successful.

Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility can be viewed as the manner, as well as the environment and circumstance in which, organizations create shared value in their broader organizational communities through direct community engagement, community economic development, stakeholder collaboration, joint policy and governance development, environmental improvement and resilience practices and programs. It is with this ‘definition’ in mind that Manzimvula developed it’s Collaborative Community Development Model™, which is a comprehensive, integrated and phased approach to Community Development implemented over a period of time, typically 5 years or more, and driven from within the communities we serve.

Creating the foundation

One important foundation of Manzimvula’s® Collaborative Community Development Model™ (CCDM) is creating the Mindset of Sustainability™. Our program focuses on understanding and developing how people think and act in their current environment and circumstance with less of a focus on corporate culture itself except to understand it and accept that it exists in the current decision making matrix. This is an important point and distinction; one we feel is critical to understand and more importantly to adopt in order to maintain the energy and drive necessary to generate stated and desired results and outcomes. The focus on mindset sustains innovation and instills a passion in individuals that creates resilience and sustainable thinking within and across the organizational community. What is the difference between 'Mindset' and 'Culture' as part of the decision-making and corporate strategy process?

Mindset versus Culture

Here's one way to answer that question: An interesting way to compare mindset and culture is to understand that in a culture things happen because that is how people have ‘learned’ to do things and is what has become the acceptable norm or practice, the status qou and as such it is stagnant. Mindset is more intuitive, action-oriented and solution oriented. It 'lives' in the now, is fluid and adapts to current opportunities to create viable, real solutions. When we build and develop mindset, we turn on the lights, so to speak, and see the opportunities around us to create solutions that are both creative and innovative.

Your Comments:Let us know what you think. For more information and to find out more about our work and how we can support your organization, please contact us using the information provided below.

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Manzimvula® is a values-based as a consulting practice and a Certified B Corporation, and specializes in sustainability and corporate responsibility. To stimulate ingenuity and create growth, we work alongside our clients, guiding them through our Purposeful Path to Sustainability Program™ utilizing our Integrative Strategy Approach™ to help them engage their organization at a deeper level to understand mindset and create alignment with core strategies and principles.

For more information please contact us at:

e-mail: info@manzimvula.com