The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives - Case Study Example

RUNNING HEAD: HALVING ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT Halving Ecological Footprint [Name of the Writer] [Name of the Institution] Table of Contents Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………4 Defining Cultural and Organisational Change…………………………………………...5 An Overview of ICLEI-A/NZ's Methodologies to Effect Organisation Change………...5 Performance-Based Approach……………………………………………………………6 Multi-level Programme and Political Support …………………………………………...7 Capacity-Building approach………………………………………………………………9 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….10 References……………………………………………………………………………….12 Executive Summary The paper discusses about halving the ecological footprints using earth’s natural capability to have and take greater advantage of a quality life. The ecological footprint has come up as a known and recognised issue for the past years. It calculates the resources of earth and how human health can be safe and how the waste can be managed. Increasing consumerism and war culture has increased the growth in footprint. To half this growth technology and change strategies will work mutually. I am a part of management team and this report will be presented for CEO of the company. Halving Ecological Footprint Introduction 'Halving Ecological Footprint ' is earning its place as one of the new concepts of the 21st century. Difficult to define and even more difficult to identify in action, this term is becoming an integral component of the sustainable development agenda sweeping the globe. The International Council for Local Environment Initiatives' Australia/New Zealand office (ICLEI-A/NZ) is our organisation establishing its place in this movement through its work with local government to help create widespread voluntary uptake of capacity-building campaigns and other performance-focused initiatives. While it is acknowledged that local government is part of a wider sustainability culture change movement, I also believe that the organisation's unique approaches and methodologies have established the organisation's ability to deliver culture change is not merely an accidental side-effect of pragmatic campaign work, but rather the result of a conscious process of reflection, adaptation, and innovation which has led to the package of methodologies that underlie ICLEI-A/NZ's practical activities. In this report for CEO I provide an analysis of my organisation's ability to affect wide-scale culture change, and the role organisation has had in assisting local governments with this process. Firstly, the key concepts of ecological footprint and organisational change are introduced. This is followed by a discussion of the different government structures in Australia, the tensions that exist between them, and the degree to which local government can act as a vehicle for delivering wide-scale culture change. Then i analyze a selection of organisation's ecological implementations, which underlie all of the activities delivered within the region, in the context of their ability to generate halving ecological footprint in regional local governments. Defining Cultural and Organisational Change The term 'culture change' can be interpreted in a variety of different ways. The Macquarie Concise Dictionary (Delbridge & Bernard, 2008) defines culture as 'the sum total ways of living built up by a group of human beings, which is transmitted from one generation to another'. Similarly Martin Brennan (2006), I refer to organisational change as 'a change of relationships and structures within an organisation'. For the purpose of this article, ecological change is used to refer to the changes occurring both within local government and wider human society. (Hom, 2007) I also refer specifically to 'green' or 'halving ecological footprint'. Harris and Crane (2007, pp. 218-219) broadly define this term as 'the extent to which the assumptions, values, symbols and artifacts of the organisation reflect a desire or need to operate in an ecologically sustainable manner'. Similarly, 'green' culture change is simply the process of changing cultures to achieve ecologically sustainable outcomes. An Overview of lowering ecological footprint Implementations to Effect Organisation Change My organisation can provide an example of how an organisation can go about actively encouraging halving ecological footprint by utilising a set of key methodologies. I argue that change methodologies allow the organisation to be analytic, to be understood by a wide audience, and to apply key principles and messages across multiple campaigns and programmes. The following implementations highlight four of the methodologies I planned for the company’s ecological footprint by half in 3 years. Performance-Based Approach I used a performance-based 'milestone framework' that takes councils through a series of steps to achieve ecological goals. This builds on important work done internationally by ICLEI in Toronto and Berkeley. The focus on performance provides encouragement for the officers and managers implementing the campaign, and also reinforces the importance of the issue and the ability for local government to make a difference at the senior management and elected member levels. (Mercer, 2008) The framework requires councils to assess the extent of the problem (Milestone 1), set a goal (Milestone 2), develop an action plan (Milestone 3), implement the plan (Milestone 4), and re-evaluate and monitor the problem over a period of time (Milestone 5). For example, in the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) campaign. Milestone 1 involves conducting an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions within the council area; Milestone 2 involves setting a greenhouse halving goal; Milestone 3 requires the development of a plan that sets out how the council is going to reduce its emissions; Milestone 4 is the implementation of the plan; and Milestone 5 involves evaluating and monitoring the council's progress towards halving emissions. (Stilwell, 2005) This framework provides local governments with focus, direction, and encouragement to continue taking action on a specific ecological issue. Multi-level Programme and Political Support Our organisation works on the basis that local governments require multi-level support across all spheres of council operations and in the political council chamber. Using this approach, I aim to engage: • Officers who are implementing on the ground campaign work; • Middle managers who are assisting in this process and managing the practical campaign components; • Directors and chief executives who are budgeting and allocating resources to the campaigns; and • Elected councilors who are endorsing the campaign itself, cementing it into council policy, and advocating it to their constituencies I suppose multi-level approach is a safeguard to cover all bases: 'The more nodal points you cover—the more likely you are to lock in culture change.' Our organisation works on the basis that culture change is more likely to occur if all levels of bureaucracy and leadership are committed to the concept of sustainable development. (Keams, Paddison, 2008) Capacity-Building approach Our organisation sees itself as an organisation building capacity in local governments to respond to wider ecological concerns and set individual sustainability agendas. Unlike a consultant who relies on a system of client dependence, organisation assists councils to rely on them, a principle that the organisation believes is fundamental to the objective of culture change. The capacity-building approach is demonstrated through the campaign framework, which is designed to institutionalise sustainability principles and actions into council operations (Wescott, 2006). This process is begun at the very onset of the campaign, when councils must sign a political declaration, endorsed in the council chamber, outlining their commitment to the five-milestone process. The organisation then acts as a facilitator while the council identifies its own ecological problems and works towards developing and implementing a plan to reduce them. Conclusion While the case study presented in this article provides an example of the ways in which an organisation can consciously seek to achieve culture change, it leaves us with two unanswered questions. Indeed, when i consider the often marginalised, under-resourced, and, in some ways, undermined status of local government in Australia, it is hard to ignore the significant and increasing level of response to ecological concerns at this level of government. Our organisation has gained a level of respect for delivering results, establishing campaigns that build local government capacity, and empowering this sector to take action on issues that have impact on a global scale. Whether this success can be associated with culture change is debatable. However, it is likely that organisation is having a significant impact on the local government arena and its ability to adopt and implement sustainability agendas. This in itself is an achievement, and is no doubt establishing a strong platform for change to occur even if i do not acknowledge that change is already occurring. The phrase 'local government is closer to the people' is not a truism; it's a challenge. It's about how a government governs and the issues it brings to the table. If organisation can assist local government in making this phrase a reality and I think it is, then it has succeeded in its goal of empowering this sector to recognise its strength in tackling the global sustainability agenda the only way that one can: from the local level upwards. This is where halving ecological footprint in organisation begins (Brennan, 2006). References Brennan, M. (2006) Interview with Martin Brennan. Manager of Partnerships and Political Support. ICLEI-A/ NZ, 6 August. Delbridge, L. & Bernard, J. (Eds) (2008) The Macquarie Concise Dictionary (Macquarie Library). Harris, L. C. & Crane, A. (2007) The greening of organizational culture, management views on the depth, degree and diffusion of change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15(3), pp. 214—234. Hom, L. (2007) The making of Local Agenda 21: an interview with Jeb Brugmann, Local Environment, 7(3), pp. 251-256. Keams, A. & Paddison, R. (2008) New challenges for urban governance. Urban Studies, 37(5/6), pp. 845-851. Mercer, D. & Jotkowitz, B. (2008) Local Agenda 21 and barriers to sustainability at the local government level in Victoria, Australia, Australian Geographer, 31(2), pp. 163-182. Miley, F. & Read, A. (2008) Ecological reporting: thinking local, Australian CPA, 70(3), pp. 40-43. Smith, M. E. (2006) Changing an organisation's culture: correlates of success and failure. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25 May, pp. 249-261. Stilwell, F. & Troy, P. (2005) Multilevel governance and urban development in Australia, Urban Studies, 37(5/6), pp. 909-932. Wescott, W. (2006) Interview with Wayne Wescott, Chief Executive Officer, ICLEI-A/NZ, 23 July. Read More