RESOURCES: Greening Your Office - MIT Sloan Management Review

Resources: MIT Sloan Management Review, Sustainability: the ‘Embracers’ Seize Advantage

As part of our Green Office series, we thought we’d take a look at what some of the experts are saying about green adoption in the workplace.  A winter 2011 research report published by MIT Sloan and The Boston Consulting Group answers questions like, how is competition shifting in the face of sustainability concerns?  How are cutting edge managers transforming?  How are organizations responding?

The research found that most companies see sustainability as becoming core to their businesses, just like marketing, finance, supply chain, and HR. In addition, at the time of the most recent global downturn when companies were thought to be slashing sustainability budgets, many responded by strengthening their efforts.   In fact, 60% of companies said their investments increased in 2010. 

The article goes on to split these companies into “embracers” and “cautious adopters”.   While embracers incorporate sustainability into their strategy management, cautious adopters tend to take on initiatives in a more reactionary manner.  Still, the cautious adopters seem to be picking up pace and narrowing the gap between the two groups.  Click here to read the full article and stay tuned for further discussion next Tuesday.

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