ACADEMIA Letters The Leverage Point for Organizational Change: Aging Organizations Should Look to their People (Abridged) James Lewis, CFRE, Charis Nonprofit Consulting, Horizon University Your organization is aging. The internal culture has changed, and the external context of your community is vastly different than what you began with twenty or even ten years ago. To adjust to these changes many leaders merely seek how the mission statement defines the task of the organization externally with a view of how you are meeting the changing customer needs, fiscal trends, and other critical factors that affect your organization – like COVID-19. However, my studies and experience have led me to conclude that organizations assessing how to create change must address their internal mission and values as much as or more than adjusting to the external needs. We need to begin with a focus on how the organization is fulfilling its mission in and through the efforts of its people. Subsequently, much of the external elements will be addressed through what staff already recognize has changed, but they currently lack the freedom to act upon them in the organization. Leaders must be committed to developing those who are involved in the work of the organization. More specifically, we must ask ourselves, how we are developing our staff? While leading our staff, is our organization also committed to providing professional development for those through whom the mission is accomplished? Is staff included in the strategic planning and team meeting? Too often leaders (and the organization) miss out by not including staff in creating a vital organizational shift. Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: James Lewis, Peer2PeerLeadership@gmail.com Citation: Lewis, J. (2021). The Leverage Point for Organizational Change: Aging Organizations Should Look to their People (Abridged). Academia Letters, Article 1043. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1043. 1 The Integrated Model Using the six components of the “Integrated Model” as referenced in her Ph.D. dissertation Developing Persons in Christian Organizations,1 Dr. Shelley Trebesch’s research found that you can assess organizational development in six areas: Faith Assumptions, Values, Organizational Dynamics, Experiences, Individuals, and Leaders. She refers to discovering an effective “leverage point” for an organization integrating change in a systematic manner over the long-term, internal development of an organization. This leverage point is an element in your organization that you can use to create the most potential for successful, overall change. In her study of organizations, this was primarily found in the staff. An analogy from the world of finance, we need to move our staff from the expense (or liability) column and treat them as assets. This model helps discern key areas through which we can develop people in our organizations. In my full journal article, I focus is limited to the first three – Faith Assumptions, Values, and Organizational Dynamics – as I feel they provide the strongest leverage for an organization’s change. I also address some basic steps to implement change. Coming from a corporate model, as I entered a nonprofit organization as an executive director my pragmatism, along with my past leadership style and the busyness of creating change, a hectic pace, and meeting unlimited needs, tended to drive that same “get it done” mentality in my staff, rather than allowing them to take part in, and buying into change. This type of oversight is a primary cause of why our people feel undervalued; it seriously limits personal development and is one reason why many leaders burn out and staff give up and leave. This “direct and control” style changed as I studied management styles and team leadership… and I began letting go of my control and delegating and utilizing management-level staff in planning and decision-making.2 As we examined the current assumptions and values of our staff, I realized that even as they have their personal growth and professional involvements, leaders must take part in their personal and organizational development. Staff typically respond well to leadership expressing and clarifying organizational values. But are our core values compatible with our personal and corporate views of those we lead? This needs to be the primary impetus for our efforts to create change through our people. 1 Shelley Trebesch, “Developing Persons in Christian Organizations: A Case Study of OMF International.” (Ph.D. diss., FTS) 2001. 2 https://www.discprofiles.com/blog/2011/12/disc-profile-definition/#.YMJP-vlKjb0 Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: James Lewis, Peer2PeerLeadership@gmail.com Citation: Lewis, J. (2021). The Leverage Point for Organizational Change: Aging Organizations Should Look to their People (Abridged). Academia Letters, Article 1043. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1043. 2 Generational Values Changes in generational values factor into this as well, as no institution has been unaffected by generational changes in its workforce, and the broader community – including our customers. The combination of the shift from the Baby Boomer Generation and the rise of post-modernity brings new issues we must address. I’ve heard older staff comment that there is now rarely seen loyalty to an organization. Leaders have commented on what they see as an obvious decline in staff coming with a clear commitment to the organization – rather, they value having a life-work balance that allows them more time off to pursue other things. I’ve also received a confirming voice from leaders, authors, and older staff, that the younger generation has little patience for institutions or authoritative control that ignores their input and empowerment. Millennials value knowing details of the