October 24th, 2024
Leading Change: Leveling Up Your Organization to be Future Ready
Join us for our flagship event, the Sustainable Business Forum, where we curate and host cross sector conversations that generate visionary sustainable business solutions.
More Details
Representatives from Member Companies should contact Dan Lampmann for Registration information, dlampmann@pitt.edu.
Questions regarding our refund policy should be directed to Dan Lampmann, dlampmann@pitt.edu.
Table of Contents
Agenda
- 08:30 a.m. - 09:00 a.m. - CSB Updates & Meta-Analysis Primer
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CSB Leaders will provide an overview of the intersection between the disciplines of Strategy and Change Management in today’s context. Both disciplines are multifaceted, but, when used together, can support the firm’s ability to navigate disruptions in the unpredictable + unprecedented market and identify Blue Ocean opportunities to bring even more resilient value to the firm. Preview the CSB approach to strategic management and navigating societal, technological, environmental, and economic disruptions.
John Camillus, Donald R. Beall Professor of Strategic Management & CSB Faculty Director
Chris Gassman, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Business
- 09:00 a.m. - 09:40 a.m. - Academic Keynote Speaker & Fireside Chat
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Title: Embedding Purpose
As a leading authority on the implications of environment and poverty for business strategy, Stuart L. Hart brings his extensive academic and consulting experience in supporting businesses to develop strategies for sustainable value creation. In his most recent impactful work, Prof. Hart argues we are at an inflection point in our current understanding of capitalism that offers the opportunity to create a radically sustainable and just capitalism with purpose and sustainability embedded within its structure.
Stuart L. Hart, Professor in Residence, University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise
Moderator: Ann Sokalski, Sustainability Director, World Group
- 09:50 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. - Table Activity: Corporate Strategy & Change Management
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Corporate Strategy & Change Management are invariably linked in the effort of positioning your business to be resilient in the context of the unprecedented and unpredictable changes in the 21st Century. During this interactive session, practitioners will discuss the relationship between Corporate Strategy and Change Management through the lens of Wicked Strategies. Groups will have the opportunity to work together to evaluate and reflect on how to manage change in a disruptive world.
Chris Gassman, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Business
- 10:20 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Panel: The Voice of the Leader
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Change is led in a multitude of different ways, big and small. In this Panel, Speakers and Attendees will engage in a discussion around how to lead change as a Practitioner, no matter the seniority level.
Janel Everly, Senior Director, ESG, Sustainability & Value Creation, Gartner
Samantha Hartzman, Head of Social Impact & Chief Diversity Officer, DLC
Heidi Chappell, Senior Director – Community & Stakeholders, USS Corporation
Moderator: Nicole Muise Kielkucki, Director, Fourth Economy
- 11:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. - Breakout 1: Leadership Difficulties and Recommendations
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The audience will be split up and grouped into Cross-Sectoral Groups to discuss real-world issues experienced when attempting to lead change. These issues have been collected from CSB Partner Companies and are anonymous to allow groups to keep all discussions hypothetic to allow for candid conversation about the anonymous thematic issue. Groups will look towards identifying where there may be differences and similarities in the change leadership issues and seek learning from across sectors about how they might approach an issue differently.
Breakout Audiences: Cross-Sectoral Discussion
- 12:40 p.m. - 01:20 p.m. - Industry Keynote Speaker & Fireside Chat
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Title: Identifying Sustainable Blue Ocean Opportunities to Create Resilient Value
With the lens of corporate sustainability as a business strategy, Pratik Raval will provide insight into how to navigate the rapid change in the market, how to lead change from different levels of management, and ultimately how sustainability as a strategy can lead to firm growth.
Pratik Raval, Chief Sustainability Officer, Fifth Third Bank
Moderator: Ravi Madhavan, Professor of Business Administration, Organizations & Entrepreneurship Area Director, Alcoa Foundation International Faculty Fellow at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
- 01:20 p.m. - 02:10 p.m. - Breakout 2: Leadership Difficulties and Recommendations
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The audience will be divided into groups within the same or similar SASB Industries. Participants will learn from peers who experience similar restrictions, regulatory pressures, and general industry norms. Discussion topics will follow the same format as Breakout 1, but Breakout 2 Groups are invited to drive the conversation where it may allow them to connect with their industry colleagues and learn how to - or how not to - effectively lead change.
