Is IT consulting irresponsible?
Time for today’s daily dose of light-hearted hilarity in the form of responsibility and sustainable development. What do these mean in the IT sector? And what does Rakettitiede do to ensure a more sustainable future?
To help us tackle the concepts of sustainable development and responsibility, we are joined by our resident developer-philosopher and member of the Rocket-Founding Five, Marko Saaresto.
“My first encounter with the terms sustainable development and sustainability left a negative impression. It felt like the concepts were thrown around at will and their definitions remained vague and insufficient, so they could be used to justify mere personal preferences,” Marko says.
Due to the initial bad experience, Marko doesn’t want to pretend that his knowledge of the subject goes beyond the very basics. However, the depth and significance of these terms have gradually become evident over time.
Marko’s experience still raises a valid concern: to what extent have companies adopted sustainability as an integral part of their business and to what extent is it no more than lip service and a marketing gimmick? Is there enough organisational interaction and dialogue to make sustainability possible? Are operations guided by responsibility – or is responsibility something that’s only encountered within activities that don’t slow down the outflow of money to shareholders?
The challenge of implementing strategic sustainability
In Marko’s opinion, the themes of sustainable development defined by the UN make irrefutable sense. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs are both rational and in line with Western values.
“It simply wouldn’t make sense not to try to achieve them,” Marko says.
“By doing X, we make our civilisation and planet stronger.”
“The UN goals aren’t some pipe dream; they’re well-argued and, above all, large-scale development targets. ‘By doing X, we make our civilisation and planet stronger’. In the goals, the important challenges of our future are broken down into more manageable but still substantial categories. I feel that the discussion around the topic offers well-structured concepts that anyone can apply in their thinking. The gauntlet has been thrown: now it becomes a matter of getting these goals to guide our actions,” Marko says.
The UN has managed a difficult feat: quantifying ethical activity. This marks a critical point, since it’s difficult to achieve something you can’t measure. At the same time, the EU is leveraging ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) efforts to create a standard for how ethical considerations should be factored in by anyone operating in the European Community – and the entire world. Societal rules are being put in place to support a projected future.
“There’s a lot of buzz but it hasn’t really translated into concrete actions or genuine organisational interaction. Just look at me: here I am, too, all bark and no bite,” Marko says with a sigh.
The IT sector is a key player when it comes to enabling sustainability
“For me, the key to sustainability is the environment: healthy, diverse nature and a stable climate. Everything else is based on us being able to inhabit a life-sustaining planet for the next millennia. To my mind, responsibility is a set of ethical principles – a culture from which the principles of sustainability rise as solutions to today’s problems,” Marko says.
The IT sector is largely an equipment-focused industry, which makes it an enabler for all the areas of SDG. The first discussion Marko remembers noticing was related to the environmental effects of device manufacturing and the reuse of material. Today, the discussions have progressed to matters of energy efficiency and the avoidance of unnecessary resource consumption.
It’s necessary to distinguish between sustainability that makes use of IT and the part that the IT industry plays in responsibility efforts. Building the Rocket and participating in association activities have opened Marko’s eyes to social development needs, particularly those related to the sustainability of work.
“DEI – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – for example, is a central theme for both our organisation and the entire field of IT in general.”
“I tend to think that sustainable development is not only about environmental impacts but also about the accessibility of services, health and well-being of employees and the development of work content. DEI – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – for example, is a central theme for both our organisation and the entire field of IT in general,” Marko says.
What do Rakettitiede’s sustainability efforts look like?
Currently, Rakettitiede mainly aims to affect sustainability through being a good, humane workplace and an honest and ethical partner.
When it comes to material consumption, the mother ship has always been on the stingy side. We only buy electronics on an as-needed basis and prefer to go for the high-quality, durable option. We try to repair any broken equipment. Our head office is modest but practical. We have gadgets and gizmos a plenty, so as Christmas presents we give out care packages for the elderly and young people.
When it comes to material consumption, the mother ship has always been on the stingy side.
The Rocket hasn’t yet defined any goals or planned its operations from the point of view of sustainability or responsibility, although it may sometimes seem that way.
“Our business has been guided by our values and ethical intuition – and that’s a great starting point,” Marko says.
