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Managing commitments

There is a 'triage' method for judging what commitments to make.  For any on-going commitment to be sound its purposes must be

• desirable
• feasible
• and sustainable

Drawing on The Natural Step framework for sustainability the following conditions must apply in order for an organisational commitment to be sustainable

4 System Conditions for Sustainability

To be sustainable (viable over time) organizations must adhere to the following system conditions. They should

1. Not increasingly take on more than can be managed easily and well
2. Not increase the making of things that are not useful and/or undesirable
3. Not degrade the organization's infrastructure & assets
4. Be fair and considerate to others, eg, staff, suppliers clients and other stakeholders

It is a function of the organization's governance to ensure that the organisation meets these conditions.

These conditions help ensure that the organization has the essential ongoing capacity to

• consistently achieve its purposes, and
• respond to the ups and downs (variation) that will be encountered along the way