It's one thing to commit to sustainability; it's another to integrate sustainability into every business decision. Triple-Bottom-Line and Structured Decision Making: A Case Study of BC Hydro demonstrates how Canada’s third largest electric utility embedded sustainable thinking into its organizational decision making.

"In our quest to advance sustainability, progressive organizations are looking for ways to integrate triple-bottom-line thinking into their business models and operations," says Coro Strandberg, leading sustainability entrepreneur and coach, and co-author of the BC Hydro Case Study. "Triple-bottom-line decision making is uncharted territory, so organizations of all stripes can benefit from a proven, adaptable tool like this."

Funded by Industry Canada, the BC Hydro Case Study describes how BC Hydro uses what it calls structured decision making (SDM) to embed social, environmental and economic factors into business decisions across the organization. It demonstrates that it is possible, practical and rewarding to integrate triple-bottom-line thinking into organizational decision making even in the face of multiple objectives and stakeholders, overlapping regulatory oversight, complexity and uncertainty.

The case study outlines a user-friendly model for structured decision making accompanied by key questions for decision makers, challenges, conditions for success and two profiles of SDM in action.

Charles Reid, BC Hydro chief financial officer and SDM executive sponsor, explains: "Structured decision making ensures that we have a consistent, logical framework by which to make key business decisions in alignment with our Purpose. This approach, when used at the appropriate level of detail, should be part of all of our business decision making."

The SDM process helps staff and the organization overall make better choices. It generates options based on multiple (and sometimes competing) objectives and clarifies tradeoffs, while still focused on the triple bottom line. The results demonstrate that there is a practical way to translate high-level, triple-bottom-line objectives into business decisions "“ and that they often lead to outcomes that are better on all three bottom lines.

Trish Webb, corporate sustainability director at Translink, Metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority, sees value in learning from the BC Hydro experience. "At TransLink, we already think 'sustainability' but like many organizations, we can further integrate sustainability considerations into our decision making. This case study can help us refine our approach."

For a copy of Triple-Bottom-Line and Structured Decision Making: A Case Study of BC Hydro, visit www.corostrandberg.com or contact the co-author at 604.433.7339.

About Strandberg Consulting

Strandberg Consulting provides strategic advice and facilitation services to organizations that seek to integrate social and environmental factors into their business models. A thought leader in corporate social responsibility, principal Coro Strandberg specializes in sustainable governance and sustainable purchasing, finance, and human resource management.

Strandberg Consulting

Strandberg Consulting

Strandberg Consulting provides strategic advice and support to organizations integrating social and environmental considerations into business operations and strategy and the marketplace. Services include strategy and policy development, facilitation, research, coaching, training, keynoting and writing.

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