I’m busy writing up the results of a client workshop and something that has struck me is how the following two phrases are used interchangeably:

“Changing culture to embrace sustainability”

“Embedding sustainability into the culture of the business”

I must admit I sometimes mix the two up, but, if you think about it, they are quite different mindsets and it is very important to distinguish between them.

“Changing culture” carries the impression of imposing a worldview on employees – at worst trying to brainwash them. This is extremely difficult to do, morally dubious and most people trying it simply flounder.

“Embedding sustainability into the culture” implies working with the culture that is already there to find common ground between people’s attitudes and sustainability – in other words what I call Green Jujitsu. This isn’t easy either, but it is a much more effective approach than trying to change culture wholesale.

Language matters – so we must choose our words carefully.