from start to beginning: a journey from the sustainability wilderness

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Dr Peter Rands, Director of SustainabilityDr Janet Haddock-Fraser, Dean, Faculty of Social

and Applied Sciences

From start to beginning: a journey from the sustainability wilderness

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Objectives

1. The Christ Church story – what and why

2. Methodology of research

3. Activity - What do you think?

4. Findings

5. Discussion

6. Lessons learnt and the route ahead

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University evolution

1962 – Church Foundation teacher training Coll. In Canterbury

1988 – 2,000 students

1995 – University College

1997 – New Vice Chancellor

2000 – Campus in Broadstairs

2002 – 14,000 students

2004 – Campus in Medway

2005 – University title

2007 – Campus in Folkestone

2009 – Research Degree awarding powers

2010 – New Vice Chancellor

2012 – 20,000 students – Golden Jubilee

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University values

the development of the whole person by encouraging a spirit of reflection and enquiry and promoting opportunities for learning beyond the curriculum

in responsible stewardship of the natural environment

equality of opportunity by respecting the inherent dignity and potential of each person

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The sustainability ‘journey’

Year Leadership/Gov. Operational Academic GL2005 Policy published2006 Sustainability Cttee. Module development2007 Fairtrade Fail (93)2008 Travel plan 3rd (81)

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The sustainability ‘journey’

Year Leadership/Gov. Operational Academic GL2005 Policy published2006 Sustainability Cttee. Module development2007 Fairtrade Fail (93)2008 Travel plan 3rd (81)2009 Dedicated staff Module failure 2:2 (70)2010 Staff conference Car parking charges 2:2 (56)2010 Strategic plan Carbon man. plan

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The sustainability ‘journey’

Year Leadership/Gov. Operational Academic GL2005 Policy published2006 Sustainability Cttee. Module development2007 Fairtrade Fail (93)2008 Travel plan 3rd (81)2009 Dedicated staff Module failure 2:2 (70)2010 Staff conference Car parking charges 2:2 (56)2010 Strategic plan Carbon man. plan2011 EcoCampus Silver Green Academy 1st (31)2011 Futures Initiative2012 LiFE index Bioversity launch 1st (33)2013 EcoCampus Platinum Zero landfill waste ?

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So what now?

Lots of activity across the University

Embedded within Estates and Facilities

Innovative use of ‘place’ within the WHS

Creative capacity building for ESF

Pockets of engagement with GI and SSO

Active volunteering and community engagement

Commitment to CMP, EcoCampus and LiFE

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Motivations for review

Impact of financial agenda on CMP

Successful achievement in EcoCampus

Priority of student recruitment and other short term business related focuses

Hiatus of senior leadership

Halfway through Strategic Plan

Understand best areas to focus efforts

Support SMT in evaluation & articulation

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Methodology

To examine underlying perceptions of the drivers and influencers of sustainability decisions:

In-depth semi-structured interviews

All current (and one former) members of Senior Management Team (10 staff)

8 additional staff:Academic Heads of Department

Professional Services staff engaged in development/implementation of sustainability actitives as part of their institutional role (e.g. facilities, learning and teaching)

Senior staff engaged in environmental agenda on a ‘project’ basis

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Interviewees

SMTVice Chancellor, PVC Research & KE and PVC Academic

Deans of Education, Health & of Arts and Humanities

Strategic Director of Resources, University Solicitor

Management GroupEx PVC Learning and Quality

Director & Assistant Facilities Director (Estates and Infrastr.)

Director of Marketing, Director of Learning and Teaching

Director of Futures Initiative & HoD of Geographical and Life Sci.

HoD of Sports Science, Tourism and Leisure

HoD of Computing & Dean of Chapel

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Organisational structure

(Acting) Vice-Chancellor

PVC (RKE) PVC( Academic)

StrategicDirectorResources

Dean –Social/AppliedSciences

Dean- Arts& Humanities

Dean-Education

Dean-Health &Social Care

UniversitySolicitor

Chaplain

DirectorSustainability

Director FI

Director Marketing

DirectorFacilities

HoDGeog/LifeSciences

HoD SportTourismLeisure

HoDComputing

Senior ManagementTeam

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Methodology (ctd)

Individual interviews of 30-40 minutes

Focus on perceptions of:Key drivers of sustainability activities (list provided) – with prompts based on: reputation; risk reduction; cost reduction; regulation; ‘right thing to do’;

Initiators, leaders and influencers of these;

Barriers to progress to date, and going forward;

Thoughts on priorities for sustainability in future.

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Activity

Reflect on your own organisation

If you undertook this exercise what would you expect the results to be?

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Findings

All staff interviewed felt the sustainability agenda was congruent with institutional values;

All staff recognised importance of supporting institutional values as part of their role;

Perceptions on(i) items of greatest importance;

(ii) drivers for justification, depending on function of individual

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Findings (ctd)

For instance:Academic staff tended to focus on:

Integration of sustainability into the curriculum

Exploring opportunity for development on the ‘intelligent citizen’ with students

Reputational benefits from above

Operational/professional services roles tended to focus on

Risk and cost reduction opportunities;

Environmental sustainability issues relating to estates/facilities/procurement

Simple rulesfor determining sustainability behaviour

1. No positive incentives for change unless societal net benefits of change are positive.

2. No positive incentives if organisation would adopt sustainability changes without incentives/regulation.

3. No positive incentives if overall costs outweigh benefits.

Adapted from Pannell 2008 – Land Economics

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Benefit-Costs of sustainabilityfor CCCU?

Bene

fit to

soc

iety

Cost

to s

ocie

ty

Cost to organisation Benefit to organisation

Regulation Reputation Risk reductionReduce costs

Right thing to do?

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Response to environmental position

Steger 1993 ‘Greening the Boardroom’

High riskLow risk

Low

opp

ortu

nity

Hig

h op

port

unity

ORGANISATION / SMT

DirectiveSupportive

Growth of activity

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Multiplying Davids and GreeningGoliaths (Schaltegger 2002)

Staff

SMT

Holistic organisational engagement

Organisation hierarchy

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Findings Operational maturity

Different stages of maturity/developmentOperational

‘Low hanging fruit’ - all but achieved

Cost and efficiency priorities

Searching out win-win scenarios

But part of mainstream decision making

Limited permeability relating to behaviour at work

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FindingsAcademic maturity

AcademicSeen as big opportunity but lesser stage of operationalisation

No target in Strategic Plan

Not clear how to embed this into programme and module planning

Strong examples of good practice (FI)

Approval mechanisms need sorting out

Levels of understanding need raising (FI)

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Lessons learnt

An ‘organisation’ is not a single entity, but a collection of staff with differing priorities, perspectives, personality and power to influence;

To what extent should we expect personal behaviours to reflect organisational values?

Present new initiatives with respect to meeting multiple (differing) needs and perspectives of influential/powerful decision-makers;

Sell appropriately to each organisational unit.

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Lessons learnt (ctd)

Role of ‘collective voice’ important to capture in decision-making

Is the organisational culture an enabler of this?

Should senior management provide top-down direction or ‘permission/space’ for ‘bottom-up’ ideas to flourish?

Importance of follow-through to operationalize strategic plans/intentions

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If you don’t do anything else…

Your ‘aha’ moment

Message 1

Message 2

Message 3