The application of life cycle thinking in IT business consulting
Mbare, Candy (2022)
Diplomityö
2022
School of Engineering Science, Tuotantotalous
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022121270793
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022121270793
Tiivistelmä
This research is an explorative study into how Life Cycle Thinking (LCT), can be applied within IT consulting. Environmental Sustainability is a pressing topic that has required business leaders to rethink the way they produce their products or services. Consulting organizations play a key role in influencing business leaders in changing their approach by providing advice that is usually profit-oriented. Consulting organizations can also play a key role in providing advice that is planet-oriented. The main research question is “In what ways can an IT Consulting organization benefit from life cycle thinking?”.
The research question was answered by collecting qualitative data in the form of four interviews and conducting background research on any relevant information regarding LCT and IT Consulting. The results were analysed using a deductive approach where theory from the literature was utilized to assess how life cycle thinking can be applied. The key findings include that Life Cycle Thinking can be defined as an active attempt to complete Life Cycle Assessments. The results indicate that even companies that have sustainability as a business model struggle with conducting LCAs especially for IT service-based offerings. Conducting LCAs is an iterative process that rarely gets done right the first time and requires a creative entrepreneurial mindset to complete accurately. The main challenge with applying LCT is that the LCA process can be complex and still may lack validity. Organizations that practise an open-door policy of innovation and work together with research partners or environmental industry expert are likely to adopt efficient LCT as part of their ways of working. In the long-run, IT organizations should put effort in incorporating more environmental specialists to increase the level of confidence in taking strong sustainable stances when conducting LCAs to help in implementing LCT within their organizations.
The research question was answered by collecting qualitative data in the form of four interviews and conducting background research on any relevant information regarding LCT and IT Consulting. The results were analysed using a deductive approach where theory from the literature was utilized to assess how life cycle thinking can be applied. The key findings include that Life Cycle Thinking can be defined as an active attempt to complete Life Cycle Assessments. The results indicate that even companies that have sustainability as a business model struggle with conducting LCAs especially for IT service-based offerings. Conducting LCAs is an iterative process that rarely gets done right the first time and requires a creative entrepreneurial mindset to complete accurately. The main challenge with applying LCT is that the LCA process can be complex and still may lack validity. Organizations that practise an open-door policy of innovation and work together with research partners or environmental industry expert are likely to adopt efficient LCT as part of their ways of working. In the long-run, IT organizations should put effort in incorporating more environmental specialists to increase the level of confidence in taking strong sustainable stances when conducting LCAs to help in implementing LCT within their organizations.