Goal Design

Abstract climate goals created uncertainty about priorities, measurement, and responsibility. Climate goals became more visible when sustainability roles and environmental management routines repeatedly surfaced them. The study recommends making climate goals actionable and meaningful at the departmental level. High-level, vague, narrow, or departmentally irrelevant goals were difficult for managers to translate into action. Climate goals were easy to forget outside structured reminders. Managers could incorporate concrete, measurable, departmentally relevant climate goals into action plans without difficulty.