Leveraging for Green
摘要
This chapter explores how organisations can achieve disproportionate sustainability impact through the disciplined use of leverage rather than direct control. It argues that in complex, interdependent systems—particularly those shaped by climate, resource, and social constraints—leaders must identify strategic intervention points that influence behaviour beyond their immediate operations. Drawing on systems thinking, the chapter distinguishes between structural, behavioural, and symbolic forms of leverage, showing how each can shift incentives, norms, and market dynamics. It proposes practical tests for prioritising action—materiality, saliency, centrality, solvability, and inevitability—helping leaders decide where intervention will generate systemic change. The chapter also emphasises collective action across value chains, sectors, and institutions, noting that collaboration multiplies influence and reduces bounded rationality. Ultimately, it concludes that effective leverage converts sustainability ambition into measurable, scalable impact, while poorly targeted efforts risk diffusing resources and eroding credibility.