A colleague and I had a longstanding joke about something I repeatedly told our clients: To do things differently, you have to....[dramatic pause] DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
As simple and obvious as it sounds, it is actually quite difficult to accomplish. Even those most committed to creating change have trouble breaking patterns of thought, behavior, and interactions with others. This is in part because we are often unable to see ourselves clearly, and are so close to the work that our habits just feel like the "right" way to do things. It can also be influenced by our personal background--our race, our economic background, our gender identify. As the metaphor goes, a fish can't see water, because the fish is immersed in it. So then are we all immersed in our way of doing things.
How, then, can you do things differently? I've learned that these might be some places to start:
1. Invite others. Find colleagues who are interested in making the changes you are contemplating, and invite them to join together. You can keep each other accountable, test assumptions, debrief, and expand your reach when you work together.
2. Start small. One of the companies I worked with had a heavy PowerPoint habit that they brought with them into the community, which left their community meetings feeling dry, cold, and impersonal. They started by thinking about when PowerPoint was a great tool, and when it was a crutch, and gradually started to modify their use of the tool.
3. Consider the context. Many habits of thought and behavior are part of a chain. Think about what precedes and follows the change you are trying to make, anticipate how that chain functions, and address the impact your change will have on its overall context. For instance, if you track certain things in your agency because it is required for a grant report, you can't just quit tracking it, even if it is not a good use of your time. You may need to have conversations with funders about what measures are most appropriate.
4. Embrace counter-culture. When you are seeking to make change in an organization, you are by definition "swimming upstream". It's tiring, it's exasperating, and it's often unappreciated or resisted. Build in enough time to debrief, regroup, and replenish your energy for the long haul.
5. Support each other. You'll mess up, and you'll learn things you didn't want to know. But you'll also discover new potential, and confirm some long-held instincts. Celebrate the moments along the way, and give each other a break when there's a misstep.
The gravitational pull of established organizational culture is powerful. When you're driving organizational change, it will not be a linear progression, and it won't be quick--but it is usually worth it.