Adapt to workplace changes
Strategy for Our Times Part 6
Image description: illustration of two different people working at laptops, each in a separate bubble. Image by Arivle One on Pixabay.
Remote work has changed how people work together and how often or easily they gather. The shift to distributed teams that was accelerated by COVID happened without a great deal of intentionality regarding what these teams need for success. This can impact the strategic planning process.
Traditionally, planning participants are brought together in person for dialogue and hashing out mission language and strategic priorities. An in-person retreat typically has advantages that support deeper discussion: people being fully present, ability for participants to read body language, natural transitions between speakers, personal connections formed over breaks and meals, etc.
At nonprofits, budget for regular in-person gatherings of board and staff teams are often inadequate. I’ve already worked with several clients with a statewide reach for whom most strategic planning retreat attendees were meeting others in person for the first time. This situation demands some additional time and attention to relationship-building and establishing how to be together prior to launching into planning.
In addition, scheduling in-person meetings with partners or other constituents can be more difficult and feel more burdensome to some who have become accustomed to working from home. Much of this work has shifted online. It can be accomplished effectively through remote meetings, but it requires some different skills.
As I engage with new clients, I am going to ask more questions regarding how their distributed teams work together and how often they have in-person time. There is no ideal formula for how often board or staff teams need to be together in real life—some groups may operate entirely online. However, I do believe that being together at least periodically (preferably on a regular schedule) is powerful in building relationships and trust. If this seems impossible, then it may help to have frank conversations about the challenge and establish alternative channels for relationship building (as a manager, be open to creative ideas for connection).