Traditional hierarchy is one of the biggest problems when it comes to dismantling white supremacy and distributing power. The unfortunate reality is that the leadership of nonprofit organizations does not represent the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States. According to Race to Lead<\/a>, People of Color represented a mere 17 percent of Executive Directors or CEOs in 2019. Most executives in nonprofit organizations are white, and this percentage does not reflect the racial demographics of the country. This is sobering evidence of the deep connection between race and positional power.<\/p>\n Creating a shared vocabulary is important to ensure we are all working toward the same goals. Here is what we mean by designing power.<\/p>\n Designing power is not just about reshuffling the hierarchy. The problems with traditional hierarchy transcend the organizational chart and exist in the life-giving (or life-taking) arteries of your agency, such as culture and policies. Even if you are not a senior leader in your organization, you can begin to make shifts by thinking more systemically about where power resides and what form it takes.<\/p>\n We have identified five steps you can begin to take today for long-term change.<\/span><\/p>\n First, take a journey through the multiple levels where racism resides, such as internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic. Through racism training, implicit bias training, and DEI training your organization can increase its collective understanding of racism and shared definitions.<\/p>\n Think of culture as the air your employees and you breathe. While it is crucial to survival, it cannot be seen and often is taken for granted. Culture includes values, communication, team dynamics, informal celebrations such as holiday parties, and even meeting norms. It is the \u201csecret sauce\u201d of organizational change\u2014it can either facilitate positive change or inhibit it.<\/p>\n Keep these tips in mind when working to design a culture of anti-racism.<\/p>\n Institutional practices such as performance management, decision-making channels, and HR policies often work to the benefit of white people and the detriment of people of color, usually unintentionally or inadvertently.<\/p>\n Here are some practical ways to create institutional equity.<\/p>\n Organizational design and distributed power are directly affected by an organization\u2019s leadership structure and practices such as coaching, transparency, shared decision making, and governance. Leaders must increase their own awareness of racism, be committed to changing the culture, and proactively champion equitable policies and procedures.<\/p>\n Additionally, rethinking leadership could mean the following:<\/p>\n This final step toward institutional change is all about an organization\u2019s structure, strategy, and role in governance. As referenced at the beginning of this article, the goal is to dismantle traditional notions of hierarchy because they perpetuate white supremacy. But first, you must change the DNA of your organization so that the system does not pull you back toward a top-down leadership approach.<\/p>\n The good news is that our nation is a work in progress, and younger generations are helping to shepherd in new change. A recent study by TSNE Missionworks in Boston found that Millennial leaders of color<\/a> are interested in exploring new structures that better distribute power throughout the organization, rather than centralizing it in one or a few individuals. According to the report, respondents are \u201cexploring alternate organizational structures that flatten the hierarchy of leadership and allow organizational knowledge to be shared across departments, and, in turn, build the leadership of all staff members from top to bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n What if you reconceived the design of your organization with an eye on distribution of power? What could you accomplish with a structure designed to be anti-racist and equitable? How could you lead the way in your industry and community toward progressive change?<\/p>\nShared definitions <\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Working toward institutional change in organizations<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Race awareness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
Culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Policies and procedures<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Rethinking Leadership<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Organizational Design<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Take action now<\/strong><\/h2>\n