Ask Our Experts: The Key Drivers of Sustainability in Organizations
Q: What are the key drivers of sustainability in organizations, and what role does the performance management system play in creating a sustainable organization?
A: Sustainability is getting more importance after the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 (17 SDGs, 169 targets), agreed upon by almost all nations. The main aim is to sustain resources for current and future generations with the most efficient and effective resource utilization, minimum environmental harm, best economic rates of return, and the most involvement and empowerment of societies.
The circular economy is one of the drivers for sustainability. It aligns directly with SDG 12 and indirectly with all other SDGs. Moreover, it focuses on transitioning from the current linear economy to a more sustainable closed-loop circular economy, where resources are minimized and products are recycled as the final stage. The closed-loop approach prioritizes reuse, refurbishing, and remanufacturing before recycling.
The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Model 2020 defines organizational excellence as the structured management of three pillars: Direction, Execution, and Results. The goal is to use integrated and agile methodologies to support lean execution and achieve sustainable results that meet or exceed stakeholders’ expectations.
Aligning sustainability, circular economy direction, and organizational excellence would support continuous positive impact and collaborative efforts among stakeholders.
Read more: Ask Our Experts: Principles on Creating Meaningful Sustainability Reports
About the expert:
Malek GhazoManagement Consultant,
Trainer, Advisor
The KPI Institute
- An engineering and management professional with 13+ years of rich experience
- Certified trainer and training delivery in strategy planning and execution, KPIs, OKRs, BSC, customer service, employee performance management, innovation, excellence, sustainability, and quality management
- Experience in R&D in AI, conditional monitoring, and sensor fusion with experience in the HPC computing industry in the UK
- Masters of Science Engineering and Management | University of Exeter, UK
- PhD Business & Management (Circular Economy and Excellence), University of Pecs, Hungary (2021-2025)
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This feature was first published in the Ask Our Experts section of Performance Magazine Issue No. 25, 2023—Sustainability Edition. To download the free digital copy, visit the TKI Marketplace. You can also purchase an additional printed copy via Amazon.