Organizational Culture

A Clear Mission Can Be Incredibly Powerful: Lessons from Ben & Jerry’s and Seventh Generation

ben-jerry-food-fight

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield and Vermont governor Peter Shumlin unveil the Food Fight Fudge Brownie flavor in June, developed to support the state’s legal defense over its law to require labeling of bioengineered ingredients. | Image credit: Food Business News

All businesses value consumer and employee loyalty and the opportunity to shape the playing field in which they operate. Mission-driven businesses such as B Corps Seventh Generation and Ben & Jerry’s are finding that having an authentic purpose that resonates with their customers opens the door to exciting approaches to activism that engage their base in powerful ways. The union of company and employee passions not only boosts loyalty but also can lead to successful advocacy for shared causes. Conventional companies seeking to emulate their successes should follow three key steps:

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Also posted in B Corp, Business and Sustainability, Culture and Leadership, Green Communications, Green Consumer, Green Marketing, Leadership & Culture, Organizational Change, Sustainable Food, Sustainable Supply Chain, The Hub | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Helping Empower Boards to Unlock the Value of Corporate Sustainability

boardroom table

Board members can play a pivotal role in helping companies unlock the value of corporate sustainability.

Open a newspaper or tune into a radio show, and it’s a good bet you’ll run into a story about growing mistrust of companies and their leaders.

The sense that some of our current incentive systems seem to be driving risky and in some cases immoral behavior has catalyzed a public call for transparency, accountability, better governance and stewardship of our common resources. One major change people seek is commitment to sustainable business principles and subsequent global action.

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How can HR have a greater impact in creating and driving a sustainable culture?

Susan_CamberisHaving spent over a decade in Human Resources, with a growing interest in sustainability, the questions I have increasingly found myself asking these questions:

  • What is HR’s role in sustainability?
  • How can HR have a greater impact in creating and driving a sustainable culture?
  • How can the HR function better equip itself to lead change in this important area?

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Also posted in Culture Change, Employee Engagement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

What Makes Your Organization Special: It Starts With A Clear Vision

Jeroen_geelhoedThe past decades have thankfully provided increasing examples of organizations demonstrating that things can be done differently. Look at Whole Foods. Look at what global carpet tile manufacturer Interface has done. They are companies that focus on creating lasting value for all stakeholders.

Creating lasting value entails delivering value for employees, for customers, for shareholders and for society.

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B Team Leaders: Now is the Time for Inclusive Prosperity

WEF_davosThey lack neither influence, nor the ability to use it. But there is one asset that business leaders at the World Economic Forum this week could usefully exploit further: the power to advance the wider interests of people and planet. With UN climate change negotiations under way and as the UN designs its flagship Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, business needs to engage.

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Also posted in Business and Sustainability, Capitalism 2.0, Leadership, Social and Environmental Impacts, systemic change | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments closed
  • TSSS EVENT: Sport and Sustainability: A Focus on the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games (FREE Livestream)

    Pam AM TorontoJoin TSSS on April 1st as our panel explores the power of sport to reach people and communities like nothing else can. Topics to be discussed include: Community Engagement, Sustainable Purchasing, Importance of a Clear Vision, Diversity and Inclusion, Branding and Leaving a Legacy. Learn more
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