Small business sustainability: It's more than appreciative inquiry and ADDIE methods.

摘要

Small businesses make up over 92% of Canadian enterprises and have the opportunity to show responsible environmental stewardship in the economic arena. Yet with limited resources, they are challenged to compete with corporations regarding environmental sustainability efforts. Using Appreciative Inquiry methodologies, the ADDIE instructional design model, and The Natural Step's four system conditions, the processes required to create an Environmental Management System (EMS) were documented to plan the sustainable future of a small business. Design of the EMS process with study participants revealed the need for increased flexibility and simplicity and a stronger focus on sustainability. Evaluation tools such as the Ecological Footprint calculator and the triple bottom line were mentioned by participants but are not recommended in the design of this particular EMS process. Trust in the workplace was a major theme in the findings and is directly linked to the effectiveness of implementing a successful EMS.