Theory: Organisational responsiveness

Transcription

1 Theory: Organisational responsiveness David Ballard Alexander Ballard Ltd

2 The challenge of low carbon transition Significant industries are often locked-into levels of carbon use inconsistent with CO2 reduction needs E.g. steel industry, cement, housing stock, food industry In such cases, minor alterations e.g. to price regime will not be enough to bring about change of speed and magnitude required Addressing lock-in requires change at the regime level, not simply business as usual change

3 Lock-in and path dependency Change is not always equally possible E.g. the day after construction has finished Some possible changes (but not all) can be spotted years in advance E.g. equipment cycles, capital plant, contracts Taking opportunities requires exciting and different approaches to management

4 Why organisational responsiveness matters Agency the capacity to take action that will make a difference occurs at fleeting moments when various individual and collective factors come together. Example: MAS Intimates: window of opportunity probably around six weeks So organisations need to develop a capacity over time so they can respond to low carbon opportunities when they arise. From report: page 107

5 PACT: assessing whether organisational capacity is fit for purpose Adaptive capacity project carried out by Alexander Ballard Ltd and Hampshire County Council for ESPACE project, Result: PACT Performance Acceleration for Climate Tool 2008 Addresses both adaptation & mitigation Strong theory and research base Tested with public and private organisations in UK and more widely Common roots to Low Carbon Works Project, developed in parallel

6 PACT Structure of the Framework Management tool for improvement Vertical dimension 6 levels of managerial response in ascending order of managerial performance / capacity Horizontal dimension 9 complementary pathways / competencies that need to improve together for change to occur List of activities The specific actions taken at different levels of the nine pathways Assists to quickly establish an organisation s level of response A toolkit for use by reviewers (internal or external) A handbook and toolkit with forms, templates. worksheets, processes Reporting process, including case examples and graphs Online database Building an ongoing research and best practice resource Significantly improving the data collection & assessment processes

7 PACT Vertical Dimension: Six Levels of Response RL6 The Champion Organisation RL5 Strategic Resilience RL4 Breakthrough Projects RL3 Efficient Management Increasing Capacity RL2 Stakeholder Responsive RL1 Core Business Focus

8 PACT developed independently, but maps easily onto Geels Response Level 2: Stakeholder Responsive Responding to pressures from within the regime to address climate issues; looks outside the organisation for leadership; cannot adequately address issues of magnitude of climate change

9 Mapping PACT response levels onto Geels Response Level 2: Stakeholder Responsive Responding to pressures from within the regime to address climate issues; looks outside the organisation for leadership; cannot adequately address issues of magnitude of climate change Response Level 3: Efficient Management Optimising within the regime ; projects have relatively predictable but modest benefits; not pushing at regime boundaries and so not normally capable of addressing need for change beyond business as usual

10 Mapping PACT response levels onto Geels Response Level 2: Stakeholder Responsive Responding to pressures from within the regime to address climate issues; looks outside the organisation for leadership; cannot adequately address issues of magnitude of climate change Response Level 3: Efficient Management Optimising within the regime ; projects have relatively predictable but modest benefits; not pushing at regime boundaries and so not normally capable of addressing need for change beyond business as usual Response Level 4: Breakthrough Projects Strategic experimentation in niches, able to work temporarily outside regime constraints; inherently unpredictable, working with unusual new partnerships; likely to run into regime boundaries, which will show up as constraints on the complementarities matrix. This requires an action research approach, since regime constraints normally only manifest in response to action. Learning processes therefore become crucial.

