Overview
(Week 2 )
This unit explores three foundational tasks required before the business case development begins:
- Understanding organizational goals, motives, and decision-making criteria;
- Building coalitions for action; and
- Community engagement.
Organizations can be motivated by a range of goals. For example, a private, for-profit business may be motivated by revenues, profits, market capitalization, etc. A government agency or non-profit may be motivated by a combination of cost effectiveness, mission impact and stakeholder approval.
A business case is fundamentally an argument intended to convince an organization’s decision-makers, rights holders and stakeholders of the desirability of a certain course of action. As such, a critical step in developing the business case starts with a comprehensive understanding of how rights holders, stakeholders, and other decision-makers choose among alternative actions, which goals are pursued and how goals are prioritized, and even what cognitive biases may influence choices. A successful business case will build upon the goals and values of the organization and will actively address any barriers that might impede the uptake of the business case.
Coalition building within the organization is important for two reasons. First, it enables the business case proponent to enlist a broad base of support for the climate action strategy. Second, climate change may have an impact on a range of internal stakeholders who can influence (for better or worse) the outcome of the strategy. Finally—especially in larger organizations—expertise may be distributed among many departments. Coalition building can provide access to specialized knowledge and expertise that may be required both to develop the technical aspects of the business case and to anticipate any potential side-effects or barriers that might undermine the business case.
In some cases (e.g., large organizations and governments), coalition-building and engagement extend beyond the organization to involve the broader community (including cross-sector partnerships). This process helps to ensure that any climate action measure undertaken aligns with the goals and expectations of all stakeholders.
Furthermore, the community can be an important source of insights and ideas. In particular, consultation with Indigenous groups enables planners to engage Indigenous knowledge, values and perspectives as critical resources for climate action planning. This unit proposes that such consultations and cross-sector partnerships are a necessary component of designing responses to complex adaptive socio-ecological systems.
In this unit, you’ll explore examples from a variety of industries and/or sectors in order to practice building organizational profiles with which to inform business cases.
Activities and Assessment
- Online session
- Readings and independent exploration
- Team discussion forums
- Post Reflective Blog #1: Economic self-interest and climate action (Assignment 1)
- Secure case study client
- Conduct organizational assessment activity (linked to Assignment 3: Business Case)