In the article from 2th of May 2013 you read about the insights I gained from reading the thesis of Elli Verhulst “The human side of sustainable design implementation from the perspective of change management”. Today you can read how you can implement the gained insights.
A key aspect in implementing sustainable development within firms is communication.
“Within literature on change management, a need for clear and regular communication is emphasised on subjects such as the drivers for and advantages of the changes, the vision and strategy, the planning and provisional results and the impact of the changes on employees (e.g. Hiatt and Creasey, 2003). The content and the order of communicating is nicely illustrated in one of the cases in the study:
‘First you need to say why the change is needed. Then you communicate what will change. Then you need to make it feasible, which means that you put it into documentation, already prepared for them, and then you need to train them.’ ” [p223]
A key aspect in implementing sustainable development within firms is communication.
“Within literature on change management, a need for clear and regular communication is emphasised on subjects such as the drivers for and advantages of the changes, the vision and strategy, the planning and provisional results and the impact of the changes on employees (e.g. Hiatt and Creasey, 2003). The content and the order of communicating is nicely illustrated in one of the cases in the study:
‘First you need to say why the change is needed. Then you communicate what will change. Then you need to make it feasible, which means that you put it into documentation, already prepared for them, and then you need to train them.’ ” [p223]
“Another element that has been indicated as important is to inform employees on how previous activities and possible provisional results fit into the (new) framework for sustainability inside the firm. The last element is mentioned as important in order to show employees that they are already doing a good job and that the changes are not necessarily equal to more work, i.e. to raise understanding of the situation and simultaneously lower resistance. In this manner the changes get approached in a constructive manner.” [p225]
“The timing for communicating and spreading issues on sustainability was mentioned (in the thesis) as something that is difficult to predict or plan. Informing employees too early on sustainability issues was indicated to lead to discomfort, resistance or a lack of interest because of the intangibility of the subject. Waiting too long on the other hand was indicated to lead to resistance as a result of employees feeling excluded from the process. However, a ‘right moment’ could not be pointed out.” [p229]
” Kotter and Schlesinger (1973) describe that people resist change when they do not understand the implications of a change and when they perceive that it will cost them more than they will gain.” [p59] Therefore it is important to answer the question “why” a change towards sustainable design is needed by informing the employees on the goals, plans and progress of the changes.
“The data (from the study) shows that empowering the employees gains importance on the moment when people have to start changing their daily working habits in order to reach the new sustainability goals. On that moment, the assignment of responsibility and the provision of training and support for the newly involved employees comes into play.” [p272]
“Management support was indicated in several cases as a factor that can speed up the implementation process and that makes it easier to broaden the ideas behind sustainability and the application thereof in practice to a larger group of employees.” [p210]
Thereby it is very important to communicate in the departments’ own language. Working with ambassadors in each department can lower resistance and stimulate implementation of sustainability, as they are ‘one of the group’. “They not only support the spreading of knowledge, but they also provide a spreading of responsibility, develop the skills needed, apply these skills in projects and by supporting colleagues, and they encourage other employees to get involved.” [p255]
“The timing for communicating and spreading issues on sustainability was mentioned (in the thesis) as something that is difficult to predict or plan. Informing employees too early on sustainability issues was indicated to lead to discomfort, resistance or a lack of interest because of the intangibility of the subject. Waiting too long on the other hand was indicated to lead to resistance as a result of employees feeling excluded from the process. However, a ‘right moment’ could not be pointed out.” [p229]
” Kotter and Schlesinger (1973) describe that people resist change when they do not understand the implications of a change and when they perceive that it will cost them more than they will gain.” [p59] Therefore it is important to answer the question “why” a change towards sustainable design is needed by informing the employees on the goals, plans and progress of the changes.
“The data (from the study) shows that empowering the employees gains importance on the moment when people have to start changing their daily working habits in order to reach the new sustainability goals. On that moment, the assignment of responsibility and the provision of training and support for the newly involved employees comes into play.” [p272]
“Management support was indicated in several cases as a factor that can speed up the implementation process and that makes it easier to broaden the ideas behind sustainability and the application thereof in practice to a larger group of employees.” [p210]
Thereby it is very important to communicate in the departments’ own language. Working with ambassadors in each department can lower resistance and stimulate implementation of sustainability, as they are ‘one of the group’. “They not only support the spreading of knowledge, but they also provide a spreading of responsibility, develop the skills needed, apply these skills in projects and by supporting colleagues, and they encourage other employees to get involved.” [p255]
How to continue?
“Based on the study results, the study indicates that it is advisable to start with a small but pro-active team that cooperates in some independent projects that have specific sustainability goals in product development. After some successful projects, it is advised to develop a general vision and strategy on sustainable design and sustainability in the firm, if one aims at bringing sustainability issues to several levels and departments of the firm. The study results also recommend to incorporate the four clusters of human factors (1.resistance against change, 2.communication on the change, 3.empowerment and involvement of employees and 4.organisational culture) in the different implementation stages and to consider them as equally important as methodological and technical issues that need to be tackled during the implementation of sustainability criteria in product development. It is thereby advocated to take account of the specific departments and employees involved.” [p279]
“The study results also indicate that it might be advantageous to gather insights in the sorts of resistance, the underlying reasons, as well as to consider possible ways to deal with the resistance in case it occurs in the different stages of the implementation process. It might be helpful to keep in mind that sustainability as the subject of change seldom creates resistance.” [p280]
“Based on the study results, the study indicates that it is advisable to start with a small but pro-active team that cooperates in some independent projects that have specific sustainability goals in product development. After some successful projects, it is advised to develop a general vision and strategy on sustainable design and sustainability in the firm, if one aims at bringing sustainability issues to several levels and departments of the firm. The study results also recommend to incorporate the four clusters of human factors (1.resistance against change, 2.communication on the change, 3.empowerment and involvement of employees and 4.organisational culture) in the different implementation stages and to consider them as equally important as methodological and technical issues that need to be tackled during the implementation of sustainability criteria in product development. It is thereby advocated to take account of the specific departments and employees involved.” [p279]
“The study results also indicate that it might be advantageous to gather insights in the sorts of resistance, the underlying reasons, as well as to consider possible ways to deal with the resistance in case it occurs in the different stages of the implementation process. It might be helpful to keep in mind that sustainability as the subject of change seldom creates resistance.” [p280]
Summarized from the thesis:
The human side of sustainable design implementation from the perspective of change management, Elli Verhulst, 2012
Elli Verhulst is sustainable innovation consultant at shiftN and lecturer in (sustainable) product design at the Faculty of Design Sciences (i.o.), Artesis University College/University of Antwerp
Contact:
ev@shiftn.com
www.shiftn.com and www.artesis.be/productontwikkeling
The human side of sustainable design implementation from the perspective of change management, Elli Verhulst, 2012
Elli Verhulst is sustainable innovation consultant at shiftN and lecturer in (sustainable) product design at the Faculty of Design Sciences (i.o.), Artesis University College/University of Antwerp
Contact:
ev@shiftn.com
www.shiftn.com and www.artesis.be/productontwikkeling
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