Books

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook: Building New Bridges, Second Edition. Ed. Jeana Wirtenberg, Linda M. Kelley, David Lipsky, and William G. Russell (2019)

Available for Order Now!

WOW!  This incredible work defines both the breadth and depth of the sustainability movement with insight, practical value, and passion.  It will shape the path to a better world for at least another 10 years as the definitive statement of the sustainable enterprise.”

Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Partner, The RBL Group

“This Fieldbook is a collection of deep context and practical tools to help every reader equip their organization for the sustainable future. There are countless books about the future of sustainable business, but none stitch together the historical wisdom, activation methods and story-telling like this one does.”

Dave Stangis, Chief Sustainability Officer, Campbell Soup Company

“As sustainability becomes the business of the 21st century, it is essential that responsible executives and managers have the tools and mindsets to help navigate the challenges facing this transition. This book will help ensure that companies and organizations act as positive agents toward this future.”

Jonas Haertle, Head of PRME,  United Nations Global Compact

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook is a gamechanger for sustainability. With deep thought and inspiring examples, this updated book engages readers by increasing their understanding and awareness of what sustainability means conceptually, practically, personally, and professionally. It provides readers with the tools and techniques to improve the social, environmental, and economic performance of their organizations in both the short and long term.

Since sustainability is not achieved in a siloed environment, everyone has a critical role to play on this journey. The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook engages today’s managers and leaders of organizations, in both the private sector and civil society, who are being challenged as never before to find ways to play a proactive role in understanding and addressing the risks and opportunities of sustainability. It teaches them how to apply systems thinking to turn our most intractable problems into exciting business opportunities, and offers groundbreaking frameworks in new chapters on globalization, strategy, metrics, and sustainability models for collaboration, technology, and community.

That is why this book is structured to be a fieldbook to provide practitioners the Activities, Cases, and Tools that they can use to help move their enterprise through progressively higher performing stages of sustainability. Readers will also gain access to the innovative Living Fieldbook: an online community forum filled with supporting materials.  www.TheSustainableEnterpriseFieldbook.com

Jeana Wirtenberg’s newest book, Building a Culture for Sustainability, People, Planet, and Profits in a New Green Economy. (2014)

Order Now!

by Jeana Wirtenberg, with foreword by Andrew Winston

“Sustainability” isn’t merely a buzzword; it’s critical to long-term success.

This practical, easy-to-understand book sets a path to successfully building a culture for sustainability in today’s global marketplace, providing “best practice” case studies from industries and sectors including manufacturing, business-to-business, hospitality, consumer products, telecommunications, and professional services.

In their own words, leaders, managers, and employees from nine global companies explain how they are turning their visions into reality. Sustainability and human resources expert Jeana Wirtenberg describes how these companies are transforming challenges into opportunities by opening their minds to the megatrends that will define the future. The vast majority of today’s CEOs consider sustainability essential to their company’s success, yet most do not know how to embed it into their company and its culture. This book guides firms of all types and sizes—from those organizations just starting their journey to sustainability, to those seeking to accelerate their positive impact on people, reduce their negative environmental impact, and improve their bottom line. Wirtenberg shows readers how extraordinary results are possible by engaging the hearts and minds of employees throughout the organization.

Features
• Never-before-published stories and lessons learned from nine successful global companies that are building cultures for sustainability
• Tips from business leaders on how to create purposeful work environments that ignite employees’ passion
• Practical resources: on-the-ground successful programs; proven global and local best practices; top-down and bottom-up strategies and activities; and user-friendly frameworks, tools, and references that help firms at any level of sustainability build a more sustainable culture via increased employee engagement

Sample Topics

Best Practices
Corporate Social Responsibility
Culture Change
Employee Engagement, Training, and Development
Employee Volunteerism
Environmental Stewardship
Green Leadership
Green Teams
Human Resources
Leadership Development 3.0
Metrics and Measurements for Sustainability
Organization Development
Organization Transformation and Change
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
Triple Bottom Line

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook, When It All Comes Together, First Edition. Ed. Jeana Wirtenberg, William G. Russell, and David Lipsky (2008), with Foreword by Georg Kell, Executive Director, UN Global Compact.

Today, managers and leaders of organizations, in both the private sector and civil society, are being challenged as never before to find ways to play a proactive role in addressing the concerns of sustainable development. But they are often overwhelmed by a bombardment of conflicting messages from the media, shareholders, customers, employees, and NGOs. The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook helps managers deal with this confusion. It teaches them how to strike a better balance, moving from an either/or mindset to one that holistically embraces social, environmental and economic issues simultaneously. It addresses the what ( what is a sustainable strategy for a company or organization? ) as well as the how ( how do we go about building a sustainable enterprise? ).

The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook has been put together by an outstanding network of experts from business (Microsoft, Sony, Philips, and AIG), consultancies, and academia. Its aim is to teach and guide leaders, managers, practitioners, students, and professors in every sector of society, and in every industry, in creating a successful and sustainable enterprise. By making the steps needed clear, understandable, and simple to follow, the book naturally engages readers in their journey and encourages their participation in three key ways: by increasing their understanding and awareness of what sustainability means at a conceptual and practical, as well as a personal, level; by energizing and expanding people s commitment to building sustainable enterprises; and by providing readers with extensive tools and techniques so they can individually and collectively take actions that will improve the social, environmental, and economic performance of their organizations in both the short and long term.

Each chapter of the book illustrates through models, tools, cases, stories, and examples from a wide range of companies how to integrate sustainability into the day-to-day realities of running a business. Managers are coached, facilitated, and guided to enable them to create a better balance between the short and long term, to help them to become change agents in their organizations and to provide answers to the question How do I make a difference? Some of the areas covered are leadership, strategy, managing change, employee engagement, metrics and measurement, networks, and globalization.

Book Chapters

2022

Wirtenberg, J. “Sub regions taking off: Overview of Fifth PRME Northeast Virtual Conference.” Invited Contribution to book: Responsible Management Education: The PRME Global Movement published by Routledge, January 2022.

2018

Aydinliyim, L. & Wirtenberg, J. “Reimagining the 21st Century Employment Relationship: Aligning HR & CSR Through Employment Policies and Practices.” Chapter 40 In The Talent Management Handbook: Making Culture a Competitive Advantage by Acquiring, Identifying, Developing, and Promoting the Best People. Third edition, New York: McGraw Hill, 456-470.

Wirtenberg, J., 2011. Sustainable Enterprise for the 21st Century. Chapter 4, Volume I (of 3 Volumes), S.G. McNall, J.C.Hershauer and G.Basile, (Editors), The Business of Sustainability: Trends, Policies, Practices and Stories of Success, Santa Barbara, Ca: ABC-CLIO, 67-88.

Wirtenberg, J., 2011. Unleashing Talent in Service of a Sustainable Future. Chapter 37 in The Talent Management Handbook. New York: McGraw Hill, 374-384.

Wirtenberg, J., 2016. The Living Organization: Designing a New Landscape for OD.  Chapter 9. W. J. Rothwell, J. M. Stavros, R. L. Sullivan, and J. D. Vogelsang (Editors), Organization Development in PracticeSan Francisco, CA: Organization Development Network, 150-167.