Planting Green Seeds Today to Grow Tomorrow’s Talent

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Anecdotal evidence indicates that individual initiatives can have a big impact on a company’s bottom line. Take, for example, the Wal-Mart employee who suggested the company remove light bulbs from the vending machines in its well-lit stores—triggering an annual $1.2 million saving in electricity costs.
 
It is not hard to extrapolate from such examples to imagine the impact a cohesive green workforce development program would have on an organization’s carbon footprint, product offering, cost structure and green credentials. Indeed, such a program would enrich the performance anatomy that is the hallmark of a high-performance business or government.

Despite the beneficial effects of green programs on the bottom line, and despite evidence of growing resolve on the part of governments to mandate environment-friendly practices, Accenture sees few companies actively working to build the pipeline of green talent.

Business leaders who grasp the importance of the environmental sustainability agenda will want to ensure that their employees have the skills needed to address those factors. It is also clear that financiers, marketers and general employees who are able to apply green principles in their particular disciplines will be needed. Accenture believes that the entry of environment-sensitive Millennials—today’s teens and 20-somethings—onto the job market will favor the development of a green agenda.

What can be done now to ensure that tomorrow’s workforce has abundant green talent? While skills sets are both detailed and industry-specific, it is clear that the four activities pursued by companies that genuinely compete on talent are relevant to all industries. These activities are:

• Define talent expectations.
• Discover new sources of talent.
• Develop talent potential.
• Deploy talent in the right place at the right time.

However, the central challenge is to create a holistic approach to the development of a green workforce. While such a development may not be a top priority now, it needs to rise rapidly up the management agenda—it has the potential to help drive high performance in a world increasingly sensitized to its own environmental fragility.

James Arnott is a senior executive in the Accenture Resources operating group where he leads the Energy service lines in Spain, Portugal, Africa and Israel. In addition, he leads the Resources Talent & Organization Performance group globally. Arnott has extensive experience with strategic issues pertaining to transformation and restructuring in the energy, utilities and chemical industries. He is also a specialist on the role of energy in the South African and global economies.

Peter Lacy is the head of the Accenture Sustainability group for Europe, Africa and Latin America. Based in London, Lacy has worked on sustainability strategy and delivery with Fortune 500 companies, the United Nations, the European Union and public sector organizations. He was formerly executive director of the European Academy of Business in Society, a leading alliance on research and executive development, and has worked for other leading strategy consultancies on sustainability. He has led several of the world’s largest research programs and projects in this area and sits on various related boards and advisory councils.