Project Management

When the going gets 'trough', the wise enterprises invest in sustainability

From the People, Planet, Profits & Projects Blog
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Look carefully at the shape above.

Most people see a "U".  And, indeed it looks rather U-ey, doesn't it?

But it's not symmetrical.  It goes up, sharper and further, on the right hand side.  Make a mental note of this.  Done?  OK, proceed with the post.

What you are looking at is the relationship between profit (net economic impact, on the vertical axis) as KLD score increases.  For now, think of the KLD score (the horizontal axis) as investment in sustainability, and of course, sustainable projects and project management.

If an enterprise chooses to "dabble" in sustainability, the money and resources invested are taken from their mainstream efforts, so of course, profitability suffers.  This reaches a trough at a particular point, and then starts to turn around.  But not only does it turn around and rise up, it rises up above the level at which you started.  In other words, if you go "all in" and integrate sustainability, it has not only an altruistic effect but a positive profit effect.

This is one of the reasons our blog is titled, People, Planet, Profits & Projects. 

  • People need to make the decision to integrate sustainability into their enterprise.
  • They do this for multiple reasons, but one would be for altruism - for a better planet.
  • Doing this effects profit (as you see, not in a staight-line fashion).
  • Doing this requires projects, affects projects, and is fundamentally different thinking for project managers who are focused by nature on the short term.

This sort of "baked in" sustainabiilty requires that the right flour, eggs, water, milk, and so on, are used and that the recipes, utensils, ovens, and serving platters are coordinated to the overarching goals of a sustainable enterprise.  Sound like project management could help?  You betcha!  Did we take the analogy too far?  Now you're cookin'!

You'll find a great (and concise!) article on this finding at this site on the Network for Business Sustaianbility.  In the article you will learn what KLD stands for and much jore.  The Network for Business Sustainability, by the way, is a tremendous resource for anyone interested in people, planet, profit, and/or projects, which is probably anyone who has read through this posting so far!


Posted by Richard Maltzman on: July 24, 2013 12:03 PM | Permalink

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