The training function has been a key player in many of the green initiatives that have sprouted up in recent years. But with the lingering economic doldrums, many organizations are sharpening their focus on the bottom line. Will the “new normal” undercut the drive for a green future? In this session, we’ll look at a number of examples of sustainability initiatives in a variety of organizations and the role of training in supporting them. Finally, we’ll share ideas for training organizations that want to lead by example with environmentally friendly training practices. Julie Ogilvie, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, SkillSoft

1. Unleashing Learning:
From Strategy to
Execution
Green Training in a Blue Economy: The Role
of Training in Corporate Sustainability
Julie Ogilvie, VP Corporate Marketing
SkillSoft
September 29, 2010

2. Wither Sustainability?

3. Whither Sustainability?
In 2007 sustainability was a
growing trend. What’s happened
since then?
• Have companies pulled back on
their planned investment?
• Has the meaning of sustainability
changed?
• What are the drivers and
challenges?
• What is the role of training in
sustainability initiatives?
• What are you doing at your
company?
• Where do you start?

4. Heated debate! http://sloanreview.mit.edu/what-is-sustainability/
“Any company is better off
creating both bottom-line
and societal benefits, and
creating synergies between
them.”
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
How to Do Well and Do Good
MIT Sloan Management Review
Fall, 2010
“…the idea that companies
have a responsibility to act in
the public interest and will
profit from doing so is
fundamentally flawed.”
Aneel Karnani
The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility
Wall Street Journal
August 22, 2010

5. How has corporate sustainability fared?
Sustainability Is Alive and Well
• The vast majority of companies are
committed to sustainability.
• 92 percent of organizations have
a sustainability initiative
• Since the downturn, 24% have
decreased support
• However, divergence of opinion
between sustainability “experts”
and the general business
population
MIT Sloan Management Review
The Business of Sustainability: Findings and Insights from the First Annual Business of
Sustainability Survey and the Global Thought leaders’ Research Project,
2009

6. What is sustainability?
It depends on where you sit.
“Meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.”
A business definition of sustainability…
…A proactive approach to ensure the long-term viability and integrity
of the business by optimizing resource needs, reducing
environmental, energy and social impacts, and managing
resources while not compromising profitability.
University of Washington, Foster School of Business,
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

7. The Triple Bottom Line
Economic
Environmental Social
Sustainability
• Pollution reduction
• Water usage
• Waste reduction
• Paper usage
• Energy reduction
• Carbon reduction
• Local community
• Charitable support
• Programs for
disabled or
disadvantaged
• Diversity
• Employee work-life
• Transparency
• Learning
• Profitability
• Shareholder return
• Long term growth
• ROI
• Customer satisfactionAndrew Savitz and Karl Weber
Copyright John Wiley & Sons, 2006

8. Many variables affect your view of sustainability
Your Industry
Your Department
Your Location
Your Role
Your Experience

9. Case Study
Google
The world’s #1 employment brand
• Sustainability is a big attractor
• Efficiency of datacenters and facilities
• Renewable energy investments
• Transportation and community programs

10. Walmart’s approach to sustainability
• Approach grows out of core brand
promise
• Efficiencies create environmental and
economic benefits
• “Sustainability 360” covers all aspects of
the business – operations, associates,
customers, communities and suppliers
• Using their influence as world’s largest
retailer to create ripple effect throughout
supply chain
• Offering lifelong learning opportunities for
associates also seen as part of
sustainability

11. Dow Chemicals
“Science for a Sustainable World”
• Seen as one of the leaders in
sustainability for:
• Aggressive targets
• Comprehensive approach
• Transparency/reporting
• Employee safety/compliance
• Innovation/product
development
“When we at Dow set our first sustainability goals, we projected that we
would spend roughly $1 billion…and we expected ROI of $2-3 billion. To
date, return has been in excess of $5 billion.”
David E. Kepler
Chief Sustainability Officer, Dow Chemical
Going Green: How Sustainability Can Work for Your Company
ExecBlueprints, 2008
2015 Sustainabity Goals Update, 2Q 2010

12. What are the benefits?
(Be careful what you wish for.)

13. Sustainability 2.0
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be
an effective component of your talent strategy
• Recognize that a job offers more than benefits and pay!
• CSR as a recruitment tool
• Feeling pride in company leads to higher identity, engagement
and productivity
• The “reputation shield”
• Opportunities for personal growth (new skills, improved
performance)
• Enhancing work-life balance

14. Sustainability 2.0
Sustainability drives the development of new
values and capabilities that are beneficial to the
organization in broad ways
• Going beyond compliance to a
culture of accountability
• Systems thinking and long-term
outlook
• Teamwork, collaboration (internal
and external)
• Transparency
• Lean thinking
• Asking “why?” supports culture of
innovation

15. Where to start?
Nike Says: Just Do It!

16. Roadblocks on the road to sustainability
• Lack of knowledge/understanding of full range of
drivers, issues and benefits – in general and by
industry
• Lack of common language to discuss internally
• Goals not clearly defined or well-communicated
• Measurement tools lacking
What do all of these have in common?
(Training is the key.)

17. Training Can (And Should) Play a Leading Role
Supporting a major corporate initiative with
high visibility is great for business (yours).
• Change management is what we are experts in
• Creating understanding of the language of
sustainability
• Communicating corporate mission, goals
• Help them to understand where they fit in
• Encouraging people to be aware of the impact of their
actions
• Re-thinking accepted practices
• Creativity, fun, competition
• Measurement tools and methodologies

18. Measuring the impact

19. How Can Training Lead By Example?
Go green (without reducing effectiveness)
1. Conduct your own environmental-impact audit
2. Educate employees on sustainability issues for your business
3. Make sustainability a visible part of your training message
4. Hold virtual meetings and training sessions
5. “Green” your training facilities
6. Go paperless when possible
7. Choose green providers
8. Eat local
9. Support Telecommuting
10. Use online training as part of the mix
Can we come up with 10 more?

20. Tom Peters on the meaning of corporate social responsibility

21. Unleashing Learning:
From Strategy to
Execution