The Eco-Advantage Mindset

In the corporate world, a handful of companies are developing new ways of approaching a thorny problem: How do we grow and prosper while decreasing pollution and conserving natural resources?

WaveRiders build a foundation for Eco-Advantage by reframing how everyone in the company looks at environmental issues. For these companies, environmental thinking is not always the final word on strategy, but it is always a consideration.

In our research, we’ve found that this new mindset is absolutely critical to managing eco-risks, driving innovation, and turning environmental pressures into competitive advantage.Above point is highlight how WaveRiders use an environmental lens to change the way they think and sharpen their business strategies. After a while, these companies don’t have to focus consciously on finding an alternative perspective. Environmental thinking becomes intrinsic to how they do business. Deeply embedded, the Eco-Advantage Mindset arises naturally at every opportunity.

Some basic rules to get you there:

• Look at the forest, not the trees. WaveRiders think broadly about (a) the time frames involved in investment and strategy decisions, (h) the full range of potential payoffs from those investments, including hard-to-measure intangible gains, and (c) possibilities for adding value across the full chain of production.
• Start at the top. Every company we found leveraging Eco-Advantage had a commitment to environmental thinking at the very top of the organization.
• Adopt the Apollo 13 Principle—”No” is not an option. In leading companies, management gives the organization bold environmental goals and seemingly impossible tasks—and refuses to accept failure
• Recognize that feelings are facts. Top performers know that what NGOs, employees, customers, communities, and other stakeholders f’c1 about a company’s environmental performance and reputation can be much more important than the reality.
• Do the right thing. We’ve seen time and time again that WaveRiders make choices based on core values, including caring for the environment, even when it might not pay off in the short run.

Look At The Forest, Not The Trees

By concentrating on the forest, we found the strategic that advantage for market. WaveRiders in the corporate world do the same. True, many business books push broad thinking, but taking up the environmental lens requires stretching the mind in new directions. Nature, after all, cuts a very wide swath.

In factoring environmental considerations into their strategic thinking, WaveRiders broaden their vision across three critical dimensions. They consider issues in both short- and long-time horizons. They calculate payoffs more broadly than others and are more attuned to intangible costs and benefits. They don’t let the traditional boundaries of their business limit their vision, and they search for ways to improve performance throughout their value chains.