Measuring and training Inner Development Goals: Developing inner drivers for achieving sustainability goals

Organizations worldwide are pledging ambitious climate action, but translating
these commitments into meaningful progress remains a significant challenge.
This chapter introduces an approach focused on Inner Development Goals (IDGs) –
measuring and training the critical inner capacities that enable individuals to become
effective agents of environmental change within their own lives and within organizations. Through an insightful narrative, the chapter chronicles the journey of developing the Inner Development Goals – Adapted (IDG-A) scale to rigorously assess 29 personal skills, qualities, and mindsets across six key dimensions: self-awareness,
cognitive skills, caring for others and the world, social skills, driving change, and feelings of organizational belonging. Research validates the IDG-A in evaluating employees’ readiness for climate action. Moreover, the chapter presents the meaning, awareness, and purpose (MAP) model – an experiential coaching process designed to
activate teams by connecting them deeply to the meaning behind sustainability efforts, fostering collective awareness, instilling a shared sense of purpose, and translating their inner work into consistent outward impact. Findings show the MAP model’s benefits in elevating IDG-A scores and catalyzing measurable climate initiatives compared to conventional training approaches. When focusing on human inner drivers as the catalyst for organizational outer change, this chapter offers a framework for addressing a critical impediment: the intrinsic motivation required from employees to fully embrace their role in achieving an organization’s environmental goals.