How to Sharpen the Focus of an Organization

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:SharpenFocusOrganization

Story Highlights

Introduction Doing good work every day--that's the goal of every organization. Now and then it's

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Introduction

Doing good work every day--that's the goal of every organization.
Now and then it's vital that organizations take a break from the dayto-
day frenzy to sit down together and make sure that those good
works are getting done efficiently and effectively. Honing the organization's
mission, vision and values is a time-tested technique.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Setting up a retreat

Steps

1

Step One

Identify your stakeholders. Go beyond the obvious people, such as the board of directors, management and so on. Include those on the front line who deliver the goods and services, and the people who receive them.
2

Step Two

Schedule a meeting or retreat. It should be at least a half day long--a full day is preferable. Since a primary goal is to break free of the current mindset, get away to a neutral location.
3

Step Three

Find a neutral facilitator. Remember, the goal is to bypass entrenched systems while brainstorming. You can also hire a professional meeting facilitator.
4

Step Four

Open the meeting by talking about and celebrating the positive things your organization has accomplished.
5

Step Five

State the purpose of the retreat and set the ground rules:

Defining the mission

Steps

1

Step One

Start tossing out ideas about what the mission of the organization is in the first brainstorming session. Keep in mind that the mission is why people serve--and that the organizational mission is often driven by the personal missions of its members. Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak and all ideas get recorded.
2

Step Two

Look for organizational strengths and similarities as the ideas flow. Also identify weaknesses and areas that need help.
3

Step Three

Find out what everyone's view of the mission is. For example, one member of a preschool board of directors may feel the school's mission is early literacy, while another may encourage play-based learning. A fundamental disagreement could cause people to leave the organization, but this is a small price to pay to keep it on track.

Clarifying the vision

Steps

1

Step One

Begin the next brainstorming session by asking participants to talk about possible outcomes--otherwise known as the "vision." Encourage pie-in-the-sky thinking: What do participants really want the organization to accomplish?
2

Step Two

Pay attention to the discord that may come up when people are expressing their own visions or dreams. Those differences are indicators of the different values people hold.
3

Step Three

Reiterate the importance of everyone participating regardless of their position. Intense discussions should be managed by the facilitator who can help individuals fully articulate their views.

Expounding on values

Steps

1

Step One

Conduct an exercise where participants are asked to write down the five things that are most important to them--whether they are personal, professional, family, physical or artistic in nature. Each statement should begin with the words "I value" to help clarify the difference between the things you want to accomplish (vision) and what you value (see 16 Set Goals). These do not need to be shared.
2

Step Two

Go back to the initial drafts of the mission statement. Are there any that are a particularly good fit with the vision and values participants have expressed?
3

Step Three

End session one of the retreat. Give copies of the notes to all participants. Schedule the next phase in a month or so.

Wrapping it up

Steps

1

Step One

Introduce phase two of the retreat with the goal of crafting a mission statement that is in alignment with the organization's vision and values. You are trying to draft a common story of why you exist to share with the world: This will be your mission statement.
2

Step Two

Discuss possible scenarios. At this point, participants will decide if the work the organization does is in alignment with their personal values. If there is a disconnect, individuals may decide to leave the organization. Or, the organization's vision may need changing. Or, the group can look for a way to incorporate their values into the vision.
3

Step Three

Use the mission statement to develop a strategic plan including marketing and publicity, organizational priorities, and recruitment-- of staff, volunteers and board members.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • Frontline employees, volunteers and core constituents often have very different ideas and values than management has. For example, a communitybased television station may strongly value locally produced programming, but viewers can't do without a nationally produced travel show.
  • It's important to take a break after each working session. It's hard work, and participants need to relax and gather their thoughts before the next one.
  • The facilitator typically acts as timekeeper and secretary jotting down every idea on large flip charts or a white board.
  • See 372 Publicize an Event, 217 Form a Board of Directors and 220 Plan a Company Retreat.
  • Senior Corps (seniorcorps.org) couples the experience, skills and talents of older citizens with organizations who need their help. Contact this group to see if it has facilitators willing to volunteer in your organization.
  • When you're working to identify values, the words that come up are along the lines of honesty, integrity, accountability, cooperation, camaraderie, or helping someone or something bigger than yourself.
  • Where discussing the mission is an intellectual exercise, and articulating vision is an emotional one, articulating your values gets to the very essence of your beliefs.
  • Your vision, for example, might be to help people develop the skills to build a house. Driving that vision might be a wide range of values that includes selfimprovement, self-reliance, responsibility and giving back to the community.
  • Bear in mind that the donors who support a nonprofit organization give money in alignment with their values.
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