Being a responsible employer means building an open and equitable community and basing one’s operations on human values. This thinking is already present at the recruitment stage during which the candidate’s potential future success and happiness onboard the Rocket are weighed carefully.
The IT sector is in a key position as an enabler of sustainable development, while technology has the power to save us from catastrophic environmental impacts. “In the long run, we need to place our hope on a better and wiser humanity that is bound to emerge through social and cultural development”, Marko says.
Happiness created by good and balanced employment is a goal worth pursuing although it cannot be reliably measured as of yet. To give an example, our dear competitor Nitor uses a survey aimed at the employees’ home troops and designed to provide information on the well-being of Nitor employees – kudos on the great idea!
“We show our responsibility towards our clients and partners through honesty, ethical behaviour and openness. For example, we won’t risk something like continuity, which our clients value highly, for short-sighted company gains,” Marko says.
“On the other hand, if client work suddenly loses its appeal, it’s in the interest of both the consultant and the client that the prerequisites of high-quality work are re-established. Sometimes this can even mean switching consultants. There’s no point wasting everyone’s valuable time and happiness by doing uninspired, second-grade work,” he says.
At Rakettitiede, everyone has a chance to influence matters of sustainability. As an employer, we encourage everyone to express their opinion about the type of work we should pursue and how the company should operate. In addition, we invite everyone to self-reflect on the consequences of their actions in the context of service production and influencing the sustainability and responsibility of our clients’ operations.
There’s no point wasting everyone’s valuable time and happiness by doing uninspired, second-grade work.”
“We strive to make everyday changes in places that have potential for maximum impact. When a company grows, so does its influence. One of our challenges is going to be making sustainability and responsibility more widespread in the industry – not just within our office walls,” Marko says.
What does Marko hope for the discussion around sustainability?
Ecological sustainability is an investment in the future of our planet, but that doesn’t automatically equal an investment in the company’s future. If businesses can’t gain any commercial benefits from sustainability, will making the globally best choice have to rely on the values of individuals?
“I think that even now our global system rewards activities that harm the planet and put an unsustainable strain on the environment. However, I believe that the wind is changing and that regulatory norms and the dominant ideology will call for the recognition of universal advantages,” Marko says.
The world is changing. If a company doesn’t base its operations upon sustainable and responsible principles, it will sooner or later be in hot water with the ESG requirements set by the EU. In addition, attracting a committed workforce will become a challenge, as the themes of sustainability and responsibility become increasingly important for more people, especially the younger generations. A growing number of talents will vote for responsible conduct with their feet.
“Companies should record sustainability and responsibility in their strategies. Otherwise, they risk falling by the wayside,” Marko says.
What does the future look like?
“I see a future where no one can hide behind the old adage ‘the purpose of a business is to make a profit for its owners’. The UN and the EU are setting norms and providing tools that allow everyone to approach the topic from an actionable perspective rather than some abstract idea of goodwill. Empty talk, token programmes and virtue signalling create a buzz but may at the same time create a negative moralising undertone,” Marko says.
So the discussions have started, people are getting educated and companies are starting to take the topic seriously. A genuine willingness to include sustainability in cultures and operations is on the rise, supported by the baseline established by the reporting regulations set by the EU.
But how will the ideas of sustainability, responsibility and sustainable development be put into practice?
“I wish I knew how to answer that! Increased awareness alone will probably have an impact. How the themes are going to be adopted into our daily work is a big challenge. Everyone in the organisation should be able to do the right thing, even if the management team doesn’t have a Master’s in sustainable development,” Marko says.
If putting policies into practice fails, the discussion may dry up into a mere academic debate that has more to do with marketing than actual change. To give an analogy: it doesn’t matter how agile an agile coach is if their agility doesn’t translate into the daily practices through relevant routines, ideas and ceremonies.
Marko hopes that responsibility thinking will become a more widespread practice that will be integrated into routines through various avenues, including strategic approaches and concrete actions.
“The future is looking bright – I’m an optimist after all. The journey to a better tomorrow won’t be easy but it is achievable. Technology has the power to save us from catastrophic environmental impacts but, in the long run, we need to place our hope on a better and wiser humanity that is bound to emerge through social and cultural development,” Marko says.
Interested in finding out what Rakettitiede is like as an employer? Read more and apply!
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