Interview with Caroline Sauvé – Driving Sustainable Innovation

In this interview, Caroline Sauvé discusses the importance of sustainable innovation and its multifaceted approach beyond satisfying just customers and shareholders. She emphasizes that organizations must actively engage with and contribute meaningfully to addressing social and environmental challenges. Caroline highlights the need for leaders to recognize and prioritize the needs of people who are not traditional stakeholders, advocating for a deep and genuine commitment to sustainability.

She points out the challenge of holding multiple perspectives simultaneously and the lack of conviction and leadership in navigating current conflicts, particularly around issues like climate change. Caroline notes that there is a need to reframe the Agile Manifesto to include environmental and social impact as a priority over profit maximization, suggesting that the original Manifesto could have benefited from a stronger moral backbone.

Caroline reflects on the enduring relevance of the Agile Manifesto, noting its resonance in organizations two decades after its inception. She shares her personal journey from being a software developer practicing Extreme Programming (XP) to becoming an agile coach, highlighting the shift from focusing on software complexity to human complexity.

Throughout her career, Caroline has witnessed diverse implementations of agility across different sectors, including government and climate technology startups. She expresses a positive outlook, trusting in humanity's inherent desire to do good work and create a better world, as she has observed this drive within various organizations and leaders.

Caroline Sauvé's interview underscores the necessity for organizational transformation towards sustainability and the critical role of leadership in fostering such change. She advocates for a balance between adhering to agile principles and prioritizing environmental and social responsibilities.

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All interviews

These are the book contributors we interviewed to explore what leaders can do to drive and change their organizations through the lens of sustainability and innovation.

You can watch all interviews on the book playlist on Youtube.