Breakout Group Audiences: SASB Industry
- 02:10 p.m. - 02:50 p.m. - Panel: The Voice of the C-Suite
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In this Session, attendees will hear from and interact with current and former C-Suite members to learn how to manage change and strategy implementation across large corporate entities. Ample time will be given to discussing specific strategies, leadership skills, and supportive practices to ensure that leaders at the top of the corporate ladder are prepared to take on the 21st century’s most difficult challenges and to inform rising stars and other organizational leaders of the resources available to support their C-Suite.
John Krolicki, Chief Administrative Sustainability Officer & Co-Leader for the UPMC Center for Sustainability, UPMC
Diane Kappas, former Vice President of Global Sustainability, PPG
Moderator: Mackenzie Peters Skeen, Corporate Social Responsibility Program Manager, MSA – The Safety Company
- 03:00 p.m. - 04:00 p.m. - Facilitated Workshop: Change Action Plan Development
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This session is a culmination of the day’s programming to allow each attendee the time and space to synthesize their thoughts and create a Change Action Plan to bring into the office on Monday morning.
- 04:00 p.m. - 04:20 p.m. - Key Takeaways and Commitments
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To conclude the day, the CSB will host a final large group sharing of learnings, Change Action Plan ideas, and future questions to pursue.
Moderator: Chris Gassman, Executive Director, Center for Sustainable Business
Recommended Reading
Pre-Readings:-
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Change Management Requires a Change Mindset, by April Rinne. This article discusses how to integrate scenario mapping into your strategic planning process to boost your “flux capacity” (your tolerance for change) and contribute to the kinds of futures you’d like to see.
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Change Management Strategies aren't Keeping Up with the Pace of Change, by Rick Western. The article presents "surround sound," a new communication strategy for navigating rapid change, emphasizing a mix of top-down, peer-to-peer, and bottom-up communication. This approach taps into the brain's "Thrive Channel" to encourage collaboration and sustained performance in a fast-evolving environment.
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Strategy as a Wicked Problem, by Dr. John Camillus. Companies today face "wicked" strategy problems—complex, evolving issues without clear solutions. Traditional approaches fall short, so organizations must continuously engage stakeholders, collaborate across departments, and rely on a strong corporate identity to navigate these challenges.
Workbook
Download the Workbook here.
Research and Course Compendium
The Center solicited submissions from around the globe to recognize the best sustainable business practices within any institute. This compendium was shared with senior leaders attending our Fall Sustainable Business Forum and published here via the Center.
We selected this SBF's theme to specifically bring attendees’ attention to the crossover of the disciplines of strategy and change management. How do I support my workforce to bring my company into an unknowable future? How can I take an action if the future is unpresented? What is my role as a change agent, a leader, and a person to push business forward toward the Blue Ocean of opportunity? We asked our audience these questions and strove to prepare them for leading in a world filled with societal, technological, environmental, and economic disruptions.
If you would like to get in touch with any of these leaders, please reach out to Program Manager, Daniel Lampmann at dlampmann@pitt.edu.
- Where we solicited from
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- ClimateCAP Network
- NBS SCC (Network for Business Sustainability - Sustainability Centres Community)
- UN SDSN (United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network)
- Criteria for inclusion
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- Date range after January 2023
- Courses OR Research Papers / Working Papers / Other Academic Contributions
- Related to the examinations of resiliency, sustainability, strategy, change management
- Researchers & Educators included
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- Baylor University
- Cranfield University
- Fordham University
- LUT Business School
- Monash University
- Norwegian Schools of Economics
- Rowan University
- São Paulo School of Administration - Serenas
- St. John’s University
- Stern School of Business - New York University
- Texas A&M University
- University of Alberta
- University of Maryland
- University of Paraná
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Warwick
Getting Here
All events will be held at University Club at 123 University Pl, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
We encourage using more sustainable transportation forms like Pittsburgh Regional Transit busses, walking, or biking with your own bike or Pogoh bike sharing! Parking in Oakland can be challenging.
For parking, the closest option is Soldiers and Sailors Garage (4390 Bigelow Blvd.). If go there, take a ticket at the garage, and we'll provide a validation card at registration. Check ParkMobile to view other options.