Sustainability in IT

Discuss about the Sustainability Leadership and Diversity in IT.

Sustainability in IT refers to the principles and methods that will help in effective running of an organization. Running an organization is a complex process and many environmental, social and economic dimensions have to be kept in mind for a successful company (Bebbington,  Unerman and O’Dwyer 2014). In accordance with the Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan, green initiatives have been integrated into the workplace that will contribute in reducing pressure on the environment.

In order to reduce environmental pollution, the cardboard boxes can be reused. Throwing away such boxes will lead to wastage. The card boxes can be used to make stationary containers and egg cartons. They can be used in the office and the egg cartons in the kitchen. They were utilized to make disposal bins and shelves at the workplace. It reduced the necessity to buy these from outside thus reducing the average expenditure. External help from environmentalists and green house specialists guiding the process would be of great help (Crane and Matten 2016). The disposal bins can be kept at different places which would help in reducing the clutter and help in keeping the office clean. The shelves can be utilized to keep books and stationary articles that would help in cleaning up the tables. Motivators can be called in from outside who will talk about the advantages of using recycled products. Everyone’s contribution is crucial when it comes to reducing the environmental waste. The recycled products will give rise to the realization that the world can be such a beautiful place by using natural made products. The material of cardboard is also biodegradable which lessens environmental footprint. It offers “green” solutions of packaging. Their reuse percentage is 100% which can then be used to manufacture innovative cardboard products. It also helps in creating more jobs as it requires the utilization of more man power. For a business, it is all the more important as it becomes a part of corporate social responsibility and it saves costs incurred on waste disposal (McKendrick et al. 2017).  Recycling cardboard also reduces the release of sulphur dioxide which is produced when pulp is made from trees. It needs only 75% of energy that is essential in order to manufacture new cardboard. Water consumption will be reduced by above 7000 gallons for a single ton recycled material. It will also contribute in reducing the greenhouse gas emission because creation of paper from trees will use up more of energy. 

Leadership

It can hence be concluded that implementing recycling policies will pave the path for green IT that will reduce the pressure on the environment. Cardboard can be utlized by small scale and big business that will help them to reduce expenditure. The thick sheets of paper recycled can be of much help in our day to day life. Their durability is advantageous for making disposal bins and shelves. It helps in creation of more jobs because it would involve people who would be engaged in the process of collection, sorting and shredding of the cardboard paper (Sardot, McDonald and Smith 2013). It clearly reveals how a little bit of caution on our part can create a beautiful and pollution free world. The world is reeling under the effects of environmental degradation and it is high time that people realize their responsibility towards Mother Earth.  

Leadership is of supreme importance for the successful running in an organization. An ideal leader will be able to co-ordinate perfectly and bring about desirable changes in an organization. The leader is responsible for handling all the important affairs and his role will be crucial in case of an emergency (Bolman and Deal 2017). Leadership will account to a great extent for the success of an organization.

Leaders have power but instead of utilizing it they should also engage themselves and be active in the organization. Simply sitting at the corner and giving lectures will be of no use if he does not engage with the workers. A blending of the traits of confidence and down to earth attitude will account to a great extent for being the successful leader. Confidence is necessary in order to handle controversy and conflict in the workplace (Jaques 2017). One should always protect information that is told in secrecy and it helps in building trust in an organization. Restraint is another important quality that an ideal leader should have. Listening and being empathetic towards the problem of others can account to a great deal for one’s popularity and status in an organization. Leadership is necessary in order to bring about changes in an organization and not to change oneself by virtue of the power of leadership. One should always identify the values and evaluate intent in order to be an ideal leader. Clarifying the agenda is important and it should be done while taking into consideration the opinions of others and the agenda of other shouls always be respected. An ideal leader is full of humility and laying bare his or her mistakes and failures will surely uplift the image of the leader and other workers will also be able to gain knowledge from this and implement it in the workplace (Prusak 2013). An ideal leader should have vision and being able to communicate that vision is an indispensable quality of ideal leadership. Dampening the opinion of others in order to exhibit one’s own point of view is a bad quality and should be done away with instantly. True leadership will be able to inspire others so that they get encouraged to work effectively and give a better performance. An ideal leadership would be able to utilize the potential, skill set and knowledge of the employees to the fullest extent for the overall growth of an organization. Leadership should also have the ability of independent thinking who will be able to challenge the existing system. The perfect leadership do not argue and embarrass others. An effective leader will listen to the sayings of others. They will know the method to relate as well as initiate. A respected leader knows very well that one’s action is more strong as compared to words. Those who are great leaders do not give fake promises and they loath people who are always looking for attention (Tannenbaum,Weschler and Massarik 2013).

