Navigating Change for a Sustainable Future
The Agenda for Sustainable Development, drawn up by the United Nations and signed by its member countries in 2015, is today one of the 'pole stars' for those who care about the planet and the people who inhabit it.
The challenges are manifold, for which the 17 goals of the Agenda are proposed: from climate change to green mobility, from supporting poor populations to responsible consumption and production policies.
It is undeniable that this requires numerous paradigm shifts from the life we are used to, especially in so-called 'developed' nations. However, human beings have always been oriented towards preserving their stability and therefore any change generates resistance. This is as true in groups of 10 people as in multinational companies, let alone when the change involves the whole world and its multiculturalism.
And it is precisely this aspect, culture, that is both the determining factor and the most delicate aspect that needs to evolve in the direction of greater sustainability on the part of nations and, consequently, on the part of each of us.
The APMG Change Management Framework written in collaboration with the Change Management Institute, can help in understanding the different stages of change management that becomes crucial when the transition is on this scale (the maximum possible.)
So, how is it possible to 'communicate a sense of urgency' (the first of the eight accelerators for change management theorised by one of the leading experts on the subject, John Kotter) that makes the whole community realise that we need to move towards more sustainable ways in every aspect of our professional, industrial and social lives?
The Change Management framework helps to understand where we are in the 'attitude to change' (Kelman, 1958), i.e. at what level of adoption of a certain change we stand:
- Do we face change because we 'have to'? (compliance)
- Do we change because we understand the reason for doing so and the impact of not doing so? (identification)
- Have we internalised behaviours and thoughts because we know that this is the right direction? (internalisation)
It can be said with reasonable conviction that it is level 3 that we should aim for without delay in order to give the word 'sustainability' the substance it needs for the challenge we are called upon to meet in the coming years.
It therefore becomes, as anticipated, a question of culture: it is not just a question of establishing rules and related controls, which is certainly necessary but not sufficient. The objective is to get to the heart of each individual to motivate behaviour and actions aimed at achieving the common goal, making sure that the principles governing them are internalised.
However, even in contexts certainly smaller than the one covered by the Agenda for Sustainability, it is not possible to act specifically on the desires, needs and modes of behaviour of individuals, who nevertheless remain the indispensable agents of change.
This is possible through careful and structured stakeholder management, which analyses each category of stakeholders involved in the change and enables decisions to achieve the right level of commitment and involvement.
"In a project you may forget to involve some stakeholders; rest assured that they will not forget": in this adage lies the key to the strategic importance of proper stakeholder management, which can make all the difference in terms of success or failure of initiatives.
The framework provides tools and modalities to identify and segment, in terms of type (e.g. government institutions, regulatory bodies, private organisations, etc.), all the stakeholders involved, making it possible to:
- quantifying the impact that change has on stakeholders;
- quantifying the impact and power that stakeholders have on the change (linked with the previous point);
- consider what the needs of individuals within an identified segment are, and how to intercept them;
- design targeted communication and engagement initiatives to ensure the level of involvement required of each stakeholder to achieve change objectives.
So far, we have talked about how change management can support the Agenda for Sustainable Development, reasoning on technical aspects. However, change is not just a mere list of project activities to be carried out; rather, it is crucial to be able to intercept the emotional component of people, who, as we have already pointed out, are the concrete and irreplaceable agents for achieving the desired result.
Therefore, the framework functionally illustrates the psychological aspects governing resistance to change, so that they are duly taken into account in transition design and stakeholder management. By borrowing content from authoritative theories including modern fields of study such as neuroscience, a human-centred and structured approach is the real added value that can be brought by change leaders.
Yes, because beyond project management that encompasses all the aspects described so far, every change needs leaders who can guide and inspire, speaking both to the head and the heart of each person involved. To do this, rules that are in any case aligned with context and needs are necessary but not sufficient, as already mentioned. It is essential to build leadership that is based on the underlying principles of sustainable rules, and that incorporates and transmits the values of integrity, respect and empathy. In a nutshell, 'walk the talk' must be the mantra of any leader called upon to lead change, all the more so in complex and wide-ranging contexts.
At this point, we have all the ingredients to be able to enable the transition, which starts from the realisation that the model perpetrated so far is no longer sustainable and must be abandoned and, through a phase of embracing the new paradigms, we can start with new and more sustainable ways of doing business and behaving (the 'endings-neutral zone-new beginnings' model, as theorised by Bridges in 2009). Within the APMG Change Management framework, the 'chef's touch' is transition management integrated with an agile project management approach, which brings benefits in terms of structuring and flexibility to the change process.
The journey towards sustainability and the 17 goals of the Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be short and without difficulties, so comprehensive principles, methods and processes must be disseminated and acted upon, appropriate to the changes we will face.
After all, 'nothing is permanent except change'.
