CAMBRIDGE, MA, March 9, 2009 — MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) today announced the launch of a major, multi-year collaboration, The Sustainability Initiative: A Collaboration to Make Business Sense of Sustainability. Comprising joint research and an online discussion hub aimed at management practitioners and leaders, the Initiative will explore emerging thinking on sustainability and its implications for business strategy and organization.
Says Michael Hopkins, editor-in-chief of MIT SMR, "The vital need for society to address its environmental, economic, and social challenges w ill end up transforming the ways we all work, live, and compete. It will have extraordinary implications for organizations and the people who lead them-work processes, organizational models, competitive strategies, and leadership methods are all going to be affected. But how? And why? And in what specific ways? That's what we'll explore."
The Sustainability Initiative at MIT SMR grew out of shared, intense interest in the subject and a desire to capitalize on the combined intellectual resources of MIT and BCG. For BCG, opportunities for competitive advantage created by the challenges of sustainability are a key focus for clients and prospects. And for MIT SMR, sustainability is an important aspect of the journal's sharpened focus on innovation, change management, and the future of business.
"We are excited to join forces with MIT Sloan Management Review on this wide-ranging initiative," says Martin Reeves, a senior partner who leads the BCG's Strategy Institute, a business-strategy think tank. "Helping leaders adopt sustainable business practices and strategies that create competitive advantage is a priority for BCG and our clients. At the same time, this initiative reinforces our commitment to social impact, which is an integral part of our organization."
The Initiative launched in December with an online discussion hub at MIT SMR. The two organizations are also in the early stages of joint research and expect to release initial results in the summer of 2009. The collaboration will extend to three areas, in addition to the research: 1) Feature articles and reporting on sustainability and management issues; 2) Beyond Green, a management blog on sustainability; and 3) the Sustainability Resource Guide, an online list of best articles, websites, and other sources of insight for managers.
About MIT Sloan Management Review
A web site and print magazine published at the MIT Sloan School of Management, MIT SMR's mission is to host the conversation about the future of management practice among thinkers, professors, and managers. MIT SMR captures the creativity, excitement, and opportunity created by rapid societal, economic, and technological change, and brings it home to thoughtful managers. www.sloanreview.mit.edu