Sustainability communication
Sustainability communication in the change process
Your contact
Angela Kunwald
Managing Director
Building a change structure
A sustainable corporate transformation is always unique. Mapping the change process in a general phase model may therefore seem contradictory at first. However, it helps set the framework. Process structures also draw attention to when sustainability communication is an especially important factor.
Source: Our own depiction based on V. Rau & P. Bungard, Sustainable Change Management, HAUFE Academy
- Instead of creating a climate for change: Create an environment for change
- Instead of commissioning & empowering the organisation: Empower and hand over responsibilities
- Instead of implementing & supporting change: Carry out and accompany transformation
- Instead of creating a sense of urgency: Underscore the need for action
- Instead of putting together a management team: Build a leadership team
- Instead of developing a vision: Create a vision
- Instead of promoting understanding and acceptance: Promote understanding and buy-in
- Instead of providing leeway for action: Ensure the ability to act
- Instead of ensuring short-term success: Achieve rapid successes
- Instead of not letting up: Keep at it
- Instead of ensuring sustainability (consolidating a new culture): Ensure that the new culture is firmly anchored
Phase 1: Create an environment for change
The prerequisite for a sustainable corporate transformation is that employees and managers alike recognise the need for change. With a topic as complex as sustainability, where personal mindsets and perceptions play a key role, this isn’t always easy. Especially for companies that have been very successful in the past.
A good way to achieve this is to show where the opportunities for a sustainable corporate orientation lie and clearly highlight the risks of continuing as in the past.
Ultimately, it should be the management level especially that clearly speaks out in favour of a more sustainable company and decisively drives forward the necessary measures. It is less about implementing all initiatives at management level and more about delegating them to a team that has sufficient authority, expertise and capacity for implementation. The task of management is to create a vision that is imaginable, feasible and communicable.
Phase 2: Empowering employees and handing over responsibilities
Spreading the vision of a sustainable transformation within the company and gaining employee acceptance or ‘buy-in’ takes some serious communicative work. This is a phase that is often underestimated in the overall process of sustainable transformation. The vision and core messages need to be communicated throughout the company on all channels and at the relevant touchpoints.
To anchor the new corporate direction, employees have to be empowered to actively participate in the change process. To this end, both financial and human resources need to be mobilised. New structures are a basic prerequisite for active employee participation. New organisational structures create new scope for action and responsibilities. Only formal processes can give those responsible the legitimisation to develop beyond their previous areas of responsibility.
Phase 3: Implementing and supporting transformation
Long-term, far-reaching change processes need short-term successes to stay alive and relevant. But achieving short-term goals is never a reason to relax. On the contrary, these successes – and the resulting credibility and motivation – should fuel the drive to tackle bigger issues.
At this point, internal sustainability communication needs to inform and motivate more than ever to drive change forward and anchor it in the corporate culture. To this end, it can be helpful to emphasise the positive effects of the sustainable transformation on company performance.
Your contact
Angela Kunwald
Managing Director
Our expertise
We can provide you with a complete sustainability programme – from the development of a sustainable strategy to its successful implementation.
Our experienced management team and a dedicated sustainability team (certified sustainability managers) are committed to ongoing training – and they also work internally to design and promote sustainable processes in our agency. We always keep up to date with the latest legislation, social trends and industry-specific challenges. We are actively involved as members of relevant national sustainability committees and working groups, act as speakers and organise workshops.
Our many years of expertise in the area of sustainability include
- Development of sustainability strategies
- Communication of sustainability efforts
- Conducting sustainability audits
- Managing Reputation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- PR and marketing support