INNOVATION September-October 2017

F E A T U R E

Gray-Donald became the Vice-President of Sustainability at QuadReal Property Group in February 2017, and is in the process of setting contextual goals by following the guidance from the Embedding Project. Based on lessons learned, he wanted to get away from letting the internal politics set the context. In his view, “For goals to feel authentic they need to connect with a broadly agreed upon purpose.” QuadReal is responsible for the real estate investments of many public employees and pensioners across BC. From day one Gray-Donald wrote a sustainability policy, which incorporated a number of key parts based upon the Embedding Project’s contextual strategy framework. The Canadian president and board of QuadReal signed onto the policy, which includes a statement that QuadReal recognizes its impact and commits to meet its proportionate share of Canada’s commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). QuadReal’s proposed development sites will have buildings with long lifetimes, including major mechanical and building envelope components that will have lifetimes of 30+ years. “We are right now thinking through what is required to be radically less carbon intensive,” says Gray-Donald. “These are engineering challenges that, when framed in the earliest design meetings, inspire better solutions. Buildings have traditionally been built within the context of a neighbourhood and a cityscape. They are now also being designed within the context of a low carbon future.”

Environmental Initiatives, notes that before the port authority could effectively identify, acknowledge and prioritize focus areas, it had to understand its context. In 2010, the port authority embarked on a scenario planning process involving more than 100 individuals and organizations with a stake in the future of the port. The initiative, called Port 2050, resulted in the identification of key drivers of future change and four distinct scenarios describing plausible futures as the port moves toward 2050. Participants then identified the one scenario worth aspiring to: The Great Transition, a scenario representing a shift to a lower-carbon economy with a focus on sustainable trade. The port authority monitors these key drivers of change as broad meta-trends and considers the four scenarios in its strategic planning process. The port authority’s vision aligns with the Great The Embedding Project “Road to Context” guide outlines four iterative steps that support the development of a contextual strategy. See chart below. APPLYING CONTEXTUAL SUSTAINABILITY GOALS The Embedding Project’s framework for developing contextual strategies can provide a shared lens and help frame organizational thinking, which can lead to executive and employee buy-in and fundamental organizational change. Transition scenario and a low carbon port. KEY STEPS ON THE ROAD TO CONTEXT

STEPS

EXPLORING CONTEXT RECOGNIZING CONTEXT

APPLYING CONTEXT

INFLUENCING

You also formally commit to working with your value chain and/or industry to support adherence to the threshold(s). You also explain how you will expand your sphere of influence with respect to the threshold(s) and why. You have also set one or more goals that include(s) influencing others to help them adhere to the threshold(s).

1 ACKNOWLEDGE the need to operate within global,

You formally recognize the existence of the threshold(s) but do not commit to operating within them.

You formally commit to operating within the threshold(s) for this issue.

You discuss the importance of an issue only in general terms.

regional, and/or local socio- ecological thresholds.

2 Transparently understand and PRIORITISE a set of

You understand and explain the relevance of the

You explain how you will prioritize among the threshold(s) and why.

You are developing a better understanding of the threshold(s).

focus areas in relation to key socio-ecological trends at the global, regional, and/or local level.

impacts you have on the threshold(s) as a result of your business activities. While you have set a contextual goal for the threshold(s) you have not explained how and why you set it. You have set trajectory targets but don’t provide a clear rationale or have not yet built a track record of meeting your targets.

3 SET STRATEGY AND GOALS by transparently articulating the current performance gap and what portion of this gap the business will address.

You have set a contextual goal(s) for the threshold(s) and have a clear and transparent rationale for how it was set. You have set clear trajectory targets and have established a history of meeting them or adjusting future targets when they go unmet.

You are working to understand the gap needed to operate within the threshold(s).

You also monitor your influence in supporting others to adhere to the threshold(s).

You have a history of reporting performance against the issue but have not yet set trajectory targets.

4 Transparently TRACK

performance against realistic trajectory targets.

2 6 S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7

I N N O V A T I O N