Measure what matters: A blueprint for a sustainability culture diagnostic

Abstract

While many recognize sustainability as a valid risk management tactic, some CEOs are facing opposition to their sustainability initiatives. Given this challenging environment, we argue that it is critical that CEOs successfully execute their sustainability agendas to avoid criticism. Unfortunately, the complexities surrounding the execution of sustainability initiatives make achieving good sustainability performance difficult. As such, this article makes two small but critical contributions to improving organizational sustainability performance. First, we argue that if CEOs want to improve their organization’s ability to improve sustainability outcomes, they need to start by measuring their organization’s sustainability culture. Second, we leverage an empirically validated innovation culture measurement model to operationalize a sustainability culture diagnostic tool that CEOs can use to measure their organization’s sustainability culture. Finally, we provide preliminary guidance on how CEOs can use the sustainability culture diagnostic to improve their organization’s sustainability culture and performance.