ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 looks at the importance of engaging employees at all levels in co-creating the enterprise’s future, a crucial accomplishment if even the most enlightened leaders are to get beyond their own best intentions. What approaches are recognized as necessary to involve employees in any major organizational change? What is unique about involving them in sustainability management?
This chapter suggests some of the psychological dynamics that contribute to achieving employees’ sense of ownership and commitment to taking on sustainability. It describes the power resulting from people experiencing autonomy and interdependence, and belonging to a community of kindred spirits. It describes how authentic leadership can resonate with people at all levels of an organization, as positive energy and resolve become contagious.
Five in-depth case studies illustrate distinctive approaches to employee engagement. One describes how senior management set up conditions for self-organizing at a previously underperforming plant at DuPont. Another case study elaborates on a multiyear effort to bridge labor and management differences to radically improve safety; yet another infused safety concerns through the constant drumbeat of companywide activities. Eileen Fisher lives out the keen social consciousness of its founder. Employee engagement even spreads across company lines when Eileen Fisher enlists management at overseas suppliers to improve working conditions for low-paid employees. Similarly, a grassroots effort in India paid dividends with social and environmental benefits for a whole community. Each situation exemplifies sound management concepts for unleashing the power, creativity, and insights made possible only by engaging a broad swath of the workforce.
