How would you describe the culture in your organisation?
“Open”, “honest”, “trusting”, “appreciative”, “purposeful”, “collaborative”? — I hope so.
“One I can’t wait to leave,” “toxic”, “we all walk on eggshells”, “hostile” — perhaps?
The development of a positive, open and supportive culture was certainly the aspiration of a recent team development workshop I facilitated, and it was perfectly demonstrated through the behaviours, attitudes, values and beliefs of the newly appointed team leader. Continue reading
In our overstimulated world, characterised, amongst other things, by hate speech on social media and by uncontrolled egomaniacs, the widespread inability to regulate one’s own emotions is becoming increasingly apparent. A stimulus is immediately followed by a reaction, without the ability (or willingness) to restrain oneself. Much suffering and harm occur because no precautions are taken against triggers and emotions are not managed consciously. Yet emotional regulation can be learnt both individually and organisationally.
Pandemics, more wars than ever before, heat waves, melting glaciers and political upheaval: we are living in an era of increasing complexity, chaos and uncertainty: From VUCA to BANI, the ‘unpredictability of the world’ is greater today than ever before. Many people find it difficult to get used to the fact that ‘the old rules of “it won’t happen” and “basically everything will stay the same” are increasingly no longer valid,’ as psychologists Eva Lermer and Matthias Hudecek write in their book ‘Uncertainty’ [
Good questions lead to good listening (and vice versa: 
The transition of the ‘people function’ title to ‘People and Culture’ represents a fundamental shift in how organisations view their workforce. Linda Grant explores the evolution of this function, now seen as being a strategic partner in achieving organisational goals.
Know-how is crucial and is a major part of the capital of all organisations, including the non-profit sector. It has three main components:
Drawing attention to issues and hoping that they will be fixed or solved is normal. It’s what we do every day: There’s a problem, like a dripping tap or a flat tyre or the mobile phone has no power, and we ‘analyse the problem’ and fix it easily. But when it comes to people, like interpersonal and social problems, things get complicated. That’s why I think we need to change our approach and focus on finding solutions. And that starts with the being.
We are now into the final months of 2024 and for many of us, this signals the budget round and thinking about our people strategy.
The multiple crises and chronic work overload have made “well-being” a top issue generally and especially in non-profit organisations. It is natural for NGOs to want to provide workplaces that promote rather than hinder well-being, but it is not always easy to do so.