Beyond technical expertise: Developing human capabilities for a resilient future

12 August 2026 - Marija Jurcevic reflects on how developing human capabilities such as collaboration, trust and shared purpose is becoming just as essential as technical expertise for building resilient, sustainability‑focused organisations.

The human side of solutions

We are living through a period of profound disruption. Geopolitical instability, rapid technological change, climate impacts, resource pressures, and shifting societal expectations are reshaping the conditions under which organisations create value and operate. In Competing in the Age of Disruption, CISL argues that organisations must continuously adapt to remain resilient and competitive. In this context, sustainability is not simply another issue competing for attention. Increasingly, it is the lens through which long-term success is understood and achieved.

At CISL, we continuously review and refine our postgraduate programmes to equip leaders for this changing world. While knowledge, technology, and technical solutions are becoming increasingly accessible, the greater challenge lies in implementation. Organisations rarely fail because they lack solutions; they struggle because change requires people with different expertise, priorities, and perspectives to work together effectively. Building resilience therefore requires more than technical expertise. It requires collaboration, trust, and the ability to mobilise collective action.

This challenge sits at the heart of the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business (PCSB), which serves as both an independent qualification or forms one-third of the Master’s in Sustainability Leadership. Throughout the programme, students are assessed with assignments including an individual analysis paper, strategic action plan and a group project, which is an original piece of research that draws upon the group’s collective experience on a sustainability topic of mutual interest. Dr Louise Drake, Programme Director, describes the group project as a “leadership laboratory” where participants from different sectors, functions, geographies, and backgrounds practise collaboration, problem-solving, and the development of business-relevant insights on pressing sustainability challenges. Dr Tanja Collavo, Course Director, explains that group projects are “a microcosm of broader sustainability projects, where stakeholders with different interests, priorities and time pressures need to achieve something together and agree on values, goals and tasks to get there.” As such, they provide an opportunity to develop the capabilities needed for sustainability leadership.

Supervisors’ reflections

Supervisors supporting participants throughout the programme often describe the group project as the element that “makes the course real” (Oliver Dudok van Heel) or the point at which “the programme comes to life” (Beth Knight). By bringing together participants from different sectors, geographies, and professional backgrounds to address real sustainability challenges, a group project creates a space where knowledge is tested, assumptions are challenged, and leadership capabilities are developed through practice. “Interacting regularly with their group colleagues gave students a discipline and the ambition and a sense of doing something meaningful and potentially impactful” (Oliver Dudok van Heel).

As Beth Knight reflects: "The most powerful aspect of the PCSB group project is how the process becomes part of the learning. Navigating different viewpoints, balancing ambition with focus, and collaborating across diverse professional experiences all help participants strengthen both their sustainability expertise and their leadership capabilities." This emphasis on learning through collaboration is echoed by supervisor Oliver Dudok van Heel, who observed how groups often developed strong personal relationships through regular interaction: "Everyone was cheering the other group members on and was so pleased when they were successful". Such experiences demonstrate how the project not only builds sustainability knowledge but also fosters the trust, mutual support, and collaborative mindset needed to lead through complexity and change.

Examples from PCSB Online

A strong example comes from the first Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business (PCSB) Online cohort (2025-26), which explored Food Redistribution Mobile Applications as a response to food waste. Reflecting on the project, Gabriela Cabrera highlighted the importance of selecting a topic that engaged all group members and having a supervisor who provided both guidance and autonomy. Beyond the research itself, the group's success was built on shared leadership, consensus-based decision-making, and mutual support, enabling them to create something “greater than any one of us could have achieved individually.” Through literature reviews, expert interviews, surveys, and practical testing, the project demonstrated both the potential of innovative sustainability solutions and the value of collaboration across cultures, disciplines, and professional backgrounds.

As a supervisor in the second PCSB Online cohort (2026-27), I have the privilege of working with a diverse group whose members are based across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Their project explores the alignment between organisational communication, governance, beliefs, and actions, examining how sustainability can be genuinely embedded within organisational culture and decision-making. One of the most rewarding aspects of the experience has been observing how the group has evolved from a collection of individual professionals into a collaborative team capable of navigating different perspectives, expertise, and working styles. Like many organisations seeking to build resilience, the group has had to manage ambiguity, balance competing priorities, and make progress without formal authority. Watching participants listen carefully, challenge ideas constructively, and work towards a shared goal reinforced for me the true value of this approach.

From knowledge to leadership

The strongest lesson emerging from the group project is that resilience depends as much on human capabilities as it does on technical knowledge. According to Dr Louise Drake, student reflections consistently highlight learning around “leading without formal authority, navigating difference constructively, and building confidence and self-awareness.” This perspective is echoed by MSt in Sustainability Leadership alumna Ingrid Guerrero, Marketing Director Europe at The Coca-Cola Company, who describes the group project as one of the most formative parts of the programme because it tested “ability to influence, to listen, to foster collaboration and inclusion, reach consensus, and manage conflict.”

As organisations face growing environmental, social, and economic pressures, those best positioned to thrive will be those that move beyond compliance and incremental change to embed sustainability into strategy, governance, culture, and decision-making. The group project demonstrates that while technical expertise remains essential, resilience ultimately depends on the ability to collaborate across differences, build shared purpose, and turn knowledge into collective action.

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About the author

Marija Jurčević is a sustainability professional with over 20 years of experience spanning international organisations, academia, businesses, government institutions, and NGOs. She is currently a Programme Manager at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), where she works within the Postgraduate programme as Course Director for the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business Online. In this role, she leads programme design, delivery, and continuous development for a global cohort of sustainability professionals.

Marija’s work at CISL combines educational design with a strong focus on sustainability leadership, systems change, and applied learning. Her responsibilities include shaping programme content with leading practitioners and thought leaders, contributing to new product development, and integrating learner feedback and impact evaluation into programme design. As part of CISL’s wider portfolio, she has also supported Executive Education programmes.