Nonprofit organizations, including civic and cultural institutions, are essential in addressing societal issues and promoting positive change. However, implementing change internally can be quite challenging and uncomfortable for many. Resistance to change can come from all levels of the organization and can lead to stagnation, complacency, and rigidity.
As organizations strive to stay relevant and impactful in a constantly evolving world, it is necessary to embrace change. But why do so many see resistance to it? The answer lies in some common obstacles which we explore further in this article.
3 Obstacles to Making Change Happen
- Uncertainty is Uncomfortable - One of the main obstacles is uncertainty. Change can create an environment of uncertainty, which can cause discomfort for staff. It is essential for leaders to communicate the vision and goals of the change to help alleviate this discomfort. Transparency is crucial in this process, and organizations should be transparent about the reasons behind the change and how it will benefit the organization and its mission. Additionally, it is important for discomfort to be normalized from the top down, as well as for protocols to be put in place to support staff at all levels to move through the predictable conflicts and messiness that arise from uncertainty and discomfort. If leadership is not willing to embrace uncertainty and discomfort, it will inevitably lead to ineffectiveness and an inability to take the necessary risks that make transformation possible.
- Habits are Disrupted - Another obstacle is disrupting habits. Organizations often have habits that have become routine to their daily operations. Change can disrupt these routines and habits, leading to employee resistance. It is necessary to understand that resistance to change is natural and should be expected. However, it is important not to let this resistance hold back progress. Oftentimes the habits and routines engrained in an organization’s culture will perpetuate harm and replicate the systems of oppression they are wanting to transform. This might require a great deal of unlearning the ways things have always been done in order to open up possibilities for new, more liberating habits and ways of being.
- Additional Work - Implementing change, new systems and routines can create additional work for organizations. Employees might reject this increase in time and tasks, especially if they are already feeling overworked and burnt out. Organizations should strive to provide the necessary resources and support to manage the additional workload that comes with change. Again, it is important to outline the change vision transparently to ensure that employees understand the reasons behind the change and how it will benefit the organization and its mission. By doing so, employees can be more willing to embrace the change and work together to make it successful. Over time, what previously felt lke “extra work” simply becomes the daily work. Employees tasks and workloads will align with the organizational commitments to equity, and labor will be re-prioritized so that daily routines reflect the work of equity. However, in the beginning, this shift can feel arduous — which is why it can be important to have a DEI partner to coach leadership and teams around how to balance and re-prioritize existing and new workloads in order to continue taking forward steps in their commitments to equity.
People Can Become Comfortable Within Broken Systems
After reviewing some of the objections that employees are likely to raise when it comes to proposed changes, you might start to wonder why you would bother rocking the boat at all. Why not simply leave things as they are and allow employees to continue to do what they have been doing all along?
Maintaining the status quo is not a good idea in all situations. It might appear that employees are churning through their work just fine and that there is nothing to be concerned about. However, it is often the case that they have simply learned how to thrive even in a broken environment. They aren't doing their best work; they are simply doing work that appears passable in a broken system.
How do you know that your organization is broken if it appears to be operating just fine? There are often tell-tell signs when you open your eyes to them:
Here are some examples that might apply to nonprofit cultural and civic organizations:
- Attendance at events is declining
- Donations are decreasing
- Your organization is not attracting new members
- Your organization is not reaching its target audience
- Your organization is not achieving its mission
- Your organization is not making tangible strides towards its strategic commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion
These are all concerning signs that point to the idea that things might not be functioning quite as smoothly as you might have hoped within your organization. If you see any of these concerning developments, then you know it is time to make some changes (even if there is resistance).
Change Doesn't Come Easily
Don't allow yourself to become convinced that you can make all of the changes that you want to make with the snap of your fingers. It takes a significant amount of concentrated effort to make the push that you need to make. According to a study by the Bridgespan Group, 57% of nonprofit leaders report that their organization struggles with implementing change. Organizational leaders can model the behaviors of openness, flexibility, and commitment to progress that they wish to see from their employees. By embracing change, organizations can continue to make a positive impact on society.
Everyone must work together to make changes successfully, and that means convincing the team that the ultimate results will be worth the investment.
While change is difficult and takes time, there is no need to feel the pressure to make huge change all at once. One theory of change that OF/BY/FOR ALL has shared with our own members comes from the book Atomic Change by James Clear, which describes how small habits make a big difference and how easy it is to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. According to the book’s rule of 1% change:
… improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable— sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done. Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero. What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.
Change is difficult and requires commitment and investment. And even tiny steps toward that big change can amount to immense progress over the course of just one year. Organizations and leadership teams may feel hesitant to take the first step forward because they want a big, quick change, and they want to “do it right” the first time. Without such a guarantee, they end up not moving forward at all. In this stagnation of hesitancy, perfectionism, and fear of failure, the one guarantee is that you won’t get 1% better — you’re very likely to continue to get 1% worse, or further away from your commitments to equity.
Resistance to Change for BIPOC Individuals is Disproportionate
It is often energized and wholehearted employees of color or BIPOC individuals who have the hardest time convincing their organization to make tangible changes. These individuals may face a large amount of resistance from management, coworkers, or the organization as a whole. It's important for organizations to acknowledge and address any systemic/unconscious biases or discrimination that may be contributing to resistance to change, and to actively work to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace.