11 Mapping PACT response levels onto Geels Response Level 2: Stakeholder Responsive Responding to pressures from within the regime to address climate issues; looks outside the organisation for leadership; cannot adequately address issues of magnitude of climate change Response Level 3: Efficient Management Optimising within the regime ; projects have relatively predictable but modest benefits; not pushing at regime boundaries and so not normally capable of addressing need for change beyond business as usual Response Level 4: Breakthrough Projects Strategic experimentation in niches, able to work temporarily outside regime constraints; inherently unpredictable; working with unusual new partnerships; likely to run into regime boundaries, which will show up as constraints on the complementarities matrix. This requires an action research approach, since regime constraints normally only manifest in response to action. Learning processes therefore become crucial. Response Level 5: Strategic Resilience Addressing need for systematic change well beyond business as usual; work therefore inherently takes place beyond the context of a single organisation, requiring change in an interdependent system of organisations. Requires the learning architecture, leadership, strategic processes, etc to take learning from one part of a system to wherever it can be of most value

12 Example of a PACT review: 2009 A regulated private sector organisation with strong performance which faces strategic issues at industry level Activating strong breakthrough project capacity, identifying exciting options for low carbon, well adapting operations But needs to change pattern of relationships at industry level to be able to implement these Leverage areas: agents of change, working together, learning

13 Examples from report* Airworx: a potential breakthrough project lacked the RL4 breakthrough management processes needed to succeed and so struggled in an RL3 efficient management context Ginsters: a successful transition from RL2 stakeholder responsive towards RL4 breakthrough projects MAS Intimates: a potential RL4 breakthrough project was spotted and acted upon by a organisation which had already developed high capacity. As project matured, the organisation began to develop and use RL5 strategic resilience capacity. * Pages 112 to 118

14 Organisations need to develop a capacity over time : implications for low carbon transitions Business as usual approaches will not bring sufficient change Efficient management is rarely enough when the challenge is regime transformation There needs to be more emphasis on breakthrough project approaches Emphasis on finding niches for rapid experimentation, looking to identify and learn from contextual barriers, managing for innovation If the necessary capacity is not there, it needs to be developed Required level must be identified, organisation s current level must be assessed and focused improvement activity taken as part of the project This is what PACT enables This will not happen by chance but must be consciously planned Development takes time but can be assisted This is RL5 strategic resilience work and it needs to be undertaken at leadership level, including by governments The 10 lessons in the report give pointers to some of the needed changes

15 Theory: Organisational responsiveness David Ballard Alexander Ballard Ltd

16 High response level working: VROM s RL5 adaptation programme in the Netherlands The government recently earmarked 50 million for the Knowledge for Climate research programme, aimed at making eight vulnerable areas safer. These could provide us with the flagship projects that we need. VROM Minister, Jacqueline Cramer From National Adaptation Strategy: Working with other parties, the national government will: 4. Finance knowledge development in the interests of developing regional adaptation strategies for eight areas (i.e. Knowledge for Climate hotspots ) The options for developing a few of these projects as an excellent example of climate-proofing will be considered; 6. Actively contribute to the realisation of a number of pilot projects for natural climate buffers. Series of How to...? questions identified Link back to strategy definition ( agenda ) process Significant research budget with link to top academic experts Process managed by 4 Directors General of major ministries

17 PACT Nine Pathways of Change Strategic Pathways A: Awareness B: Agency C: Leadership Developmental Pathways D: Agents of Change E: Working Together F: Learning Operational Pathways G: Managing Operations H: Programme Scope and Coherence I: Using Expertise

18 PACT Nine Pathways of Change Awareness The ability to realise what climate change means for the organisation s viability, for the viability of its work, for society and for the planet, now and into the future. Agency The capacity to spot, prioritise and develop opportunities for meaningful and timely action in response to information about climate change. Leadership The extent to which a formal leadership team can identify a vision in relation to climate change and can engage with, support and legitimise its implementation. Agents of Change The capacity to identify, develop, empower and support a group or ecosystem of champions at different levels so that they can be effective agents of change Learning The extent to which the organisation can learn from experience and use what it learns to improve procedures, strategies and mission. Working Together The capacity to involve, respect the needs of, communicate with, learn from, and act in collaborative partnerships with internal and external groups. Managing Operations The embedding of procedures to get to grips with climate change in a systematic way. Programme Scope and Coherence How far projects sit within an overall programme for action that is suited to the scope of what the organisation is trying to achieve and updated in the light of what is learned. Using Expertise The capacity to recognise, access and deploy the necessary skills, understanding and technical and change expertise to make the biggest difference.