I ran across this article today that was very interesting. The article was found at environmentalleader.com and is titled, "National Manufacturers Would Be Forced to Dispose of Products under R.I. Bill." The article is about the governor of Rhode Island and his administration signing a bill that would ultimately force certain manufacturers to pay for their wastes. The governor, Lincoln Chafees, ultimately wants to expand this bill to other sectors since it will only be in effect in the Rhode Island area. If the bill passes, certain products will be decided on whether they are needed to be paid for in order to dispose of them. From the article, items like; mattresses, paint, and syringes need to be paid for because they are either harmful to our environment or cause an increased cost to the government in order to dispose of them. Obviously this is a step towards a more sustainable future, even if it only starts with Rhode Island.
After reading the article, I think that it would be beneficial to analyze Lincoln's leadership through the Authentic Action Wheel portrayed in Chapter 10 of our text. The wheel was developed by Robert Terry in which it portrays six components that are used to locate a problem on the wheel (pertaining leadership), and to strategically select an appropriate response to the problem. As for the wheel, I went through all six components for Lincoln. My reasoning behind each components are as follows:
Meaning: Lincoln and his administration are guided by their values, principles, and ethics to make a difference when it comes to being able to dispose of harmful materials so freely.
Existence: Manufacturing plants have been freely disposing of harmful substances without realizing the overall detriment to the environment (History). Also, Lincoln is the Governor of Rhode Island which lends him power and credibility (Identity).
Resources: Lincoln controls a vast amount of resources due to the position held. (people, time, capital, etc.)
Mission: Lincoln wants to reach a more sustainable environment in Rhode Island and later expand his objectives and policies further throughout the U.S.
Power: Has power due to the position that is held, through motivating his administration, and for maintaining high morale through times of change.
Structure: Has a great deal of structure through the government and also through the policies (like this one) that he makes and incorporates into law.
Thus, all six of these components revolve around the idea of fulfillment. Fulfillment is the stage that an Authentic leader will see themselves at once the process has been completed. For Lincoln, I would argue that he will find himself here once the bill is passed and put into practice. Thus, this wheel is usually for finding a problem with leadership, but after going through the process, I wasn't able to find any. The only thing that is wrong here, is that the process is not 100% complete. Therefore, I will state that the Governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, is most definitely an authentic leader.
If you read the article, do you think that Chafee is an authentic leader? Do you think that it is safe to say that most politicians should be able to classify themselves as authentic leaders (be there no criminal tendencies)? Let me know what you think.
To visit the full article click here
-Jeff Parrish
Monday, March 21, 2011
Walmart’s New Sustainability Mandate in China
Retailing conglomerate Walmart appears to be keen to adopt the ever growing trend of sustainability practices. An article in BusinessWeek entitled “Walmart’s New Sustainability Mandate in China”, describes the steps Walmart plans to implement to achieve their goal of being a more sustainable business. Walmart unveiled this plan in the Walmart Sustainability Summit which was held in Beijing, China. As you can tell from the name of the article as well as the location of the summit, Walmart was primarily addressing China. According to the article, “if Wal-Mart were a country, it would be China's sixth or seventh largest trading partner”, this shows the extent of significance that both entities have on each other. Despite this symbiotic relationship, CEO Lee Scott and Vice Chairman Mike Duke chose this summit to lay out a new business guideline that all their suppliers must follow. These guidelines included: supplier agreements to comply with environmental laws, strengthening of the auditing programs, energy efficiency improvement-top 200 suppliers must have 20% improvement and by 2012 95% of all product source mu st come from companies with highest auditing ratings. Additionally, Scott and Duke also stated that suppliers are expected to have zero defective merchandise by 2012 as well as for suppliers and products to become transparent. Failure to comply with these standards would result in Walmart refusing to buy from them.
When I first saw the article I initially I could not believe that first, Walmart was seriously trying to become sustainable and second that they would really impose their will on China. Ever since taking MQM 385 I have watched videos and read articles condemning Walmart from its unethical employee treatment to its poor environmental practices. During all this, management has seemed to be concerned with the bottom line and was willing to cut corners to achieve it. However, after reading this it appears that management at walmart is being very proactive in setting sustainability goals. It is clear that CEO Lee Scott has improved the vision of his company from just the bottom line to look at Walmart in a bigger picture. Scott and Dukes plan is a great example of transactional leadership. From our text transactional leadership describes a leader who does not individualizes the needs of subordinates or focus on their personal development. In this instance, Scott addresses Chinese suppliers as his subordinates or followers and really does not make concessions for them, you either comply or you will be dropped. Moreover, it appears from the article that Scott’s leadership is similar to factor 6, management by exception. The text describes management by exception as a style that involves corrective criticism and negative reinforcement. It also describes that this comes into forms passive, where action is taken only after standards have not been met and active, where leader monitors their followers closely looking for mistakes and violations. In this case, it would appear Walmart will be employing an active management by exception rule as they have set strict guidelines for suppliers with the negative reinforcement that you will be dropped if you cannot meet Walmart guidelines. While, I feel that this form of management is usually something I view negatively, in this case it appears to be the most effective way for Lee Scott to accomplish the goals that he set for Walmart. With over 900 suppliers it would be near impossible to try to work on an individual basis with all of them to promote a more transformational and individualized approach that I would have liked. In the end, I am glad that a corporation that has the power that Walmart possesses is thinking more forthright and is being proactive and responsible instead of worrying about just the bottom line. I feel that in this way Lee Scott and the Walmart leadership team are setting an example for the other big box retailers in this country.
