Imagine an organization that fully embraces sustainability as one of its core business practices. In such an organization, it is now recognized that the customer desires a socially and environmentally responsible solution, as well as one that is economically viable. This set of expanded requirements drives the need for more creative offerings all along the “value chain”, offering opportunities to improve service and reduce costs while invigorating employees, improving profits, and reducing the impact of the environment, which provides the basis (energy and materials) for the economic benefits in the first place. Such an organization goes beyond any superficial attempt at “going green”. Rather it fully embraces the notion of “doing the right thing” as a part of the organization’s DNA. Such an organization cascades true leadership, and values and practices employee diversity of thought, empowerment and decentralized decision making. It actively encourages and rewards alignment around a vision so powerful that it can capture the minds and spirits of the people, catalyzing the processes of creativity and innovation.
Webster’s Dictionary defines metanoia as “a transformative change of heart; especially: a spiritual conversion”. Based on this meaning, Kiefer and Senge [1] have defined the metanoic organization as one that has a fundamental shift in how business is conducted. They specifically identify this shift in organizational thinking and behavior as having four distinguishing traits: (1) a deep sense of vision, or purposefulness; (2) alignment around that vision; (3) a persistent focus on organizational design and (4) a balance of reason and intuition.
Is your organization ready to transform itself? Is it up to the challenge to reap the expanded benefits of achieving the triple bottom line: happier employees, customers and stockholders, improved profits and a healthier environment for future generations?
1Keifer, C.F., Senge, P.M. “Metanoic Organizations in the Transition to a Sustainable Society”, Technological and Social Change, 22, pp. 109-122, 1982
