Organizational psychologists driving sustainable leadership

Bjørnson Organizational Psychologists focuses on developing human capital as a competitive advantage. The company now aims to position both its own operations and its clients as part of a long-term sustainability strategy.

– As a consulting organization, we are committed to understanding how we can contribute to the green transition, and we are currently working to define our sustainability strategy. This effort involves both employees and clients, and is something the entire organization is engaged in,” says Ingrid Ottesen, Managing Director of Bjørnson Organizational Psychologists.

Founded in 2001, the company was established to make psychological expertise accessible and relevant to the business community. Over the years, Bjørnson has contributed to strengthening leadership, workplaces, employee engagement, and performance across both private and public sector organizations.

Putting people at the center

She explains that the company has worked with sustainability from both a human and environmental perspective for many years.

– Sustainability is not a new concept for us. Since our founding, we have focused on people within organizations, recognizing human capital as the most important competitive advantage. Today, we deliver leadership and organizational development services to a wide range of industry-leading companies. We now aim to use our position to promote both human and environmental sustainability.

– For us, sustainability is about developing strong leaders who support effective transformation processes and make responsible decisions. It involves helping organizations build more sustainable leadership and increasing awareness of the long-term impact of decisions—not just in the present, but over time,” says Ottesen.

A continuous drive for improvement

She highlights the company’s commitment to best practices, continuous improvement, and being a learning organization.

– To live up to our ambitions, we have developed a culture of evaluation where we identify what works well and what can be improved. This applies both internally and externally, and both clients and employees are key contributors. This mindset also led us in 2016 to focus on ‘Leadership in the Digital Shift,’ driving the development of digital products and services to support effective leadership.”

The company has developed Bjørnson Online, a digital learning platform, and is soon launching a leadership development app integrated with traditional consulting services.

– Bjørnson Online makes leadership and organizational expertise accessible when and where it suits the client. At the same time, it contributes to a lower carbon footprint by reducing travel—for both us and our clients. It is a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly alternative for leadership development,” she explains.

Bjørnson Online currently consists of 15 digital learning modules. The leadership development app, MODUS, is a research project supported by the Research Council of Norway and developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Stavanger Business School, led by Mari Rege.

– As a consulting organization, we are focused on understanding how we can contribute to the green transition and are currently defining our sustainability strategy.”

Offsetting residual emissions

As a nationwide consulting firm with global clients, the company still relies on travel by plane, train, and car. The partnership with Trefadder is intended to offset these emissions.

We became aware of Trefadder at a time when we had just begun working on our sustainability strategy. We quickly saw that Trefadder’s practical and tangible approach aligned well with our environmental goals. It also provides a meaningful way to communicate our climate commitment internally and externally.

– We look forward to involving employees and their families in tree-planting activities organized by Trefadder. This was particularly appealing to us and adds an extra dimension. Trefadder is a well-thought-out and solidly grounded climate initiative that creates value for us in multiple ways,” says Ottesen.

The partnership helps Bjørnson offset approximately 36 tonnes of CO₂ annually.

Combining services

The company will continue developing and refining its sustainability strategy.

– For us, this is about involving the entire organization in understanding how we can contribute to the green transition. As a consultancy, we are also committed to helping our clients choose efficient and climate-friendly solutions in leadership development.

– The combination of digital learning modules and traditional consulting services offers significant advantages for both clients and ourselves. Programs become more flexible, more climate-friendly, and more cost-effective—while also improving learning outcomes. Digital solutions can also be reused and revisited whenever needed,” she says.

Putting sustainability on the agenda

She believes that strong leadership will be critical to achieving the transformation required to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) is a non-profit initiative focused on achieving these goals through personal development and inner capacity building.

– The IDG framework consists of five dimensions and 23 qualities that individuals need to develop. We have now established Bjørnson Organizational Psychologists as IDG hub number seven in Norway—‘IDG Stavanger Bjørnson Leadership Hub.’ This is an initiative we will continue to invest in to help bring sustainable leadership into practice.

– Strong leadership is essential to achieving long-term sustainability goals,” Ottesen concludes.

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Bjørnson

Trine L. Klavenes, Markedsansvarlig og prosjektleder for Bjørnsons grønne strategi
trine@bjornson.no
483 19 440

Ingrid Ottesen, daglig leder og partner
ingrid@bjornson.no
918 22 256