In just a few years, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has made impressive progress towards its mission of promoting "environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests." By 2001, 25.5 million hectares of forest in 66 countries have been certified as meeting FSC standards for sustainable forestry. With members in 59 countries, the FSB managed to bring the major forest close to their point of view, 80% of the industry recognizing the need for third-party certification. However, by mid-2002, a formula that brought success to the organization in the short run proved insufficient to maintain the healthy growth of the global, mature, business stakeholders. His leadership and staff were once lacking critical skills to take the organization to the next level. Some of its governing structures paralyzing him. Serious imbalance between supply and demand for certified wood threatened to break the organization. In addition, competing certification schemes, with the support of powerful business groups moved quickly to make those imbalances and displace FSC as a global standard for the certification of choice. Finally, the organization also suffered from chronic financial weakness. In this context, Heiko Liedeker, executive director of the FSB, had to rethink the organization. "Hide
by James E. Austin, Ezequiel Reficco Source: Harvard Business School 29 pages. Publication Date: November 19, 2002. Prod. #: 303047-PDF-ENG