Champions

What makes sustainability champions different?

Here at LifeCity, we speak to managers and company owners every day about how business can be a force for good. Especially in times like these, we are so grateful for our fantastic network of change-makers, waste-warriors, and global leaders all working to build thriving communities.

So what is it that makes our sustainability-champions different? Why do they, and luckily a growing number of managers and company owners all over the world, push for sustainable change while others do not?

Last year, we partnered with a student researcher from the University of Hamburg in Germany to understand this question a little better. Here are the results!

This question seems complex, how do you even start investigating a topic like this?

Well, first of all, this research did not happen in a vacuum, but it rather started by consolidating existing research on sustainability and change management. For example, socio-demographic factors have been studied extensively in relation to sustainable consumption patterns.

One study found values to be driving forces behind employees championing a more socially responsible buying behavior in their company. Linked to these factors are aspects such as religious affiliation and political orientation, as well as a concept called system justification: the deeper you are embedded in a system (in this case, the economic system), the more you tend to defend and even idealize it, presumably to avoid feelings of anxiety.

In the context of Corporate Social Responsibility, this can influence managers' beliefs that sustainable practices are also generally profitable (the 'business case for CSR'), whilst on the other hand also lowering their awareness of the shortcomings of the economic system they find themselves in.

And when it comes to change management, the organizational context that managers find themselves in is especially relevant. Organizations also have values, both officially communicated ones as well as 'hidden' value systems. These can either align with the value system of an individual manager or conflict with it. This, of course, can either foster or hinder sustainability initiatives. On the other hand, the 'self-efficacy' of managers also influences whether they feel confident enough to drive change. Determinants of this confidence are both personality-related, as well as dependent on support (or lack thereof) from superiors and those whom they manage.

Now, we see that there is already a large body of research that can help us build a foundation to work with. We consolidated these different factors in the case studies of LifeCity managers, mostly using an online questionnaire.

But we knew that this checklist of factors was in no way enough to understand the complexity and often very personal nature of this motivation to be a more sustainable business actor. So we gathered a few LifeCity managers and conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews. This not only led to inspiring conversations with fascinating people but allowed us to enhance the data we had gathered before with context and suggest avenues for further research.

Great, so what were the findings?

To structure our results, we used three more nuanced 'sub-questions'.

Initially, we wondered what the different attitudes are that the interviewed managers have towards sustainability, and where these come from. Strikingly, most of our interviewees talked at length about their upbringing and the important role a more sustainable lifestyle played in their family as well as their cultural environment. In previous research on the topic, this aspect features very little, and only by way of the value systems it undoubtedly influences. However, beyond influencing these values, it appears to have helped our managers develop a sort of 'common sense' lens, through which it appears nonsensical to choose an 'unsustainable' course of action.

Changing the system from within

Secondly, we analyzed our data to find out how the surveyed managers perceive the need for business to become more sustainable. No respondent indicated that they believe sustainability efforts will harm their organization's financial performance. Indeed, most of them believe these initiatives can significantly benefit their bottom line. The 'business cases for sustainability' range from savings due to more efficient energy and resource use to attracting sustainability-conscious customers and talent. But beyond financial considerations, all respondents appear to have in common a belief that by living the change they want to see, they can contribute to changing the overall system. Even respondents who see the free market system in general as a fair system, respond with skepticism when asked about individual aspects and outcomes of it. From this perspective, the need for business practices to become more sustainable stems from the shortcomings of how the free market system is operating at present and from the assumption that business actors can fix the system by changing its processes.

Last but not least, however, we also wondered what it takes for a manager to put into practice the change they want to see. Here, the factor of self-efficacy we discussed before appears to play a dominant role. Respondents were asked to answer a number of questions designed to find out whether they see control over their own life, and over external events that relate to their life, more in themselves or in the outside world.

A so-called internal 'locus of control' is characterized by a strong belief that one has control over one's own life and achievements, even when external influences enter the picture. This internal locus of control is generally also characteristic of high self-efficacy: simply put, a strong belief in one's own ability to successfully produce a desired outcome. Previous successes can bolster this belief. According to their responses, all our sample managers have an internal locus of control and also report that their overall management experience up to now has been positive and successful.

Self-efficacy is also influenced by the surrounding organizational context. Naturally, with support from superiors but also 'subordinates', we can feel more confident that our proposed changes can be successfully put into action. If we lack this support or face active pushback, that is a considerable obstacle and makes success less likely. Most of our respondents reported at least some support for sustainability initiatives from top management. Some managers initially faced resistance from other staff, mostly due to a lack of awareness of what the proposed initiatives implied and how they could be put into action. But through training and provision of resources and support, this resistance quickly diminished.

So, what's the takeaway from this?

 Overall, we get the impression that our LifeCity members and their managers are not only deeply committed to sustainability, they also have the confidence it takes to push sustainability forward in their organizations. For us, and other advocates of more sustainable business practices, these results suggest that we should empower those that already have the desire to do good, but may not have the resources or confidence needed to implement change, especially when faced with resistance. As we have seen in the anecdotes of some of our respondents, sometimes all it takes is knowledge and clarity on how sustainability goals can be achieved.

Furthermore, we have to acknowledge that shifting companies towards more sustainable practices does not exist in a vacuum: policies and consumer demand all play a role in helping build a more equitable and sustainable world.

Still, we congratulate our clients for their leadership in building an economy that works for good. Ultimately, leadership will shape our communities and future!