Look at any social media platform today and you can find conversations about how this one generation over another is better. The reality is, in the business world, we’re seeing a real shift into intergenerational boards, and these groups are being forced to find ways to work together, with intention. Creating company culture, finding ways to reach consensus and having a plan, are some ways these groups are learning to cooperate and move business forward.
Creating a strategic plan has to go deeper than a piece of paper that sits in a file cabinet at the office. We must begin to look at strategic planning as a mindset and not just a one-time process. A strategic plan can’t be a document, printed on company letterhead and then dismissed before the ink dries. Strategic planning must be integrated into every aspect of the organization.
Part of that strategic plan must be the generation of the company culture. Company culture is vital to the sustainability of the organization and must include the agreed upon values and norms that define the interactions among members, staff and clients. Without agreement on company culture, misunderstanding, resentment and poor decision-making begins to grow. A healthy company culture leads to a healthy organization.
While it is important to agree on the company culture, agreement for the sake of agreement is a dangerous thing. When board members get stuck on feeling they need to reach an agreement on every issue, progress stalls. Boards need to move into a mindset where they can be comfortable with either reaching consensus or agreeing to disagree on some issues. We must also continue training our boards and staff on ways to work together, to appreciate differing viewpoints and changing perspectives.
These core values make it possible for nonprofits and other organizations, large and small, to maintain healthy teams who work together with purpose.
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