Innovation for Social Change

Chapter 8Encourage Creative Collaboration

Let's imagine what a culture of innovation looks like in the nonprofit workplace. At 6:00 a.m. on a Monday, Lashawn's alarm clock rings. Thinking about the day ahead, she feels good about her work at the community food bank. At her morning team meeting, she will present a proposal for improving the food bank's partnerships with local grocery stores. She knows already that her colleagues' feedback will make her proposal stronger. She feels emotionally connected to her work and enjoys problem‐solving with her colleagues. She expects her workday to be productive and fulfilling.

At the same time across town, Joe's alarm goes off. With a sense of dread, he remembers the infighting and finger‐pointing that happened last week. He has some ideas about improving the legal aid clinic's intake process for new clients, but the last time he made a suggestion, his boss and colleagues were outright dismissive. It's not worth the drama, he decides. He thinks about calling his boss to take a sick day, and he practices a fake cough. As he reluctantly gets out of bed, he decides to update his résumé during his lunch hour.

While an atmosphere like Joe's is toxic for all involved, Lashawn's workplace culture encourages everyone to be entrepreneurial, which benefits team members, clients, and stakeholders alike. Workplace culture has a significant impact on our ability to be innovative.

How does a positive culture develop? Is it spontaneous and unplanned ...