Marks and Spencer – a UK-based retailer that sources from factories and farmers around the world - has been on a journey: moving beyond old-style philanthropy and corporate social responsibility, towards the long term goal of building a sustainable business – in the full commercial, social and environmental sense of the term. We believe that business can drive development and our own experience has demonstrated the powerful business case behind doing this.

But why does this matter for us?

Great article about how and why M&S's Plan-A initiative is about more than CSR, and is helping shape the future of the business. Comes replete with a top "how to" tips from the company's head of sustainability.

I’m enjoying John Kotter’s latest book, ‘A Sense of Urgency’. For those who know Kotter’s work and his 8-step change model, they will recognise this as the first step in his model. 

Kotter suggests that a lot of change initiatives fail at this first step: either the sense of urgency is not high enough, or complacency has not been reduced. Immediately I began to think in terms of Lewin’s force field analysis (see

 diagram). 

However, he goes further and explores the idea of a false sense of urgency: frenetic activity that is unfocussed and unaligned with strategic issues. I recognise this. I’ve seen this. To my shame, I’ve done this.

In recent years we have seen the rise of portfolio management, and responses to supporting this has been a Portfolio Office as part, perhaps, of a P3O system of support and assurance. One of the keys to practising effective management of a change portfolio is strategic alignment: making sure all the projects and programmes tell, contribute to the war effort as expressed in the organisation’s strategy. If they don’t it simply produces a lot of motion without movement, a lot of busyness without any real and lasting benefit. 

I was schooled in Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  where in the Habit 'Put First Things First', Covey develops a strong distinction between the 'Urgent' and the 'Important', arguing that many confuse the two. In the 7 Habits analysis we engage with two types of 'Urgent': the non-Important (perhaps other people's important) and the Important Urgent. It seems to me that what John Kotter is describing a false sense of urgency is, in Covey's terms, the Unimportant Urgent, but almost at an organisational level.

So who defines what is 'important' within the organisation. Leaders do. This is a fundamental job of leadership. Leaders clarify meaning, explain what is important to everyone they seek to influence.

I’m getting too old for aimless thrashing about. Now I need to use my energy and the energy of the organisation as a whole wisely. As a leader, I need to make it tell. So I appreciate Kotter's analysis of a false sense of urgency and how to identify the real thing.

I’ll write more on this book shortly.

Nice post from my Father on "false sense of urgency" - I'm sure we've all experienced this at one time or another. Like him I've been guilty of letting it happen...