Nonprofits with a dysfunctional workplace struggle with high turnover, negative employee relations, department wars, that result in low morale and productivity. It’s time to find a solution before the whole ship goes down! It’s time for a Culture Reset.

Empower Your Leaders

The most effective approach is to empower your organization’s leadership to take steps to improve the workplace culture immediately. Intervene through a “Culture Reset.” This is a dedicated movement to transform your employees’ attitudes and actions. Which ultimately leads to more happiness, productivity, and employee retention.

If there is an existing culture of collaboration and teamwork that’s excellent news. Leadership and employees can strategize together to determine what a culture that supports its mission and values should look like.

However, if the organization does not already have a culture of collaboration and teamwork, or is extremely dysfunctional, leadership should determine what cultural changes are necessary to support its mission and values. My recommendation would be that your organization work with a dedicated HR Consultant. They will know how to implement a “Culture Reset” and provide you with the additional support.

It is helpful to communicate the changes and reason for the shift organization-wide to begin a “Culture Reset.” Leadership can start the transformation by explaining how the new culture will support the organization’s mission and values. This will have a  profound impact on how staff act and work together.

 

Expectations and Commitments

Leadership can then collaborate with staff, get feedback, and define what this change means for interactions with coworkers, partners, clients, and customers. It’s important to set the expectation that everyone is responsible for leading the culture change and modeling behaviors that support the culture. The best practice is to create a culture statement with values and behaviors that support them. Most importantly, leadership must ask for a personal commitment from each staff member to model the behaviors that promote the new culture.

The Culture Statement should become an integral part of the workplace. It should be used to guide meetings, coaching, training, performance reviews, and hiring.
You will see results in:

  • Reduced Turnover — Don’t lose another talented employee because of negative conflict, low morale, or a dysfunctional culture
  • Increased Small Business Employee Retention –- Build a culture that is proactive and designed to keep your best talent
  • Improved performance –- Mission and value-focused cultures engage staff, encourage motivation, and improve performance

Don’t forget to celebrate the success and recognize the improvements

Now, imagine its one year from today. You walk into a staff meeting where you see a framed copy of your Culture Statement and descriptions of behaviors that support your organization’s mission and values on the wall. Culture is being referred to during a discussion on allocating resources between programs and operations. Sitting in the meeting is Ethan, a valued employee who was threatening to resign last year, but now he is totally engaged in the discussion and the organization. You hear a conversation that previously would have spiraled into negative conflict resolved by referring to the culture statement, values and behaviors.

That’s the power of a “Culture Reset” to align internal culture with an organization’s mission and values!

A “Culture Reset” has lasting, positive effects that ultimately save your nonprofit thousands of dollars in retraining costs or lost productivity. Don’t let your company waste the talent of its brightest employees, who, under the right work environment could make your organization’s mission come alive.

Ready to take your organization from struggling to hitting it out of the park?