You Can't Make Change Alone

Organizational change is a complex process. At OF/BY/FOR ALL it is our belief that if you want to create change in your organization that is truly sustainable and transformative (and that leads to real equity), it needs to happen on systemic and operational levels, not just at the programmatic level. Achieving this type of change requires diagonal participation throughout your organization, with people from different departments or areas of work and different levels of authority. That means that real, lasting change happens most effectively through a team effort. The importance of building a change-making team cannot be overstated. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of having a strong team and how it can become the training ground for building lasting, equitable relationships with communities outside of the organization.

Oftentimes when we think about change in civic and cultural organizations, it shows up mostly on a programmatic level — we might create new programs or events that we’ve designed FOR a community we want to grow closer to. At OF/BY/FOR ALL, we emphasize the kind of change that shows up in the more systems or operational level — change that is REPRESENTATIVE OF and CO-CREATED BY the communities you want to grow closer to. For example, that could look like changes in your Board representation, which then might require looking at the processes by which you recruit board members. It could look like creating a community advisory board that may recommend changes in how your organization compensates volunteers, requiring shifts in your payment documentation systems. When communities feel that a space is truly representative of, and co-created by them, they can more authentically believe that the space is actually welcoming for them. 

Think about the examples provided above… who from your organization might be needed to make these changes happen? Most likely, these changes would involve organizing, input and/or decision-making power from folks like: 

• Finance Director: to approve or implement changes in payment models
• Board Members: to provide input and approval for updates to board recruitment process
• Executive Director: to work with Board Members on updates to board recruitment process, advocate for or approve changes to payment models with Finance Department, provide input or support to Program Manager working overseeing community advisory group, keep Board members up-to-date on recommendations from community advisory board 
• Program Manager: to oversee community advisory board and support Program Coordinator in leading the group, advocate for changes with Executive Director, work with program and marketing team to develop external messages around the changes being made within the organization
• Program Coordinator: to recruit and convene the advisory board, to send the recommendations from the community advisory board upwards to the decision making channels, to work directly with the community advisory board to ensure they feel welcomed and heard

As you can see, even just these two changes to the organization required a number of people from the organization at different levels and from several different departments. These types of changes are also ones that have the potential to create lasting impact on the organization, breaking down barriers to community participation and transforming how external communities view the organization through the willingness to share power, disrupt business as usual, and tangibly exemplify their commitment to the needs of their communities. In the Change Network, we see teams go through our process and realize that these kinds of changes are necessary in order to reduce harm, be accountable, and truly build trust with the communities they want to serve better. Their Change Plans often include these kinds of deliverables and so much more. And, these kinds of deliverables cannot happen with only one person willing or empowered to do the work, even if that one person has a lot of institutional power.

What we usually see in organizations who are making commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion is that a single individual is tasked with making change. In rare occasions, that person might be a full-time employee dedicated solely to DEI work. More often than not, this person is a full or part-time staff member who has had this work added to their already full plate. This person is often someone in the program department, generally because it is this department that has the most direct access to external communities. This person is very often understaffed, under-resourced, and expected to figure it out on their own while delivering big results — results that are often under-defined, unclear, and possibly unrealistic. This person often has limited decision-making power, and even if they have skills in DEI and organizing, may not have the ability to make decisions that actualize what they really feel needs to be done. This combination of dynamics creates a situation that is doomed for failure, and usually results in a burned out employee who becomes exhausted, disillusioned, and ineffective. As this role is unable to actualize the goals they set out to do, DEI efforts and commitments often will lose momentum and die out — especially if this person decides the expectations and labor is too much and ultimately decide to leave their position or organization. (And this happens a lot!). Even more unfortunate is that this person is far too often one of the few Black or People of Color (or other marginalized identity) in the organization. We could explain how this is particularly problematic, but we’ll leave that for another blog post.

We’ve illuminated how tasking organizational change work to a single individual just isn’t a great idea. But what does it look like to gather a strong team to lead change? Regardless of what kind of DEI program you decide to partner with, building a strong team committed to this work in the long-term is an essential first step. A set team comprised of the same people who meet regularly can support the work to move forward with confidence and continuity. As with most things, having one or two people to lead the team is also important. There needs to be a strong project manager who can gather everyone together, keep everyone organized, maintain motivation and energy, and keep the work moving forward. In the Change Network, we call these leaders the Team Champions, who act as the bridge between their organization and the OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network process. Whatever your change initiative looks like, having these kinds of leaders for your team is crucial to sustaining your DEI work.

Who might you consider inviting to a DEI team? A clear understanding of who should be invited to join the team is central to their success in a DEI initiative.  We emphasize that the team building process is not a cookie cutter one. We have some suggestions as to what will be helpful in thinking about your team as you build it, but really what is most important to consider are the working dynamics within the organization, and each member’s organizational investment in the shifts they are seeking to make toward equity and inclusion.

