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The writer is Diageo Professor of Organizational Studies, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
With the growing interest in goal-oriented work, MBA graduates are increasingly questioning potential employers rather than simply answering their questions. We offer suggestions on what they should consider regarding their company's sustainability policies.
Why should MBAs care about sustainability in future employment?
Job satisfaction and long-term security
Academic research shows that when companies prioritize sustainability, they are able to better adapt to changes in the business environment, secure their long-term financial performance, and provide greater job security. Commitment to sustainability demonstrates their dedication to lasting resilience, strengthening employees' confidence in their future. A greater focus on employee well-being increases job satisfaction, reduces burnout, and provides a more harmonious workplace. When employees feel valued and supported, they become more engaged, productive, and committed to the organization's success.
Shared values
For those who value sustainability, aligning with organizations committed to making a positive impact on the environment and society enhances the meaning they derive from work. When considering a new job, most workers take the values of their potential employer into consideration. As commitment to sustainability increases, those who align with their employers are more likely to be exposed to new opportunities within the company, and employers will benefit from a workforce with shared values and aspirations.
Professional development and career options
Sustainability provides an opportunity for graduates to forge new career paths and enhance professional development. It requires contributions from all functional roles as regulations and disclosure evolve, and as opportunities for innovation and new business models emerge. Graduates possess the skills to foster collaboration, break down silos, drive change, and adroitly manage business risks. By leveraging their expertise, MBAs can play a pivotal role in driving sustainable practices and positioning themselves at the forefront of this era.
How to become more informed about sustainability credentials
Every good interview starts with preparation. Research the progress the organization has made that has been reported in the public domain. This allows interview time to be used more effectively to ask bolder, more inquiring questions to explore what is available to the audience.
Explore the organization's relative strengths and weaknesses in its sustainability strategy, goals, objectives, commitments and measured progress. For example, the Inclusion Project contains a sustainability goals database that reviews 15,000 goals at more than 1,300 companies, and criteria for evaluating commitments. The Carbon Disclosure Project runs a global environmental impact disclosure system.
What questions should MBAs ask their future employers?
Integrating sustainability into an organization's business model works best when done holistically across its operations. Based on the conviction that sustainability can and should be present in and across all business functions, the following 12 questions can be used as starting points for examining its scope and reach.
Strategy and decision making
What are the company's long-term strategic sustainability goals, and how are they set, communicated, sequenced and measured across functions?
Is sustainability an integral part of the decision-making process at every level of the organization, and if so, how does this happen in practice?
Operations and value chain
How do you study, evaluate and prioritize sustainability impacts across the value chain? Do you use environmental or social life cycle assessments or other formal tools?
Can you share specific cases or collaborations in which your organization has taken steps to advance sustainability in the value chain, partnering with suppliers, competitors, associations, non-profits, or customers?
Payment and people
How are rewards structured to motivate senior management and employees to achieve sustainability goals?
What forms of education and training are available to promote employee learning and development, awareness of responsible consumption and knowledge sharing to promote systemic change?
Innovation and technology
Finance and accounting
Does the company develop, use or access any sustainability-related financing, such as green, blue or social bonds, sustainability-linked loans or government subsidies, and how is it used?
How does the finance function integrate sustainability-based non-financial data and metrics into forecasting and reporting? How does this lead to new or different decisions or actions?
Marketing and communications
How does marketing drive consumer awareness and action around the organization's sustainability strategy, products and services, and how does this contribute to the evolution of your core offering?
Judgment
What are the board-level decision-making structures and processes that support and challenge sustainability strategy and actions?
For organizations that have worked with voluntary frameworks – such as the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or in partnerships with relevant industry associations or non-profit organizations – how have specific initiatives moved them forward? Where do you see further developments?
The interviewer may not know the answers to all of these questions, but asking them will prompt leaders within the organization to think about the extent and ambition of its sustainable integration. Only by recognizing that MBA graduates and employers alike must raise the bar will we collectively create the resilient organizations needed to address the world's challenges.
This article was contributed by Joan Tilly, Strategy and Sustainability Consultant at Investec and MBA graduate of Cambridge Judge Business School, and Priya Saikumar, PhD student, ESG consultant and MBA graduate of Cambridge Judge Business School.
