CBS re­search helps pub­lic lead­ers suc­ceed with the green transitio

Is our organisation ready to deliver the sustainable solutions expected of us by politicians and society? 

That is the question many public leaders are grappling with. In addition to delivering welfare services like hospitals and schools and performing regulatory tasks in municipalities and government agencies, they are now expected to respond to a strong political wish to accelerate the green transition. 

“But it is not easy because the green transition is not 'business as usual' in many public sector workplaces,” says Professor Susana Borrás from Copenhagen Business School. 

No go to copy-paste someone else’s strategy  

How can an individual public leader set their organisation on a sustainable path? It can be difficult to navigate, says Susana Borrás. She heads the CAPACITOR research project, where researchers have interviewed more than 200 leaders in municipalities, national authorities and public utilities about their challenges related to the green transition. 

“One of the main challenges for public leaders is that there are no ready-made solutions. Additionally, they have to ensure that new green initiatives do not compromise the organisation’s core services,” she says.   

“Leaders need to assess what kind of change capacity their organisation has before they make strategic decisions. Copy-pasting someone else’s strategy is no use because organisations have different starting points. You need to understand your current capacity before deciding on a direction,” says Susana Borrás.    

New tool to assess and build capacity  

The CAPACITOR researchers have developed a tool that public leaders can use to analyse their organisation’s starting point for the green transition. Based on that analysis, they can assume the role and set the direction that best matches their available resources and capabilities.   

The research has identified three dimensions that leadership teams need to include in their analysis:  

 • What roles can the organisation take on? Should a municipal childcare institution choose to be front-runner by developing entirely new solutions to reduce waste (such as collaborating on new types of diapers), or should it act as a facilitator of the green transition by encouraging behavioural change among children and parents?  

• What resources can the organisation draw on, and what does it lack? A municipal swimming pool may have highly skilled staff as a key resource but lack funding to invest in energy-efficient systems. On the other hand, it may have a strong user network (such as sports and patient associations) that can be engaged in sustainability efforts  

• What capabilities does the organisation have – and can it develop the ones needed to implement change? Most municipal care homes have access to relevant data, but some lack the skills to interpret the impact of serving climate-friendly food to residents. The ability to integrate ongoing CO2 savings data into daily operations is crucial for motivation and for adjusting workflows  

Widespread interest in CAPACITOR 

There has been strong interest in the CAPACITOR project from external stakeholders (see fact box). For instance, the Centre for Sustainable Hospitals in the Central Denmark Region has explored how to put the research into practice, and in March 2025, Susana Borrás will gave a presentation to 80 regional leaders at a masterclass.  

The centre’s head of development, Maria Gaden, sees CAPACITOR as an inspiring project that has already enriched discussions and collaboration on driving a sustainable transition in the healthcare system. 

“In the future, we will use CAPACITOR insights, examples and tools in our efforts to develop green leadership in hospitals,” says Maria Gaden.