Achieving Ambitious Goals with Limited Resources: 

Creating a Culture of Collaboration and Change

Susan Lebold Assistant Executive DirectorJewish Family Service of MetrowestFramingham, Massachusetts

Malka Young Communal Services ManagerJewish Family Service of MetrowestFramingham, Massachusetts

Paula Chandler Director, Career & International ServicesJewish Family & Career ServicesAtlanta, Georgia

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Roadmap

Organizational Culture and Leadership

Implementing the Change Process

Building Collaborative Relationships

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Common Myths

There’s never enough staff or money

We don’t like making “hard decisions”

Too much focus on measuring outcomes

It’s easier to do something yourself

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Changing Trends in the non-profit sector

Stakes are higher than ever

Pace of change is accelerating

Outcome-based accountability

Mandates for collaborative partnerships

Entrepreneurial mindset is required

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Starting Premise

Willingness to take risks is essential

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Organizational Culture

Pattern of Behaviors Unwritten

Rules

Shared Meanings

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Key Questions

Does your organizational culture help or hinder achievement of your objectives and goals?

Does the culture help or hinder your organization’s ability to adapt to changes in the external environment?

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Characteristics of a Culture of Change and Collaboration

Strong leadership – board and staff in alignment Belief in the value and inevitability of change Commitment to highest performance levels – “good

enough isn’t good enough” Belief in the ability to transform Willingness to take risks and learn from mistakes Ability to manage with patience and persistence

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What kind of leadership does it take to achieve this type of organizational culture?

Visionary

Strategic

Disciplined Thinking

Shared Responsibility & Influence

Innovative

Self Reflective

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Making it Real

Implementing change and collaborative processes

Pitfalls to watch out for

Strategies for success

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“Stop the world; I want to get off!”

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Change is here to stay

We need to get good at it.

There are many good “models” for change, yet 70% of change initiatives fail.

What differentiates success from failure is awareness and response to the “people parts” of the change process.

Change is a process; not an event. Patience is required.

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The Human Process

Change Transition New Beginning

- Processes- Changed roles- Changed organization- New leadership- New approaches

Begins with theEnding of the old:

- Old ways of leadership- The role you played- The way things used to be- Getting out of your comfort zone

Establishes the new:

New values…imagesattitudes opinionsbeliefs

Something new is introduced:

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Characteristics of Transition: The Creative Zone

Systems in flux are unreliable Conflict & anxiety increase Motivation, productivity, attendance decrease Heightened ambiguity - priorities unclear Miscommunication and misunderstanding People may doubt their leaders Potential for significant creativity

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Successful Change Leadership

Engage people creatively in the transition process.

Articulate new purpose clearly in ways that are compelling to the people.

Recognize what people are losing and the feelings people experience

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Leaders help people handle the change initiative

Pay attention! Scan the whole system & respond

Define what is not changing; “burn the ship” to mark endings; there’s no turning back.

Recognize and reward behavior that supports the change.

Define new roles and at the same time, respect the past.

Share information & communicate, communicate, communicate!

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Leadership

Communication

ResponsivenessSuccessful

Change

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Living in the New World

Over communicate Expect road bumps Quickly resolve problems Demonstrate adaptability Celebrate successes (organization &

individuals) Continue to view & communicate the Big

Picture.

Change is a process; not an event.

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Money is not always the Solution

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Symbiosis

In biology, the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms

mutually beneficial

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Collaboration

A mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations to achieve common goals

A commitment to mutual relationships and goals, with a jointly developed structure and shared responsibility, mutual authority and accountability for success

Mutual sharing of resources and rewards in a way that furthers goals and objectives of each

participating organization

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Outcomes

Will skill set contribute to reaching project goals?

Can we count on Partner to deliver on what partner promises?

Is contribution nice, but not necessary? Will partner be flexible and be able to make

mid course adjustments?

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Shared Ownership

Is partner serous about their commitment to the relationship?

Does Partner have a personal investment in a successful outcome?

Does partner have an institutional investment in a successful outcome?

Does Partner understand the “big picture”?

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Added Value

What skill set is Partner bringing to the project? Does Partner see us as an equal partner and that

we are working as a team? Has partner demonstrated the willingness to do

what it takes to work collaboratively? What benefits are there for us in terms of visibility,

access, marketing or other? How much work will we have to do to make this

partnership work?

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SUCCESSFUL

COLLABORATION

Outcomes Shared Ownership

Added Value

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Reality Check

vsPromises Performance

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Self-Reflection

What assumptions are we making? Are we getting what we need? What can we do if our partner doesn’t meet

our expectations? Are we meeting the needs of our partners?

How do we know? How do we use what we are learning to help

us meet our goals?

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Challenges

Hard Work

Dependent on others to meet goals

Requires self reflection, mid course corrections and willingness to change

Patience and commitment over the long term

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Benefits

Expands skill set and responsiveness of the organization

Promotes efficiency & high performance Keeps the focus on meeting goals and

maximizing impact Increases agency value as a community

resource Builds the infrastructure of community

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Successful Organization

Culture Change

Collaboration

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There is no Turning Back

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The Joy of Collaboration

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Resource List

James E. Austin & Frances Hesselbein, Meeting the Collaboration Challenge: Developing Strategic Alliance Between Nonprofit Organizations and Businesses, The Drucker Foundation, Jossey-Bass, 2002

Dorothy a. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Terminology, http://www.npgoodpractice.org/CompleteGlossary.aspx?ID=-1

Collaborative Leadership Self-Reflection Participant’s Guide, TurningPoint B. Levine, C.Perras, & Emmanuel Raufflet, Making collaboration work in the non-

profit sector, Front&Centre (Vol.6 No.6), November 2003 Eadie, Douglas C. Changing by Design; A Practical Approach to Leading Innovation

in Nonprofit Organizations, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, 1997 Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, William Bridges The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning

Organizations, Peter Senge Beyond Change Management : Advanced Strategies for Today's Transformational

Leaders, Dean Anderson & Linda Ackerman Anderson Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes, William Bridges The Way of Transition: Embracing Life's Most Difficult Moments, William Bridges