Sustainability Mindset Indicator: measuring and developing a shared focus on sustainability

Promoting student awareness for a more sustainable world

Our growing commitment to a positive impact on the environment and society, in line with our Purpose, has prompted us to further challenge ourselves. Sustainability is not just something you learn but something you live and as POLIMI Graduate School of Management, we firmly believe that true change occurs when it starts from the inner sphere. For that reason, starting this year, our Masters students have been involved in the evaluation of their Sustainability Mindset, so that they can get to know themselves better and, during the Master, have an evaluation not only of the skills acquired but also of the change in awareness they have experienced. This translates into an assessment addressed to them at the beginning of the course and then repeated at the end of the Master, carried out by subscribing to the Sustainability Mindset Indicator (SMI), which aims to further enhance our commitment to sustainability, offering students a unique opportunity to deepen their awareness, but also to measure the impact of our courses. 

What is Sustainability Mindset Indicator: a new approach to sustainability in our programmes

The Sustainability Mindset Indicator (SMI) is the first tool to map and profile where an individual is in his or her journey towards a Sustainability Mindset. It is a questionnaire consisting of 36 contrasting statements that explore three dimensions of our sustainability mindset: the cognitive, the behavioural and the affective.

The Sustainability Mindset Indicator is more than just a test. It represents a game changer in how we train future leaders, incorporating sustainability values into their academic and personal journey. We are not only increasing the number of hours of training on environmental impact issues in our various Masters programmes, but we are also introducing new assessment tools that allow students to reflect on their approach to these issues.

This new assessment will allow students to consider their orientation in relation to sustainability at both the beginning and end of the Master. In this way, it will be possible to measure the evolution of their thinking and habits in relation to the lessons received. The aim is clear: to see to what extent the impact of our courses has been able to foster greater awareness and positive change.

“The Sustainability Mindset Indicator (SMI®) is the first tool that explores and maps the internal cognitive, behavioural, and affective dimensions of an individual’s sustainability mindset. In collaboration with POLIMI Graduate School of Management, all new students have the opportunity to experiment with this tool and to make the development of their own sustainability mindset part of their personal and professional growth path.” 
- Prof. Dr. Beate Klingenberg - Managing Partner (CFO, CTO, COO), SMIndicator, LLC, Fort Lauderdale, US.

The importance of the Sustainability Mindset Indicator in personal growth

The Sustainability Mindset Indicator is distinguished by its attention not only to cognitive aspects, but also to emotional and spiritual ones, helping to develop an ecological worldview and a systemic approach. With its metrics, the SMI allows you to go beyond the simple measurement of knowledge, focusing instead on transformative learning and personal development. This tool allows you to personalise training interventions and evaluate their impacts, giving you a clear indication of the extent to which participants are progressing towards a more sustainable life.

With this assessment, tangible data can be obtained about the changing mentality of students, thus offering the opportunity to further improve our educational offerings and adapt them to the needs of an ever-changing world.

SMI is part of a continuous path towards conscious sustainability

The introduction of the SMI is not only a step forward in providing students with more sophisticated tools to address the challenges of sustainability but reflects our ongoing commitment to helping train increasingly responsible and informed leaders and managers. This test fits perfectly into programmes and an educational activities aimed at enabling students to acquire not only practical and theoretical skills, but also the ability to critically evaluate their impact on the environment and the world and to adapt their actions to actively contribute to a more sustainable future.

We believe that the Sustainability Mindset Indicator can become a valuable tool for those who, like us, believe in training that promotes real transformation in future professionals. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a deep and lasting sustainability mindset in our students, which guides them towards more informed and responsible choices in their personal and professional lives. The SMI fits perfectly into our mission: to train leaders of the future who can lead change towards a more equitable and sustainable world.