From the course: Lean Six Sigma for a Sustainable Future

Identify strategic issues for sustainability

From the course: Lean Six Sigma for a Sustainable Future

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Identify strategic issues for sustainability

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- Business activities are being scrutinized like never before. Operating sustainably has become a source of competitive advantage, but unlocking its potential relies on building strong stakeholder relationships and making quick decisions based on facts. New research reveals large consensus gaps between leaders and stakeholders on sustainability performance. This misalignment obstructs the link between sustainability and profitability. To understand strategies to be a more sustainable workforce and environment, the first step is to identify constituent needs. There are several questions to ask when determining those needs. What are the top three needs our constituents have today? Do immediate and long-term needs differ? If so, how? How have these needs evolved over the last five years? Do our programs directly address these needs? Has demand for our services changed over the last three years? The next thing we would ask revolves around funding trends. What is the percentage of earned revenue versus charitable support our organization receives? What are the main revenue streams for the organization? What percentage of revenue are they for the organization? What are the organization's operating reserves? Do we know the surplus generated or subsidy required for each business line, and have these changed significantly? Finally, we ask if there are other external factors by asking who else in the community is offering similar services to ours and do we have a competitive or collaborative relationship with them? Are for-profit companies entering our service space? What is the level of support from community leaders? Have we received negative press recently? We must all recognize the factors that influence sustainability in our strategic planning programs. In order for an organization to succeed, sustainability must be expressed explicitly as a goal across organizational functions.

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