organization, what part they play, good communication, how their voice is included, and a focus on the external environment. Today, in any 360-Degree review, the scoring of leadership communication will leave little doubt as to whether people value more communication and interaction in the development of vision, planning, and execution. Accordingly, in seeking to transition your organization you will want to restructure organizational leadership in such a manner that empowers staff to receive more communication and involvement. We want them to become more involved in the creation of vision, strategic planning, decision-making, and, ultimately become more unified around the mission and vision, thus leveraging the desired (and needed) organizational change. This increased integration of team members in any change will allow more cooperation and effectiveness, and ownership. Steps to Transformation Once you decide to lead change in your organization, what are some steps you can take? One way is to facilitate a Three-Year Strategic Plan study. Through that process, you will examine steps that you can take to lead your efforts in defining organization needs and assist in organizational development and growth. The limitations of this article prohibit a complete review of such a plan, but these are elements to examine as you work through it with your leadership team: 1. Core Values – Revisit your Strategic Plan and its accompanying core values. These should be actively instilled into your policies and procedures where appropriate. In order to develop your organizational culture and the outworking of these core values, you should discuss and review them in regular department meetings at least quarterly Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: James Lewis, Peer2PeerLeadership@gmail.com Citation: Lewis, J. (2021). The Leverage Point for Organizational Change: Aging Organizations Should Look to their People (Abridged). Academia Letters, Article 1043. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1043. 3 – or more often. Also, examine how your core purposes are appropriately merging outward organization with inward personal development of your staff. 2. Convergence – This goes along with the above in recognizing an appropriate model of missional expression within and through your organization in keeping with core values and purpose in your current context. Try to re-imagine what ideals are compatible with your corporate responsibility as an organization – developing strategies in such a manner that ensures we do not back away from issues in deference to the status quo. 3. Regeneration – Each level of leadership and supervision should be responsible for staff empowerment and development as individuals and professionals. This empowerment and development will be essential in addressing attrition during change. We will have to do the hard work of developing staff relationships that fosters a team culture. Some organizations will need to spend time revitalizing staff, perhaps moving someone to a more fitting seat on your bus, or asking someone who doesn’t buy into these changes to step off the bus. 4. Adapting Strategy – As it was in your organization’s beginnings, see how you can again become a model of adaptation as you seek to be creative and revitalized in an increasingly diverse environment. Additionally, examine how you can reach out to those in your changing community within the parameters of your corporate values and strategic plan. Investigate ways your organization can become the model of, and leader in, new strategies for successful outcomes through your organizational model. This change can only happen as we bring people together in unison, on the same page. 5. Reengineering – As these first steps are being processed, you will have to allow enough room for modifying your organizational attitudes, expectations, and worldview as you seek enhanced effectiveness through modified structures and procedures. I had ongoing issues with what I felt were sometimes legalistic elements in the role of Human Resources in modifying policy and structure. These elements will need to be tempered if you are to truly develop people’s vision and resourcefulness rather than systems that tend to control and limit development. An issue I constantly struggled with, was creating a flexible work environment in light of our state’s onerous labor laws. Summary Leading your staff through needed organizational change will likely be a long-term process. Change tends to cause anxiety, but it can also increase your staff’s capacity for vision and Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: James Lewis, Peer2PeerLeadership@gmail.com Citation: Lewis, J. (2021). The Leverage Point for Organizational Change: Aging Organizations Should Look to their People (Abridged). Academia Letters, Article 1043. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1043. 4 flexibility, which will reduce their anxiety. In examining your organization’s assumptions, values, and dynamics you will find the best “point of leverage” in your people. You may then begin to realize growth as their acceptance of new policies and procedures provide the necessary parameters within which staff is empowered and successful. Ask yourself: What of our inward focus – on our staff? Are we expending as much effort into developing them as we expand our efforts on our customer base and ignore the needs of those who are doing the hard work providing these efforts? Organizational change starts with you, your organization, and its people. Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: James Lewis, Peer2PeerLeadership@gmail.com Citation: Lewis, J. (2021). The Leverage Point for Organizational Change: Aging Organizations Should Look to their People (Abridged). Academia Letters, Article 1043. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1043. 5