Collaboration and Best Practices in Sustainability

Research suggests that collaborative approaches are often the best way to succeed in the development and implementation of a sustainable best practice campaign. Collaboration is key because although best practice is an increasingly popular buzzword, real-world development and implementation is no easy feat.

Canadian research by the Network for Business Sustainability reveals that collaborating on green issues is the key issue facing companies with a strong record of sustainability. The complex and diverse nature of developing and implementing best practice means that companies need to share best practices and solve these difficult problems.

Collaborating to develop and share best practices is not only a concern for profit driven corporations and SMEs. Diverse groups of people are coming together to explore ways of collaborating to build a sustainable future. Social enterprises, social venture capital firms, educational institutions, governments, non-profits, social innovators, and many others are also seeing the value of collaboration.

While these efforts have been thwarted by a culture of individualism, increasingly this mentality is being replaced by the pragmatic realization that together we can achieve more than we can achieve on our own.

Collaboration is key not only as a means of pushing forward the planet saving goals of sustainability but as a means of advancing other interests as well. Part of effectively collaborating involves redefining success and coming to terms with the collective impact of shared value.

To succeed in such a collaborative endeavor involves networking with sustainability professionals from a variety of sectors and industries.

Collective action through collaboration accelerates movement toward sustainability and advances the interests of diverse groups and individuals.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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