Although culture goes beyond catchy quotes on your office walls, creating a welcoming and collaborative environment is key. Whether your teams are in-person, working remotely, or have a hybrid combination, it is important to set up structures and rules of engagement that reduce interruptions and distractions, and respect employees’ preferred work styles and flow cycles. In addition to the tools previously provided to build a foundation of healthy communication habits, leaders should learn how their team members prefer to receive appreciation, using tools like the MBA. Although it may seem trivial, we also cannot underestimate the importance of taking time to celebrate and have fun together. This can be difficult in the current virtual climate, and particularly challenging for nonprofits when resources are stretched thin and the work seemingly never ends.. But, acknowledging progress and bonding with team members is essential to group flow.

At the heart of thriving workplace cultures is a practice of psychological safety​ and inclusion. While the focus on DEI has become more mainstream over the last couple of years, the data show increased commitment, engagement, and innovation when teams represent a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Diversity across race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic class, ability or disability, learning styles, and perspectives ensures accountability and sustainability for the organization – but more importantly, meaningful impact within communities. In our blog focused on nonprofit trends, we talked about some of the changes in how Funders are requiring DEI metrics for grant eligibility.

However, many organizations struggle to move beyond good intentions and aspirational goals. Often, they often start by focusing on building a diverse staff or Board without first establishing inclusive practices that challenge the status quo and foster a sense of belonging and safety, particularly for those without influence or decision-making power. In Ruchika Tulshyan’s book Inclusion on Purpose, she shares a helpful acronym, BRIDGE to help build a mindset of inclusion for leaders and organizations:

1. Be uncomfortable
2. Reflect on what you don’t know
3. Invite feedback
4. Don’t get defensive
5. Grow from your mistakes
6. Expect that change takes time

Much like any successful and meaningful change we make in life, building a healthy culture takes intentionality and practice. As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” It is important to emphasize that particularly in the case of inclusion and belonging, it is a continual journey and requires a posture of vulnerability, curiosity, and humility from the top down. In addition to using the BRIDGE acronym, here are a few ideas to help you continue to create a foundation of trust and belonging:

1. Establish meaningful core values collaboratively as a team. Embed them into your meetings and personnel reviews, and recognize employees for embodying them regularly.
2. Engage in meaningful trainings about unconscious bias, and develop a process for addressing exclusive or discriminatory behavior for greater accountability.
3. Create an environment of psychological safety where new ideas, difficult conversations, and differences of opinion are possible without fear of retaliation by modeling vulnerability and transparency. Celebrate mistakes as a learning and growth opportunity.
4. Facilitate opportunities for providing specific and timely feedback across all levels of the organization, using radical candor and active listening principles.
5. Develop a decision-making process that allows people with different perspectives, work styles, and backgrounds to engage. Ensure participation from those most impacted and across different stakeholders before decisions are made.
6. Encourage transparency across all levels of your organization which will make it easier to give and receive feedback, build trust, and promote psychological safety.

At Five to Flow, our passion is to partner with you to design meaningful solutions that lead to organizational flow. Explore our Nonprofit Wellness Wave™​ ​ diagnostic to measure how well your nonprofit is doing across all core elements, culture. Based on your results, you will get tailored suggestions to get you started on your journey to achieving and sustaining peak performance.. Please contact us​​ for more information about how we can work with your nonprofit to improve business health and alignment for the sustainable growth of your mission and impact. Part 4 of our five part series will be coming soon!