--Sean Morton
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Ecover Cleaning Products- So Over Wase in the Manufacturing Process
Ecover is a Belgian consumer products company and also the world’s largest supplier of ecological cleaning products. Concept Manager Peter Malaise is partially responsible for integrating environmental consciousness and sustainability into each and every business decision made across his fifteen year tenure. Ecover and Peter Malaise have even used supply-chain management to impose on its suppliers the same strenuous demands on which they grade themselves.
As Concept Manager for Ecover, Malaise has achieved such feats as screening out every harmful toxin present in the process of manufacturing cleaning products and establishing an on-site water treatment facility. The article linked below even mentions that Malaise boasts that Ecover’s products result in an astonishingly low two grams of waste for every kilogram manufactured.
These feats and Ecover’s continued success in the ecological cleaning products industry and the realm of sustainability are a direct result of the presence of two of the Big Five Personality Factors outlined by Peter Northouse in the Fifth Edition of Leadership: Theory and Practice. The first factor, openness, led Malaise and Ecover to exploring unprecedented alternatives and solutions to reducing the firm’s negative impact on the biosphere. Creativity, insightfulness, and curiosity are all characteristics of an open personality. Malaise displayed curiosity in searching out new methods to reduce environmental harm caused by the manufacturing of cleaning products. He was very creative in devising the solutions, and he showed a great deal of insightfulness while integrating sustainability into each and every decision faced by the firm. The next personality factor that propelled Malaise and Ecover to industry success is conscientiousness. The best example of his conscientiousness in action is the ISO14001 auditing to which the firm’s manufacturing is subjected. These very meticulous standards could only be met by someone who is as thorough, organized, and dependable as Mr. Malaise.
The quote at the beginning of the article demonstrates Peter Malaise’s and Ecover’s dedication to sustainable manufacturing, “It’s amusing to me that you are studying Sustainability now in the U.S. because here in Belgium we’ve been working on it for thirty years.”
Article Link: http://www.triplepundit.com/2009/06/ecover-cleaning-products-so-over-waste-in-the-manufacturing-process/
-Kyle Hines
Best Practices from HP
Engelina Jaspers, Vice President of Environmental Sustainability at Hewlett-Packard recently spoke at The Wall Street Journal's ECO:nomics conference about how to deal with green issues on a strategic level. She made points that align with a few of the characteristics of Bill George’s Authentic Leadership Approach, which describes the qualities of authentic leadership and the corresponding behaviors to develop these qualities.
1. “The first: It doesn't really matter where you start. If it's a top-down-driven initiative from your company because the CEO is passionate about it, or if it's a bottom-up, grass-roots-type movement within your organization—it doesn't matter, but at some point the two need to meet. It requires CEO support and organizational readiness.”
“Fourth, don't forget it's a team effort and to include your partners, your supply chain, and your employees and others in the efforts.”
- Both of these quotes fall into the Relationships characteristic. George prescribes that authentic leaders develop strong relationships that are built on being connected through mutual disclosure, trust, and closeness. I believe that by having all of these stakeholders involved in sustainability efforts allows for this connectedness to occur.
3. “Third, the business case is not sufficient. There needs to be an internal narrative that goes along with the return on investment. Reason drives the decision, but emotion will drive the action.
- Jaspers emphasis on not relying solely on the business case truly illustrates the Purpose that George implies that authentic leaders demonstrate. The emotion to drive action that Jasper talks about would be a result of the underlying passion exhibited by Jasper (provided she’s not blowing smoke)
5. “Fifth, you need to embed the sustainability strategy within the business strategy. There is no app for sustainability, as someone aptly said.”
- Though this may seem like a long shot, I would like to attempt to relate this strategic alignment to George’s characteristic of Self-discipline. He describes it as a means of aiding leaders in reaching their goals. As the VP of environmental sustainability, Jasper must constantly be aligning sustainability to their business strategy. If not, it will be seen as an afterthought and just another greenwashing cycle (no pun intended).
Read the article here.
Posted By: Michael Condupa
Monday, March 14, 2011
Not all our Votes, but our Leader!
I am going to switch things up a bit and write about a leader who I think is frequently overlooked when it comes to sustainable efforts. So here's a quiz; who sets policies, orders, and even certain laws? Our President, that's who! The article that I have chosen is titled, "President Obama signs an Executive Order Focused on Federal Leadership in Environmental Energy, and Economic Performance." Obviously everyone is going to have a say behind any President of the United States because they are so easy to target and "bash" if you will, but President Obama is our latest President and yet has faced the toughest times of incorporating sustainable efforts.