The size of an organization can impact the decision of who to include in the change making team. Many of our past member organizations that are smaller have included their entire organization as a part of this process — which for some very small organizations might be just five full-time staff members. This has its benefits, because the whole organization can fully invest in the work. With smaller teams that are representative of the entire organization, it can also be easier to gain consensus and make decisions quicker. We encourage greater stakeholder involvement especially in organizations with larger teams. With more people to consult or involve, naturally organizations may need to confront the misalignments in priorities that may come up in relation to the work of equity and inclusion. However, we don’t see this as a bad thing. In fact, surfacing misalignments in vision or process can be vitally important to revealing harmful systems and practices that may need to be changed or unlearned in order to truly move forward in more equitable ways. While this might slow down the process, this slowing down is usually important work that should be tended to and addressed and should be considered a great opportunity to make more transformative organizational change.

An important aspect of building and maintaining a strong team is also about paying attention to team dynamics and working in protocols and processes for working through conflict and harm. A team that is cohesive and has strong relationships within itself can create sustainable behavior that is aligned with the organization’s values of equity and liberation. Without creating an awareness of how we work and relate to one another, we WILL perpetuate systems of oppression because these systems are what we unconsciously default to. By interrupting the default way of operating, we can create a different way of working that is focused on creating positive change that we can then replicate in building relationships with external communities. For example, in the Change Network, we guide members through team building processes that encourage them to create community agreements or protocols for their team to support them through the predictable challenges that occur when organizations are faced with difficult or nuanced decisions. Check out the example of OF/BY/FOR ALL’s community agreements that were adopted from and inspired by an organization we greatly admire — Soul Fire Farm, Afro-Indigenous centered community farm committed to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system.

In addition to dynamics within the team, it’s also important to think about how each individual can be supported to be fully present and authentic in their role. At the core of building a strong team is the relationship with oneself and with the team. OF/BY/FOR ALL offers practices of care that are designed to create individual and collective accountability to doing this work with the most alignment to liberation and justice, and we encourage teams to carry those care practices forward into the work they do with communities as a way to build trust and transform oppressive ways of being and working. This further emphasizes the importance of creating a change-making team that not only focuses on the work, but also the relationships within the team. We have to not only care about the task at hand, but also each other as fellow humans on this journey.

It’s also important to be in relationship to the very real dynamics created by the complexities of our identities — which is another reason why paying attention to care practices is important. The same power dynamics that impact relationships in the outside world will show up within your team — especially if that team is comprised of diverse individuals (as it should be!). Your social location — the combination of factors including gender, race, social class, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, and geographic location — and the social locations of your teammates can impact how your team relates to itself and its individual members… as well as the communities you hope to grow closer to. Additionally, everyone on your team is impacted—positively and negatively—by their relationships with their jobs, your organization, and each other. Understanding those relationships can greatly improve your team’s success by highlighting what may need care, repair, or support.

Gathering a team that can sustain its commitment throughout the entirety of your change work is crucial, even though your team will inevitably shift. Especially in civic and cultural spaces, people leave and roles change — but your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion should (we hope) remain a priority and one that can continue to move forward even as people leave the table and new people come to the table. As you all work together, you’ll learn more about one another’s commitments to equity and inclusion, build trust, and strengthen your collective ability to sustain strong community relationships. This takes time and dedication, but you can do it! And the reward in building the beautiful, revolutionary future where all are involved, represented, and welcomed is certainly worth the effort.

As you move forward with your building your DEI team, it's important to remember that relationships within the team are key to success. Remember these tips: 

• Be mindful of power dynamics and social locations that may impact how team members relate to each other and the work. 
• Building strong relationships within the team sets the foundation for building relationships outside of the organization and creating sustainable behavior aligned with values of equity and liberation. 
• Consider the size of your organization and stakeholder involvement as you create your team.
• Prioritize care, repair, and support for individual members as needed. 

If you can consider as many of these things as possible as you create your team, you can build a strong foundation upon which truly transformational organizational change is possible. If you don’t yet have a team, start with identifying one or two people in your organization who can commit to leading the work. These folks can do important groundlaying such researching DEI partners that can support your organization to actualize its DEI goals. Once you have a better sense of what kind of partner might best support you, your team leaders can start to identify more people in your organization who would be crucial to this work. As you begin to meet regularly, more momentum and clarity can start to build. Don’t worry about having everything figured out all at once; the path slowly reveals itself with each step forward you take. You got this!

Don’t think you got this? 🥹 (It's OK!)

Meet with a member of our team to talk about how the Change Network can help you take those first steps forward. We got you.