Facilitating Organizational Change

The How is the What—Partnering in the Practice of Organizational Change and Development

Center for Whole Communities collaborates with leaders, organizations and communities to develop and implement projects, programs and trainings to catalyze transformation at the intersection of social and environmental problems. 

CWC approaches all engagements collaboratively. We bring expertise to the table, and, we know that in order to be effective in supporting the transformation within organizations and leaders it takes time and trust. We invest in relationships, learning organizational history and context, and understanding the experience of staff and board. With that, we identify the areas of greatest need, and design processes that foster equity both internally (systems, culture) and externally (programmatic, funding strategy). As systems thinkers, we adapt our approach to address the conditions present in a given context.

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.

— Vaclav Havel

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Collectively our team has decades of experience doing transformative leadership development and system change work. While we facilitate training and education focused on centering equity, we take a systemic approach to changing structures and behaviors that perpetuate dominant cultural norms. Learning about structural inequities and history of racism and oppression will not be sufficient to change behavior or outcomes. We offer a practice-based approach that prioritizes building trust and relationships, while strengthening skills to engage in the difficult conversations and generative conflict inherent in disrupting systemic oppression, extraction and white supremacy culture.

CWC Applied Methods

• Thinking Partnership (strategy and leadership coaching)
• Process Design & Facilitation
• Centering Equity
• Whole Thinking in Practice Trainings & Retreats
• Stakeholder and Community Engagement Planning and Implementation
• Whole Measures (Framework for project planning, evaluation, and community engagement)
• Network Strategy and Mapping

Enabling Conditions

• Institutional Support & Backing (includes board and executive leadership) and is represented by financial investment and allocation of time
• Time commitment to allow for trust building, combining intensive group experiences with applied work—bringing the practices into the org strategy, implementation and decision making. Building trust across differences is an iterative and progressive process. The understanding and willingness to invest time and navigate tension is critical.
• Be willing to be changed—it is important that when strategies/goals include equity and justice, we must be willing to listen and adapt based on the needs and vision of those most affected. 

CWC has a strong commitment to working in teams. We have learned through countless engagements, retreats and programs that in order to serve a diverse group we need the strength of different lived experiences in order to provide effective facilitation and process design. Our work is strengthened when we have multiple perspectives addressing the inevitably complex dynamics that emerge in institutional and community contexts. 

Here’s how we work:

• Strategic thinking partnership
• Program design and development
• Curriculum design
• Custom Leadership Retreats and Workshops
• Network development and cultivation
• One-on-one coaching

Call us (802) 496-5690 or email us to talk more about how we can work with you.