Strategic Sustainability – Part 2

In Part 1 of the Series, we identified the basic anatomy and definition of Strategic Sustainability as follows:

“Strategic activity that has its goals, objectives and actions rooted in the principles of Sustainability ”.

In order to arrive at the synthesized definition identified above we first isolated the two distinctive parts, Strategy and Sustainability,  and assigned them as “means” and “end”. In Part 2, we will further develop the synthesis of Strategic Sustainability through deconstruction of  the means and end.

Through dialogue between Strategy and Sustainability a synthesis occurs that breaks down the assigned roles of means to Strategy and ends to Sustainability. Strategy, driven by Sustainability becomes the end by which all responsible business occurs and Sustainability driven by Strategy becomes the means by which we get there. The two are entirely interchangeable and dependant at the same time – further supporting the conclusion:

“Strategy combined with Sustainability is a powerful and virtually unstoppable force for moving Economies forward.”

What drives this unstoppable force? When we looked at Sustainability and Sustainable Development in Part 1 we used the Brundtland Report “Our Common Future” as a launching pad for this discussion. Here we introduced the now common idea that “the fulfilling of our needs today cannot supersede the needs of future generations.”

The Brundtland Report refers to  the need for corporate interests to consider environmental values as well as economic values.  Contemporary discourse on sustainability includes not only environmental values but also social values rounding out the three pillars of sustainability – Environmental, Social and Economic responsibility. These three pillars also round off our driving forces behind Strategic Sustainability.

The remaining Parts of this Series will examine the dynamics of these three Pillars.

Respectfully, from Jason Gordon

© 2012