Question 1

While important for other reasons, the governance of an organization has little impact on the effectiveness of sustainability programs.

Accepted Answer

Governance plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of sustainability programs. It is responsible for setting sustainability goals, allocating resources, holding employees accountable, and ensuring that policies and practices align with sustainability objectives. Good governance can create a culture of sustainability within an organization, while poor governance can hinder progress towards sustainability.

Question 2

Organizations with traditional linear hierarchies will not be able to plan sustainability initiatives.

Accepted Answer

Organizations with traditional linear hierarchies can still plan and implement sustainability initiatives; the structure does not inherently prevent sustainability efforts, though it may affect the approach and execution.

Question 3

To be effective, all members of sustainability teams should be managers and supervisors.

Accepted Answer

While managers and supervisors may be part of a sustainability team, it is not necessary for all members to have management or supervisory roles. A successful sustainability team will typically have a diverse range of expertise and perspectives, including individuals from different departments and levels within the organization.

Question 4

Sustainability coordinators should be prepared to spend most of their time working alone.

Accepted Answer

While sustainability coordinators may indeed spend some time working independently, much of their job involves collaboration and communication with others in order to promote sustainable practices and implement initiatives. They may work with colleagues, community members, vendors, and other stakeholders to achieve their goals.

Question 5

The first step in sustainability planning is to begin taking action immediately so that people become enthused.

Accepted Answer

The first step in sustainability planning is actually to gather information and analyze the current situation before taking action. This helps ensure that actions taken are effective and sustainable in the long run. Only after this initial step should action be taken, and it should be done in a thoughtful and deliberate manner rather than simply to generate enthusiasm.

Question 6

A vision statement should describe what kinds of damage an organization intends to avoid.

Accepted Answer

A vision statement should describe the long-term aspirations and goals of an organization, rather than what it intends to avoid.

Question 7

People doing scenario planning construct scenarios for several plausible futures.

Accepted Answer

Scenario planning involves creating multiple plausible future scenarios in order to prepare for possible outcomes.

Question 8

An indicator report should be prepared at the beginning of a project and does not need to be repeated thereafter.

Accepted Answer

An indicator report should be prepared at the beginning of a project, but it should be updated regularly throughout the project to track progress and make any necessary adjustments.

Question 9

Before teams select sustainability projects they should agree what criteria will be used in selection.

Accepted Answer

Agreeing on criteria for project selection helps ensure that decisions are made based on consistent and agreed-upon standards, and helps prevent disagreements or biases in the selection process.

Question 10

A business case for sustainability includes an assessment of opportunities and risks.

Accepted Answer

A business case for sustainability should analyze the potential benefits and drawbacks of adopting sustainable practices. This includes identifying opportunities for cost savings, improved brand reputation, increased customer loyalty, and reduced environmental impact. It also involves assessing potential risks such as increased regulatory scrutiny, reputation damage from environmental incidents, or supply chain disruptions.

Question 11

The triple bottom line of sustainability can be used as a reporting framework.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The triple bottom line of sustainability can...

Question 12

Nonlinear, shared-governance systems&#10;A) appeared with the production lines of the Industrial Revolution&#10;B) feature structures known as silos&#10;C) are also known as command and control&#10;D) are necessary in organizations with cradle-to-cradle systems

Accepted Answer

The answer of Nonlinear, shared-governance systems&#10;A) appeared with the production...

Question 13

Diffusion of Innvoations theory shows that&#10;A) teams of organizational leaders are responsible for innovation&#10;B) creative individuals, at first working alone, are responsible for innovation&#10;C) critical mass is reached after about 16 percent of people adopt an innovation&#10;D) critical mass is reached after about 50 percent of people adopt an innovation

Accepted Answer

The answer of Diffusion of Innvoations theory shows that&#10;A) teams...

Question 14

An elevator speech is&#10;A) An inspirational speech&#10;B) A short summary&#10;C) A detailed explanation&#10;D) Designed to elicit questions from an audience

Accepted Answer

The answer of An elevator speech is&#10;A) An inspirational speech&#10;B)...

Deck 16: Working in an Organization