Take a long view

The turbulent economy has led to a renewed focus on business sustainability. Unsurprisingly, tough times have made it the issue of the moment for organisations looking to improve performance now, as well as bolster it for the long term.So it’s timely that one of the CIPD’s flagship projects, the three-year Shaping the Future programme, has focused on bringing meaning to the issue of sustainability. For the past year, we have been working with six organisations undergoing change programmes - Standard Chartered, Big Lottery Fund, Birmingham City Council, Pfizer (Grange Castle), Xerox and NHS Dumfries and Galloway to explore what drives continued success and what blocks it.
 

Language does not simply reflect what is going on in organisational life: it also influences what people think and what they do

Linda Holbeche, director of the Holbeche Partnership and visiting professor of HRM/OD at Cass Business School