Developing Organisational Culture & Resources Capability - Insights from Forestry Land Scotland
Case Study On-goingDate added: 10/08/2020
This case study provides an overview of Forestry and Land Scotland’s adaptation story so far and is followed by in-depth insights on the experience of using the Adaptation Capability Framework, focused on the Organisational Culture and Resources capability.
About Forestry and Land Scotland
Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is the Scottish Government
agency that looks after Scotland’s national forests and land. It does this in a
way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry, conserves and
enhances the environment and delivers benefits for people and nature. FLS was
established as a successor to the Forestry Commission in Scotland, as an
executive agency of the Scottish Government on 1 April 2019. It is a ‘public
corporation’ involved in commercial trading activity, with all incomes
reinvested into the management of national forests and land, more detail can be
found in their corporate plan.
Adapting to Climate Change – the story so far
Adaptation is not new to FLS. It has been doing it for
decades – both in its previous guise as FES and, since 2019 when FLS was
established. That year also saw Scotland
declare a Climate Emergency and this, together with new policies including
Scotland’s Forestry Strategy and Climate Ready Scotland: climate change adaptation programme 2019-2024 culminated in FLS taking a strategic approach to adaptation and
ensuring that the concept was integrated throughout the organisation and it’s
forestry operations. FLS is committed to playing its role in climate adaptation
and has been actively using Adaptation Scotland’s Adaptation Capability
Framework since 2019.
Before using the Framework to progress tasks in practice,
FLS’s Land Management team first undertook a Benchmarking Workshop (Oct 2019)
to identify and understand its organisational position within the Adaptation
Capability Framework. Benchmarking helps provide a baseline assessment of an
organisation’s adaptation capabilities and highlights those areas the
organisation is excelling in and others where more work may be needed.
The FLS benchmarking workshop identified which capability
tasks were already underway and which ones needed to be acted upon. Mapping the corporate plan against the
Framework identified which actions were relevant to FLS, illustrated how
adaptation could support achieving corporate plan objectives and teased out
what adaptation actions were still required. Running a workshop with
representatives from different departments at the beginning of the process
helped achieve understanding, buy in and support from across the organisation
in using the Framework. Being honest
about assessing progress is important to understand where the organisation
currently is and where it wants to go.
FLS used the Benchmarking assessment as a way to motivate further use of
the Adaptation Capability Framework and taking adaptation action.
The organisation subsequently endorsed the use of Framework
in January 2020 and adaptation is now a corporate programme and responsibility
with senior management support. The
Executive Team have taken ownership of adaptation and identified topic
experts/change agents across departments, ensuring a holistic and joined up
approach. Forestry and Land Scotland has greatly developed the Organisational
Culture & Resources capability – and this has been integral to their
adaptation progress.
Organisational Culture & Resources Capability in FLS
The experience of FLS demonstrates the huge role of
organisational culture - and the importance of senior managers and adaptation
champions supporting climate adaptation. Forestry Land Scotland’s launch, as a
successor to FES, has enabled them to start to develop a new culture and
provided a rich opportunity to engage on adaptation. The new Executive Team was
willing to try new approaches and was cognisant of the importance of climate
change adaptation and the vital role Scotland’s forests have in addressing
climate change. Management buy-in to adaptation was secured by working closely
with a number of supportive Executive Team members and helping them to influence
other board members.
Identifying and Securing Resources for Adaptation
FLS recognises that adaptation is an important part of its
role as custodians of Scotland’s national forests and land and is conscious
that the trees it plants today need to be suitable for the climate of 2050 and
beyond.
It also recognises
that in the future, looking after our forests may cost more – for example, having to construct larger culverts, greater
species variation when planting, adapting species choice to fit the changing
climate or having to erect more fencing
to prevent saplings suffering from browsing damage. However, quicker tree
growth and higher yields resulting from a warmer environment will see an
increase in income that will help to fund adaptation. The adaptation team is
currently exploring what is needed in order to become resilient to climate
change and associated impacts (such as increase in pests and diseases), an
exercise that will inform budget requirements. It is recognised that future
costs can be minimised with good adaptation planning now, including exploring
how changes can be taken advantage of. By integrating adaptation
responsibilities across the organisation, more suitable guidance can be devised
and appropriate budgeting ensured. This work, guided by a risk register
approach, also benefits from the organisation’s longer-term view, illustrated
by its review of all land management plans on a decadal cycle. Climate change
considerations are integrated into decision-making processes across the organisation
so that FLS can make the best decisions for our forests both now and in the
future.
