ABSTRACT
Leadership is charged with creating organizational vision and developing strategy to deliver results in line with this vision. How that strategy is designed and implemented is a function of the organizational culture. Culture is a hot topic in the C-suite, as CEOs recognize the impact that their culture has on the organization’s long-term success. It is what makes organizations different from one another. CEOs are embracing the idea of culture as a competitive advantage. Strategy can be duplicated, but culture is unique. Creating a culture of sustainability takes time and significant change management. Once an organization has embraced sustainability, the creation of a sustainable culture serves to propel the organization even further toward its sustainability vision. Leadership establishes the strategic vision, but for sustainability to be impactful and become part of an organization’s culture, all levels of employees must embrace the vision and make it part of their roles and responsibilities. Creating a culture that embraces sustainability is necessary to move an organization forward in its adoption of more impactful sustainability-related policies, programs, and projects. While management sets the sustainability agenda, project management professionals play a key role in creating the organizational change required for sustainability adoption and integration. Moving an organization toward a culture of sustainability requires an understanding not only of organizational vision but also of current capabilities and capacity for change. An organization’s culture determines the approach, resource commitment, process, and time frame involved in transforming into a sustainable organization.