What's in the Article
The Executive Order signed by President Obama, though it was in 2009, is still importantly relevant today. The Order focuses on sustainability goals for Federal agencies and how they can make great improvements in environmental, energy, and economic performance across the board. Thus, this established Order required agencies to establish a 2020 green house gas emissions reduction within 90 days of being sent out, an energy efficiency plan, waste reduction agenda, sustainable support for communities, and to leverage Federal purchasing power to promote various environmentally-savvy products. President Obama stated, "As the largest consumer of energy in the U.S. economy, the Federal government can and should lead by example when it comes to creating innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, conserve water, reduce waste, and use environmentally-responsible products and technologies." Therefore, Obama's Order is building on the Recovery Act to help our country work towards a clean energy economy, and thus is blatantly stating the Federal Government's commitment towards a sustainable future.
For example, here are some of the encompassed details of the Order that Obama has set forth:
President Obama can be looked at as using many different types of leadership styles as well as using his numerous powers to be a great manager and leader. Thus, I believe in this case Obama is portraying Transformational leadership. I feel that Obama, being the President, shows that he is a Transformational leader due to a number of reasons. First, he is a transactional leader by the way he focuses on the exchanges that occur between himself and his followers, in which a transformational leader must perfect in order to become a transformational leader. Second, Obama is ultimately engaging the entire Federal Government by passing this Order in regards to fighting for a more sustainable future. Thus, passing this Order hopefully raised the awareness of all of his followers and ultimately upped the motivation and morality among the followers and Obama to reach the goals that were set forth by the order.
To add, making this huge decision to set limits on the Federal Government makes me believe that Obama is a Charismatic Leader as well. As discussed in lecture, charisma is a gift that very few people possess that give them power to be heard and to move people as well as the ability to do extraordinary things. Though many people would say that he is just a politician, and like all just "blow smoke," I think that he is a great inspirational speaker and thus is charismatic by all means.
To conclude, President Obama has made great headway in sustainable efforts throughout his term of Presidency. My question to you is that, since Obama will not be in office when his goals are set to expire, do you think that the Federal Government will possess the same ambition towards sustainable efforts as they do currently? Also, if you do not think that Obama possesses charisma and/or is not a Transformational Leader please explain why.
To visit the full article, please click here
-Jeffrey Parrish
What's in the Article
The Executive Order signed by President Obama, though it was in 2009, is still importantly relevant today. The Order focuses on sustainability goals for Federal agencies and how they can make great improvements in environmental, energy, and economic performance across the board. Thus, this established Order required agencies to establish a 2020 green house gas emissions reduction within 90 days of being sent out, an energy efficiency plan, waste reduction agenda, sustainable support for communities, and to leverage Federal purchasing power to promote various environmentally-savvy products. President Obama stated, "As the largest consumer of energy in the U.S. economy, the Federal government can and should lead by example when it comes to creating innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, conserve water, reduce waste, and use environmentally-responsible products and technologies." Therefore, Obama's Order is building on the Recovery Act to help our country work towards a clean energy economy, and thus is blatantly stating the Federal Government's commitment towards a sustainable future.
For example, here are some of the encompassed details of the Order that Obama has set forth:
- 30% reduction in vehicle fleet petroleum use by 2020;
- 26% improvement in water efficiency by 2020;
- 50% recycling and waste diversion by 2015;
- 95% of all applicable contracts will meet sustainability requirements;
- Implementation of the 2030 net-zero-energy building requirement; According to the article, if these orders are met, it will have a huge positive impact on the sustainable initiative of our country including less spending by our federal government and ultimately less waste.
President Obama can be looked at as using many different types of leadership styles as well as using his numerous powers to be a great manager and leader. Thus, I believe in this case Obama is portraying Transformational leadership. I feel that Obama, being the President, shows that he is a Transformational leader due to a number of reasons. First, he is a transactional leader by the way he focuses on the exchanges that occur between himself and his followers, in which a transformational leader must perfect in order to become a transformational leader. Second, Obama is ultimately engaging the entire Federal Government by passing this Order in regards to fighting for a more sustainable future. Thus, passing this Order hopefully raised the awareness of all of his followers and ultimately upped the motivation and morality among the followers and Obama to reach the goals that were set forth by the order.
To add, making this huge decision to set limits on the Federal Government makes me believe that Obama is a Charismatic Leader as well. As discussed in lecture, charisma is a gift that very few people possess that give them power to be heard and to move people as well as the ability to do extraordinary things. Though many people would say that he is just a politician, and like all just "blow smoke," I think that he is a great inspirational speaker and thus is charismatic by all means.
To conclude, President Obama has made great headway in sustainable efforts throughout his term of Presidency. My question to you is that, since Obama will not be in office when his goals are set to expire, do you think that the Federal Government will possess the same ambition towards sustainable efforts as they do currently? Also, if you do not think that Obama possesses charisma and/or is not a Transformational Leader please explain why.
To visit the full article, please click here
-Jeffrey Parrish
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