Why Fighting Climate Change has to be embedded in Corporate Cultures

Companies can only become sustainable if they change their company cultures. That is because a culture serves as a moral and ethical compass for making decisions.

But you don’t change company culture by changing colours on your PowerPoint presentations or on your website. The cultural norms and values that serve as guidance grows out of the action that is taken and the decisions being made.

Gugin has worked with a number of companies on how to create a culture that supports the organisation’s becoming more sustainable.

Bonus: When you have the right culture you don’t need websites and PowerPoint presentations to tell how “green”‘ you are. People will know just by looking at your actions and decisions.

Whether we believe climate change is caused by humans or not, we can observe that drastic changes are happening with the climate around the world. Alone the exponential growth in the global population must force us to reconsider the way we have been living and using the world’s resources until now.  Climate change concerns people more than ever before and therefore companies and corporations must respond and adapt to these concerns.

Why should climate change affect corporate cultures?

Previously we have often heard the argument that fighting climate is a political task, an NGO task or an individual task. We have helped hundreds of companies and organisations around the world with corporate culture change. We ask a lot of questions throughout that process. Some of the questions we ask are related to the image the company wants to have, which responsibility it believes it has and what values it should have. 10 years ago not a single one of our clients mentioned the environment or climate change when we asked about their responsibility. Mostly they just felt a responsibility to their shareholders. That has changed, fortunately.

So why must companies integrate responsibility for climate change into their corporate culture?

• Because companies make choices on behalf of their customers. So companies can help their customers behave more climate-friendly by making different choices and direct their innovation in new directions. The concern for the climate has to real and genuine and not just a marketing gimmick, so the change in the strategic direction has to come from the very top with the right priorities. It might cost some profit or market share. But that is the price companies who are serious about fighting climate change will have to deal with.
• Because their employees and customers are concerned. A company’s culture is only an asset if it resonates with the values of its stakeholders. That means first and foremost the employees and the customers.
• Because more and more professional investors are looking at how responsible a company behaves before they invest. So the transformation towards being greener isn’t just a political issue it is indeed a financial issue as well.
• Because it is good business. Being first-mover in creating greener products will give you a competitive advantage and boost your innovation power even more.

How do you move your corporate culture in a new direction?

First of all, you have to make up your mind what you are willing to invest to become a company that actively is fighting climate change. Powerpoint presentations and corporate branding is cheap but completely useless and close to fraud unless you are serious and genuinely committed to change.

If you have come so far then it is time to analyse the different possibilities and assess which options are both suitable, feasible and acceptable for your organisation. All three criteria have to be fulfilled before you can choose it as an option for a climate change friendly corporate culture.

Then you have to outline your existing corporate culture with a cultural due diligence process.

Gugin is specialised in corporate culture chance processes and we will be happy to assist you as well