Harnessing Culture and Diversity

Thus it can be concluded that an ideal leader will be able to bring changes to the organization through his hard work and practice. Confidence and trust are essential facets of a leader and through his behavior he will be able to create the perfect atmosphere that nurtures talent and respects dedication. All the people who are at the helm of administration should come together and matured leadership would be able to bring about positive outcome in the organization.

Cultural diversity refers to the co-existence of different ethnic groups within the society. Cultural diversity is extremely essential as through the mingling of various ethnic groups will bring in new positive changes in the overall structure of the society. (Bellini et al. 2013).  Welcoming the views and opinions of others is a good move and it paves the path for a pluralistic culture. There are rigid and conservative people who do not want to bring about changes in the society and who want to stick to their own point of view.

Gender equality in an organization can be achieved when the women will be able to enjoy same resources as that of the male counterpart. Even in this modern era women continue to suffer from the effects of glass ceiling and their average earnings are a lot less as compared to that of the men. Women have surely come out of the kitchen but the gender gap still prevails in the workplace. It has been seen through research that inaccessibility to resources accounts to a great deal creates barriers that limit the progress of the women in the organization. There is a prejudice in the society that women will not be able to handle leadership roles as this will require more skill sets. Maternity leave care for women will be a great booster and this will encourage women to come out of their home and bridge the gap between men and women (Brunow and Blien 2014).  Socity still suffers from the scars of previous injustices and differential treatment on the basis of race and ethnic group should not be tolerated in the workplace. Diversity spells good in a business because different kind of employees will be able to bring innovative ideas that will contribute for the success of an organization. The progression in one’s career should be solely on the basis of merit. Reality often does not work along this direction and employees coming from different backgrounds should be encouraged which will in turn instill faith in them towards their organization. Those who are from ethnic minority are ignored and they are relegated to an inferior position in an organization (Rice 2015).  The existence of an anti-discrimination policy that addresses the issue of racism will prove to be a boon. A training can be held once in a year that will reming the employees of proper behavior. A committee to address such kinds of issues that will identify racial abuse is a necessity in the workplace arena. All the employees should be warned from the administration that perpetrators of racial abuses would not be tolerated at any cost in the organization. Open communication should be encouraged in the workplace so that they feel free to report about racism. A reporting system that is anonymous will help the employees and remove fear of any retaliation (Trax, Brunow and Suedekum 2015).

Thus it can be concluded that treating someone differently on the basis of race and gender should not be tolerated in the workplace. Law has forbidden unemployment in any form and harassing a person for belonging to a different ethnic culture should be punished. Discrimination based on birthplace, culture and linguistic characteristics should be abolished at the outset.

References:

Bellini, E., Ottaviano, G.I., Pinelli, D. and Prarolo, G., 2013. Cultural diversity and economic performance: evidence from European regions. In Geography, institutions and regional economic performance (pp. 121-141). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Brunow, S. and Blien, U., 2014. Effects of cultural diversity on individual establishments. International Journal of Manpower, 35(1/2), pp.166-186.

Rice, M.F., 2015. Diversity and public administration. ME Sharpe.

Trax, M., Brunow, S. and Suedekum, J., 2015. Cultural diversity and plant-level productivity. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 53, pp.85-96.

Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

Jaques, E., 2017. Requisite organization: A total system for effective managerial organization and managerial leadership for the 21st century. Routledge.

Prusak, L., 2013. A handbook of practical wisdom: Leadership, organization and integral business practice. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(2), pp.312-313.

Tannenbaum, R., Weschler, I. and Massarik, F., 2013. Leadership and organization. Routledge.

Bebbington, J., Unerman, J. and O’Dwyer, B. eds., 2014. Sustainability accounting Management and accountability. Routledge.

Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2016. Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press.

McKendrick, D.R.A., Snedden, L.J., Bunch, R. and McGregor, H., 2017. Pragmatic recycling of paper and cardboard in the operating theatre: an audit. Journal of Perioperative Practice, 27(3), pp.43-48.

Sardot, T., McDonald, A.G. and Smith, G., 2013. Characterization of a cardboard recycling facility’s mixed plastic waste for beneficial use. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 4(1), pp.161-171