It is crucial for organizations to understand that it should not be the sole responsibility of BIPOC individuals or any other marginalized group to champion, implement, and carry out changes alone. It is the responsibility of the organization as a whole to create a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. This means that everyone in the organization, from leadership to entry-level staff, must be committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace. If an organization is seriously committed to equity and inclusion for their communities, they must first begin looking at how they support, care for, and listen to their BIPOC staff and staff of other marginalized identities. As OF/BY/FOR ALL asks our Change Network members: “Are you being who you say you are?”
How Can Organizations Push Past Resistance and Make Tangible Steps Toward Change?
Explain Your Vision
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Why are you trying to make changes in the first place? What is the plan for those changes once they do go into effect? How will those changes be supported and sustained into the future? These are the kinds of things that your employees will ask. They deserve to know why they are putting in so much effort in the first place. If you can articulate your vision in a way that will satisfy the curiosity of your employees, then you can expect to receive positive feedback and participation. Speak to the potential concerns of your employees and try to understand where they are coming from. Allow them to air those concerns, and address them with respect and compassion. In the Change Network program, our curriculum provides a structured, facilitated process to guide team leaders and team members through a process of articulating a cohesive and aligned vision for change. As poet Lucille Clifton said, “You cannot create what you cannot imagine.” Tools and frameworks already exist to support organizations, and you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Lead by Example
To create a culture that is open to change, organizational leaders should start by reflecting on their own behaviors and being open to making changes themselves to lead by example. This means that leaders should be self-aware and willing to acknowledge their own shortcomings and biases. By doing so, they can create a culture that values growth and improvement, which can help to reduce resistance to change.
In addition, leaders should be transparent in their decision-making processes and communicate the reasons behind changes that are being made. This can help to build trust and reduce uncertainty, which can be a major source of resistance to change. Leaders should also encourage feedback and input from team members, as this can help to identify potential issues and concerns.
Furthermore, leaders should be proactive in seeking out new ideas and approaches, and be willing to take calculated risks. This can help to create a culture of innovation and experimentation, which can lead to new opportunities and growth for the organization. By modeling these behaviors themselves, leaders can inspire their team members to be more open to change and willing to take risks.
Ultimately, creating a culture that is open to change requires leaders to be committed to their own growth and development, and to be willing to lead by example. By demonstrating a willingness to change and adapt, leaders can encourage their team members to do the same, which can create a more dynamic and innovative organization.
Cultivate Alignment and Release What (and Who) May Not Be Aligned
When implementing changes, it's natural for some employees to initially resist. It's important to give them time and space to adjust. However, if certain employees are causing significant resistance that is negatively impacting progress, it may be necessary to address the situation. This could include providing additional support or training, or even reassignment to a different role. As a last resort, termination may be necessary, but this should be done with compassion and consideration for the impact it may have on morale and the affected employee. It's especially important to foster an environment of empathy and understanding, and to prioritize the well-being and growth of all team members. The truth is that as an organization’s priorities and values change (hopefully toward greater inclusion, equity, and diversity), not all existing staff or stakeholders will continue to align with the new visions for change. While it is the hope that all stakeholders can eventually get onboard with moving toward the beautiful, revolutionary future, not everyone can or will want to move forward with you — and that's ok. Long-time staff members may need to leave; it may even be necessary to say goodbye to board members or longtime donors. While such transitions are difficult and emotional, it’s still possible to bless and release — thanking them for their contributions up to that point and wishing them well. Releasing stakeholders or staff who are not aligned with your commitments to equity can then create opportunities to bring on energized, new folks who can help your organization take its commitments from talk to action with optimism.
Discomfort Means Growth: You Must Accept It
The avoidance of all discomfort seems like a logical strategy to some, but the reality is that it is only in our moments of discomfort that we truly grow. The dictionary definition of discomfort is a physical or mental uneasiness or annoyance. That might all sound negative, but what happens when you are in a state of discomfort? You begin to think about ways to find relief from that discomfort. You begin to think in ways that you might not have otherwise. You know that you must change something to change your circumstances, and that is when you start to come up with some of your best ideas.
All of this holds true for your organization as well. When changes and unlearning are happening there is bound to be some discomfort. That simply means that you will learn how to adapt to the new way of doing things. You will learn to manage the discomfort you are experiencing, and you will discover that you are able to work in new ways. You might have convinced yourself that this could never be possible, but you know that it is. Moving forward in your change journey might also bring discomfort related to understanding or surfacing our own individual complicity to oppression, as well as our institution’s past contribution toward harm. While these realizations can be difficult to look at, they must be addressed in order to build trust, accountability, and credibility in your change work. Stage 1 of the Change Network curriculum offers structured individual and collective reflections to support member organizations to do this work with care, compassion, and accountability.
The Main Takeaways
So, how can organizations successfully implement change?
Resistance to change is natural, but it is important for organizations to not let this resistance hold back progress or keep you from getting started. By clearly articulating the vision and goals of the change, leading by example, removing obstacles to progress, and embracing discomfort, organizations can successfully implement change and achieve their mission. As organizations navigate through the challenges of implementing change, it is important to remember that change is necessary for growth and progress. Resistance can make organizations feel as though they are “not ready” to begin this work… this feeling of unreadiness can keep organization perpetually in a state of stagnation, and ultimately never taking steps forward to fulfill their commitments and promises toward greater equity and inclusion. Every day that you are not taking forward steps — however imperfect — you are not becoming more equitable. There will never be a perfect or ideal time to begin. The most important thing any organization can do is to simply begin and be open to what emerges through the journey.