Governance Arrangements for Adaptation
FLS has built different mechanisms at various levels of the
organisation from identifying individual ‘change agents’ in key business areas,
to steering groups to guide adaptation action; to leadership from the Executive
Team. The Executive Team have oversight of all adaptation activities and this
mandate across the organisation adds value and impetus to the work across all levels. By working together towards strategic
adaptation objectives FLS has achieved a step change towards becoming a well
adapting and mature public body.
Motivating and Engaging colleagues on adaptation –
adaptation champions
Identifying and working with topic experts and change agents
– and having senior level champions on the Executive Team and Finance Board -
has been crucial for FLS.
An important factor in successfully engaging colleagues
involved clearly communicating FLS’s role in achieving Scotland’s adaptation
outcomes and aligning adaptation with other policy priorities, such as
Scotland’s Forestry Strategy, Scottish Government priorities and the second
Climate Change adaptation strategy. FLS value that the Adaptation Capability
Framework is aligned to Scottish Government priorities, such as the National
Performance Framework and the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme,
ensuring that action helps align with wider aims and can act as a useful ‘hook’
with colleagues.
Adaptation is recognised as being an iterative process and
that embedding adaptation within the organisation will be a gradual
process. This will be achieved both
through the forest plan review process,
and the establishment of an adaptation strategy/plan (centred on four
adaptation outcomes) that will place climate change adaptation at the heart
of all internal guidance, policy and
practice .
How has adaptation work progressed since adopting the
Framework?
The Adaptation Capability Framework has provided a clear
outcome for everyone in FLS to work towards and has supported the organisation
in making significant progress over a short time frame. To date the
organisation has:
• Enhanced
the visibility of adaptation and given strategic vision for the organisation
• Enabled
the connections between policy areas to be identified and synergies taken
advantage of
• Put in
place change agents across the organisation who actively promote and take
adaptation action within their departments or projects
• Built
adaptation into training courses and integrated into corporate priorities
• Worked
with Forest Research and other research
organisations to identify adaptation actions needed
• Continued
collaborative working through strong partnerships with Transport Scotland,
SEPA, SNH.
Next Steps for FLS
FLS are currently developing an adaptation plan and will
continue to integrate adaptation into business planning and practices over the
coming years.
Top tips and learning for other organisations
• Avoiding
adaptation is not an option for the public sector – climate impacts are already
being experienced and public bodies, as providers of a range of local services,
play an important role in adapting to a changing climate. Organisations do have
a choice in which resources they use to support adaptation planning – “like
making sure you pick up the right planting spade when you plant a tree –the
Adaptation Capability Framework has been the right tool at the right time for
FLS”. The Framework provides a
structured way to progress adaptation and acts as a mechanism to ‘hang your
work on’, be that pre-existing or planned adaptation activities.
• Take time
to understand the Framework and the available resources before getting stuck
in. Whilst it can look daunting at first, there are a lot of resources to help
you understand and use the Framework like the Handbook and the Starter Pack –
working through those first will give organisations a solid foundation to build
further adaptation work on. When ready, start using the tools, and reach out to
Adaptation Scotland for support if you need it.
• Get people
involved at the start! Running a workshop with representatives from different
departments at the beginning of the process helped achieve understanding, buy
in and support from across the organisation in using the Framework.
• Figure out
what is right for your organisation. The Framework is comprised of 50 tasks –
it is important to realise you do not have to hit every single one of them
straight away. Take time to consider what your organisation has already done on
adaptation (and celebrate that), understand your organisational objectives and
adaptation aims and figure out which capability tasks support you to get there.
Undertaking a Benchmarking workshop helps identify what is relevant for your
organisation and helps track progress over time.
• Let
colleagues know what you are doing – provide regular updates and share copies
of the Handbook, Benchmarking assessment or your organisation’s completed
Starter Pack to others to keep them up to speed and provide opportunity to get
involved. Be honest in benchmarking.
It’s OK to find out that your organisation hasn’t already made much
progress – the important thing is to ensure that you’re heading in the right
direction from where you are now.
• Work with
senior managers to demonstrate the benefits of adaptation and the advantage of
using the Adaptation Capability Framework and make sure they are well briefed
and fully equipped with understanding of the process before sharing with other
board members. Get one and the rest will follow!