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What might change, when an organisation changes?

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What might change, when an organisation changes?

When you think about the changes you want to bring about, to make your organisation or sector more sustainable, what do you see changing? Do you have blind spots about where change might happen, and how deep or how obvious it will be?
 
Edgar Schein’s Three Levels of Culture model is a great way of understanding what might change, as an organisation or other entity changes. It’s useful to think very widely about the kinds of things that might change – or need to change – to get us on track for sustainable development.

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Silence, respect and slow ritual: some observations on facilitation in Japan

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Silence, respect and slow ritual: some observations on facilitation in Japan

In my short visit to Japan, I was privileged to be able to meet with three groups of facilitators: in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. Huge thanks to everyone who helped make this possible! These were evenings of surprising connections, open-hearted curiosity, tolerance of misunderstanding, and delicious food.

This blog post reflects on some observations and conversations about three (and a half) aspects of culture which may trip up an outsider coming to facilitate in Japan.

Everyday eco-living in Japan

Everyday eco-living in Japan

The loo with an integrated handbasin which drains into the cistern; the fifty-page guide to recycling and rubbish disposal; the tiny boxes you can put your leftover food into at a café; the handbag size hand towel you take with you to use in public loos… I saw a lot of things in Japan which we could usefully adopt in the UK.

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Managing the change to sustainability

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Managing the change to sustainability

Croner-i’s “Environment” magazine asked me to share key insights from Change Management for Sustainable Development. That article is out now, in the spring edition (no. 74).

 You can download it here.

 Tldr:

  • Understand where your organisation is now…

How can business contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals?

How can business contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals?

Businesses - acting alone or, better still, collaborating - can do so much to help society meet the Sustainable Development Goals (or Global Goals).

Whether it’s reducing emissions from travel and energy use, making sure women and minority groups are able to progress, or cutting unnecessary plastic, there is so much to put right. And there are organisations, tools and initiatives to help you.

Find out more in the series of articles I wrote for The Environmentalist. A complete set is available in pdf here.

A warm welcome in Kansai!

A warm welcome in Kansai!

What a warm welcome I have had in Kyoto and Osaka, from facilitators based in this Kansai area of Japan. 

When I knew I was going to come to Japan, to visit my daughter who is studying in Tokyo for a year, I wanted to make the most of the trip by meeting facilitation and sustainability professionals and learning more about their work in a very different cultural context.

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The 'do they really mean it?' test

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The 'do they really mean it?' test

Sustainability initiatives! Low-carbon innovation; gender equality; getting rid of single-use plastics; well-being.... In-house sustainability change makers and the consultants who help them are forever devising and launching initiatives and campaigns to get colleagues to do things differently. Sometimes colleagues take them up whole-heartedly and they develop a life of their own. Sometimes you get feeling people are sighing and rolling their eyes, waiting for it to fade away. What makes the difference?

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Brainstorming for introverts

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Brainstorming for introverts

Some people just hate shouting out ideas in a group. If you need quantity and creativity, and to make sure the quiet thinkers contribute their ideas too, this alternative to the traditional brainstorm is my new go-to technique.

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The business case for sustainable development

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The business case for sustainable development

If you want sustainability to move from being a nice-to-have, to being a must-have, at some point you will need to show that there’s a business case for it: that your organisation will meet its core mission better, faster, cheaper by paying good attention to sustainability than by ignoring it.  

What does the business case look like in your organisation?

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What can I do, to calm the climate?

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What can I do, to calm the climate?

If the IPCC’s Special Report on climate change made you want to do something – anything – to calm the climate, swiftly followed by a sinking feeling that you just don’t know what is both doable and meaningful, and you’d rather not think about it…. You can do something meaningful! Here’s a great way to find your contribution.

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Organising small groups within a larger event

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Organising small groups within a larger event

We’re pretty used to asking people to talk in small groups, but which kinds of groups work best for different kinds of conversations? If you’ve scratched your head wondering how to form small groups, take a look at these options.

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There's a place for us... Choosing a venue

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There's a place for us... Choosing a venue

There are some venues which make my heart soar – and some which make it sink!  What can you find out about a venue ahead of time, which will help you pick a great place and enable you to design your event or workshop to suit its idiosyncrasies? Here’s a great five-point checklist.

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Surf's up!

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Surf's up!

Our opportunities to change things can come from unexpected directions.  A new CEO who wants to shake things up.  A sudden upsurge of public enthusiasm for naked shampoo bars or reusable cups.  A cost-cutting drive.   

How can you make the most of these changes from elsewhere, and surf them expertly to get things moving in a sustainable direction?

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New beginings - starting a new job

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New beginings - starting a new job

For many of us - not just school kids and students - September is a time of new beginnings. You could be in a new job, or just feeling ready to shake up your existing role with new enthusiasm and ideas.

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Inventing techniques and exercises

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Inventing techniques and exercises

I was hosting a networking and learning meet up of facilitators yesterday.  We were running behind time - mostly because there was so much people wanted to say when debriefing previous exercises.  So my challenge was to find a way to debrief it that didn't take too much time.