I have had a passion for organisational development (OD) for many years and have a wide range of influences on my work, from management studies to fiction, and psychology to digital art. It will probably be no surprise that much of the OD field has been driven by US and Euro-centric theories and practices and tend to have a quite rational approach (fortunately, this has been changing in recent years). As a result I have been attracted to the mavericks; the theorists and practitioners that make me think harder or differently, and that make me a bit uncomfortable. It is where learning happens for me.
This is a slightly long winded way of introducing ‘organisational soul’ and this wonderful resource, Strategies for Building an Organisation with Soul, created by Hope Chigudu and Rudo Chigudu, two African, feminist, activists. You may well read it and think this doesn’t apply to my context and isn’t relevant, but I’d encourage you to stick with it and see what lands. We featured it in last Friday’s Selection Box but I felt it deserved a bit more attention because it speaks so well to the situation we are in at the moment.
Wellness is not an additional responsibility or luxury. It’s actually the work. It’s about an organisation being so well that it has the energy to produce sustainable results for its constituency. Hope & Rudo Chigudu
The resource poses some powerful reflection questions (you can find all the worksheets here):
- What is your organisation’s soul song? Do you feel like everyone in the organisation knows it, and enjoys singing it?
- What are some of the elements that can cause discord and make you forget the lines of your song? Have you experienced these in your organisation?
- How is power exerted in your organisation? Is it balanced towards nurturing power within and power with? Are there many examples of dominating power over? How does that affect your organisation’s soul song?
- In your organisation does everyone feel seen? Do you feel seen? How does that affect your presence in your individual and collective work?
I was intrigued by this notion of a soul song – what happens if we stop talking about vision and mission and think about our soul song instead? Are they the same thing?
Strategies for Building an Organisation with Soul also lists ten soul challenges and offers ways to counter them (Pg.: 65), the challenges being:
- Staying attentive to seeing and presence
- Undiscussables
- Lack of creativity and routine ways of working
- Low balance sheet of trust
- Ideological contradictions in working spaces
- Bankruptcy in an organisational love bank
- Embracing diversity and inclusion
- Woundology syndromes
- Managing stress and family pressure
- Staying in tune with your soul song
I appreciate much of this may feel uncomfortable or inappropriate but ask yourself why that is, and what barriers you are putting in your own way as a result. I leave you with a wonderful quote from the document, that addresses exactly this point.
I once talked about the importance of love to a Director and she jumped as if stung by a bee. She leaned forward and whispered, ‘this love thing…how do I talk to my staff about love and remain professional at the same time? Care yes, love no my sister.” I too leaned forward and reminded her that relationships in the world of activism are won by paying attention to the needs, desires, hopes and aspirations or everyone who touches or is touched by our work. That is love.