Organizational Change Processes
Overview
There are many components to organizational change. Each of them can be considered from a lens that considers diversity, inclusion and racial equity, with a goal of aligning them with what is known about how to reduce white culture and achieve racial equity goals. Internal operations need to be aligned with an organization’s commitment and values for legitimacy and credibility externally.
Traditional organizational development methods are typically based in cultural competency, diversity awareness and inclusion processes; some (many) are ‘color-blind’ or race-neutral. Applying a racial equity lens to internal organizational development work helps to identify, talk about and manage inherent power dynamics that organizations grapple with every day, especially those that are white dominated, in culture and/or demographics. To the degree that white culture is present in an organization, exposing how it permeates business practices and internal operations provides an opportunity to expand processes, norms, and worldviews. People often make a “business case” for these kinds of changes as well, by making work processes more diverse, inclusive and equitable, an organization can create organizational cultures that are viable and sustainable within a world of changing demographics and consistent racial disparities.
This section provides information particularly for organizations that seek to transform their policies, procedures, practices, culture and relationships to be racially equitable and inclusive. Some resources describe stages of organizations' experience through this long-term process; others provide tools to use in working toward this goal, and a few organizations have stepped forward to share their story of becoming more racially equitable. Users who know of additional stories are encouraged to share them.
Tools
- Advancing the Mission: Tools for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Building a Multi-Ethnic, Inclusive & Antiracist Organization: Tools for Liberation Packet
- Inclusive Community Organizations: A Tool Kit
- Moving Past The Silence: A Tool For Negotiating Reflective Conversations About Race: Moving Philanthropy Closer to Racial Equality and Social Justice
- Race and Social Justice Budget and Policy Filter Supplemental Toolkit
- Session 4, Part One: Approaches to Multicultural Organizational Development
- Chronicles of Change: An Organization's Guide to Theory of Change
- Becoming a Catalyst for Social Justice: A Tool For Aligning Internal Operations to Produce Progress
- Asking Powerful Questions
- Transforming Organizations: A Guide to Creating Effective Social Change Organization
- Paying Attention to White Culture and Privilege: A Missing Link to Advancing Racial Equity
- Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide: 7 Steps to Advance and Embed Race Equity and Inclusion Within Your Organization
- Tool for Organizational Self-Assessment Related to Racial Equity
- The Uni-Versity to Poly-Versity Series on Anti-Oppression Organization Change
- 10 Ways To Practice Institutional Racism at Your Nonprofit Organization
- Racial Justice Assessment Tool
- Organizational self-assessment related to racial equity
- Anti-Oppression Principles
- Racial Equity Toolkit: Implementing Greenlining’s Racial Equity Framework
- Building a Race Equity Culture in the Social Sector
- White Dominant Culture and Something Different: A Worksheet
- Equitable Hiring Tool
- Organizational Race Equity Toolkit
- Contracting for Equity
- Interrupting White Dominant Culture In Museums
- White Supremacy Culture in Organizations
Case studies
- Beyond Diversity and Multiculturalism: Towards the Development of Anti-Racist Institutions and Leaders
- Leading by Example: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in Community Foundations
- Making Social Change Case Studies of Nonprofit Service Providers, Building Movement Project
- More than Words: A Description of the Foundation for the Mid South's Organizational Transformation Emphasizing Racial, Social and Economic Equity
- Catalytic Change: Lessons Learned from the Racial Justice Grantmaking Assessment
- Reflections on a Cross-Cultural Partnership in Multicultural Organizational Development Efforts
- An Integrated Anti-Oppression Framework for Reviewing and Developing Policy
- Racial Equity Analysis
- Catalysts for Change
- The National Toxics Campaign: Some Reflections, Thoughts for the Movement
- The Racial Justice and Health Equity Initiative
- Building an Inclusive Culture: Spreading and Embedding an Equity Lens at the Bush Foundation
- BALLE–Racial Equity Change from the Outside In
- Addressing and Preventing Workplace Harassment and Discrimination
- Boston Builds Capacity to Address Racism and Achieve Health Equity
- Confronting Structural Racism in Research and Policy Analysis
- Moving Forward Together: CSSP’s Journey to Center Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
- Reckoning with Structural Racism in Research: LBJ’s Legacy and Urban’s Next 50
- Transforming Culture — An Examination of Workplace Values Through the Frame of White Dominant Culture
- Our Approach to Race Equity Work and Why We Focus on Black and Latinx People
- Can One Committee Change an Organization?
- Advancing Racial Equity in Public Libraries: Case Studies from the Field
- Video Case Studies
- 18 Ways We’ve Improved Our Hiring Process
- Monterey County: From Disenfranchisement to Voice, Power, and Participation
Resource
- Building Movement vs. Building Organization: Summary of Regional Discussions
- Improving Race Relations and Undoing Racism Roles and Strategies for Community Foundations
- Inside Inclusiveness: Race, Ethnicity and Nonprofit Organizations
- Vital Voices: Lessons Learned from Board Members of Color
- Where Hope and History Rhyme: Reflections and Findings from the Mid South Commission to Build Philanthropy
- Multicultural Organizational Development A Resource for Health Equity
- White Supremacy Culture
- Seeing and Naming Racism in Nonprofit and Public Organizations
- Challenging White Dominant Culture: Time to Look in the Mirror
- Inside Building Diverse and Equitable Organizations, Teams and Newsrooms: Expert Q&A
- Race-Explicit Strategies for Workforce Equity in Healthcare and IT
- Race to Lead: Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap
- Unrealized Impact: The Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Racial Equity Impact Assessment Pocket Guide
- On Land, Race, Power, and Privilege: An Organizational Statement of Values
- Anti-Racist Organizational Change: Resources & Tools for Nonprofits
- Racial Equity & Inclusion at Living Cities: Frequently Asked Questions
- Approaches to Power Inequity Within Organizations
- Equitable Hiring Tool
- Race to Lead: Women of Color in the Nonprofit Sector
- Racial Equity Core Teams: The Engines of Institutional Change
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment, Hiring and Retention
- Centering Race in Health Equity: Lessons Learned
- What Does it Take to Embed a Racial Equity & Inclusion Lens?
- Racial Equity Value Statements
- Driving Toward Equity - Building a Racial Equity Team
- Reckoning, Repair, and Change: How Business Leaders Can More Effectively Advance Racial Equity and Competitive Advantage
- Avoiding Racial Equity Detours
- Voice under Domination
- Equity in Hiring and Employee Development
- A Vision for Belonging
- We Can’t Work Toward Racial Justice and Equity Without Working on Relationships
- The Bias of ‘Professionalism’ Standards
- An Ecosystem of Resourcing for Racial Equity Culture Change Work
- Black Space Manifesto
- Reimagining Compensation Decisions Through an Equity Panel
- Commitment to Racial Equity
- Equity Values in Action: Learnings from a Lab
- Operationalizing Racial Justice
- Advancing Frontline Employees of Color Innovating for Competitive Advantage in America’s Frontline Workforce
- Maintaining Professionalism In The Age of Black Death Is….A Lot
- How to Manage When Things Are Not Okay (And Haven’t Been For Centuries)
- Operationalizing Racial Justice in Non-Profit Organizations
