CBSM Used to Increase Sustainability Leadership from Middle and Senior Management

Karen,

Here's what worked for us.... Our Agency Director attended Doug MacKenzie-Mohr's training session. I can't remember what prompted him to go - but he came back much more receptive to CBSM ideas. Our Communications Director and staff continued to "talk-up" CBSM to upper managers by presenting examples of how staff in the agency where successfully applying CBSM. It culminated in staff developing a 2 hour presentation about CBSM and how the agency has successfully used it. The Director highly encouraged all managers to attend the presentation. We gave the presentation twice and had pretty good attendance. Giving staff time and resources to conduct this work is still challenging - but at least managers don't get glassy-eyed when we talk about it now. They are familiar with the terminology.

Good luck!
Megan Warfield

Litter Programs Coordinator
Dept. of Ecology
(360) 407-6963
[email protected]

Karen Stroebel wrote: I am looking for any examples where CBSM has been used to identify barriers to middle and senior management adopting sustainability practices. This can be the hardest group to reach in an organization, and I´d love to hear any success stories you´d like to share where middle and senior management were specifically targeted.

Hi Karen. . . I recommend two books on the topic:

1. Leading Change Toward Sustainability: A Change-Management Guide for Business, Government and Civil Society, by Bob Doppelt. Greenlead Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1874719640

Among other topics, Doppelt identifies and addresses seven common sustainability "blunders" that act as barriers to the adoption and implementation of sustainability practices.

2. The Next Sustainability Wave: Building Boardroom Buy-in, by Bob Willard.. New Socieity Publishers, 2005. ISBN 0-86571-532-7

350 pages of concise "nuggets" about selling the case for sustainability to senior executives and board members. Bob also has a good DVD on business and sustainability available through his website: www.sustainabilityadvantage.com

Bart Robinson
The Natural Step Canada
Canmore, Alberta

Bart Robinson
Program Director
Bow Valley Sustainability Hub
Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley
Suite 201, 600 9th St.,
Canmore, AB T1W 2T2
Phone: 403-678-3445 ext. 1