Charities and social enterprises, like any other organisation, are subject to constant change and adaptation. And, with ever increasing political and financial uncertainty, these organisations are now required, more than ever before, to adapt, innovate and change the way they’ve always done things.
Some organisations embrace the challenge and take a ‘don’t look back in anger’ approach, when others have real battles to overcome before they go down the route to change.
How can a coaching approach – where you don’t give solutions in a silver platter – support an organisation to make the changes it needs? To explore this we looked at examples from charities and social enterprises we have worked with (of course we have kept them anonymous) and give a few tips for those of you interested in the fine art of coaching:
1. Support teams to talk about their reservations and unlock a mutual vision of the future.
It was clear that Organisation A knew they needed to change; however, the charity had been through a difficult time previously and was very risk-averse, particularly at board level. We worked with the trustees to identify what barriers were stopping them moving forward. Working directly with certain board members and running an away day that focused on visualising what the future could look like, allowed them to come together, address their reservations and take action.
2. Take time to build a relationship and help others explore what makes them resist the change – it may not be what you think.
The CEO and founder of Organisation B was very proud of his charity and the impact it had; however, getting him to trust his senior management team was the challenge. A simple questionnaire at a strategic session demonstrated all the good will, skills and great ideas of the team. He was bowled over by his team’s passion to contribute. This allowed the CEO to assess his own approach to facilitating essential changes in the organisation. Often it does take time to build trust but that is one of the key ingredients to influencing change and sometimes it starts in the mirror.
3. Bring in a positive perspective!
With Organisation C, the fear of taking a risk was a factor very much rooted in the organisation’s morale, low confidence and expectations. There was an air of accepting the inevitable: declining grant funding and, to their eyes, unsympathetic stakeholders. Although living on the edge in respect to their funding, the director and chair made their horizon – and that of their staff and membership – look worse by buying into the ‘certainty’ of a catastrophic funding cut. By leading with a negative frame of mind, they unwittingly grew a resistance to change in their staff team, too. It became clear it was all about changing a mind-set based on historical assumptions to one based on current facts. A risk analysis workshop based on evidence rather than assumptions, re-engaged the board and staff and helped them focus on what they could do rather than what they thought they couldn’t.
Co-written by Hannah Page, Senior Project Manager and Richard Moore, Project Manager, Pilotlight