Not long ago we explored how to change the culture of an organization. Let’s look at a hypothetical case to see how it applies.
A friend called me in a panic. She needed advice fast.
The nonprofit she volunteered with was in trouble. The board of directors was not following internal written guidelines. They made decisions to serve their own bias, at the detriment of the organization. They were violating internal policies, Arizona Revised Statutes and IRS Guidelines.
The organization had a stellar reputation for more than 100 years. The volunteers were proud to be part of that rich history. For the past few years, the board had slowly taken additional liberties and overstepped their bounds. Occasionally, a volunteer would question it, but they were quickly muted. The board’s confidence grew over time, and now they were completely out of control.
The board’s reckless management led to the first lawsuit the organization every faced. Mounting attorney fees nearly bankrupted the organization when a second lawsuit was filed. About this time, the organization started to receive negative press. The board controlled the money, so the volunteers could not hire an attorney. Tensions within the organization were coming to a boil. No matter what was said, the board refused to follow written guidelines. The situation seemed hopeless. Morale was at an all time low. The entire culture of the organization had changed. How could they get it back?
It was clear the chairman of the board had to be removed. He influenced the rest of the board members. Removing the chairman would not be easy, but it could be done. Who would take over, and how would they change the culture of the organization right away?
Be sure to read next week’s Biz Tip article for the answer.
