Organisational Culture
Here we consider organisational culture, by which we mean the way things are done within an organisation and its values and vision. This theme draws on the reflections of senior staff and trustees.
Organisational values were clearly important to the staff and trustees we interviewed: statements of values were readily available on websites and in other communications. One CEO found that nothing was in place when he arrived, so he developed the values in consultation with residents, staff, trustees and external collaborators:
“I did workshops, surveys, questionnaires, … really refined what our mission was, going back to our original objectives. I did a lot of research in terms of what [the founder’s] vision was”
(Governance 6).
There was a clear alignment between senior staff and organisational values: another CEO said:
“I think my own personal values are openness, honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion, empathy. These are real personal values to me, they make me the sort of chief executive, I listen to people”
(Governance 22).
This was also evident in other interviews with senior staff and trustees.
For some partners, residents were clearly central to their culture and values, with several examples of a person-centred approach. One partner gives new residents more time to move in, compared with other social housing providers in their benchmarking group, and pays a little more for repairs. A senior staff member explained that it’s worth it and aligns with their values, because of “the level of customer satisfaction, the time we get the jobs done” (Governance 16). A different partner involves residents in the interview process for new staff:
“We ask residents if they want to be involved on the panel … it’s also about the person that’s coming into the organisation understanding the tone of the organisation as well. [For the interviewee’s own recruitment to a senior role, after a panel interview] I had to do a presentation and questions and answers with residents, and some of the residents that were a part of that process are still here now, which is really lovely … also that gave me an insight into the charity’s ethos, which was important to me”
(Governance 4).
Having a culture with a clear strategic direction and regular reviews helped some partners to change their governance and staff structures, strengthening the charity for the future (see Charity Governance). Clarity of mission, objectives and values can help with the challenge of changing an organisation’s culture, although this can require the long process of turnover including of board members, staff or residents. A trustee pointed out the clear link between their charity’s identity and its culture:
“We regard ourselves as long-term … as local and we focus on older people”
(Governance 11).
One partner recently recruited several new Board members and their organisation’s culture and identity helped to attract applicants:
“The [prospective] Board members who we interviewed knew of the organisation. It was the values and the history, and their local knowledge of the organisation that drew them to apply”
(Governance 14).
Charities where trustees, senior managers and staff work well together are likely to have cultural norms which encourage friendly interactions amongst trustees, and between trustees and staff. Examples include informal opportunities, such as visits and meal breaks on away days, or coffee together after board meetings. A trustee explained their informal interaction with staff:
”I talk to [CEO name] quite a lot, and I tend to pop into the office. … I also talk to the other members of staff when I go in, but it’s more chatty than any kind of formal interaction”
(Governance 11).
Informal interactions with individual residents or at social occasions allow staff to keep in touch with residents’ concerns. Interviewed staff described how they know residents as individuals and try to take the residents’ perspective: “what that looks like for them” (Staff 1). Partner charities provided examples of both formal structures and informal opportunities to engage with residents. One partner has a three-year Involvement and Engagement Strategy which draws on the action plan developed by the resident scrutiny group. At the Residents’ Forum, volunteer residents represent the resident voice. Senior staff and a trustee attend every meeting and a video is available to all residents on Facebook after each meeting.
A strong culture of joint leadership was evident at some partners, with trustees engaging with residents to support the CEO and other senior staff. A Chair of the Board of Trustees explained:
“Residents wanted to meet trustees only. … [I’m happy] … to engage with residents, but I want the leadership team or the executive to be with me [and] to be seen to be together”
(Governance 13).
The CEO of another partner charity explained trustees sit on the Board but also engage with residents or staff:
“Every trustee should either sit … on [a sub-committee], one of the working groups, or one of the residents’ or staff panels”
(Governance 7).
Both staff and trustees frequently referred to the respective roles of the trustee board, senior leaders and operational staff. One team leader was clear:
“I like the fact that it’s not one person making a decision … It’s the leadership team … Our Board of Trustees is there for the strategic things, I like the way, as a head of service, that I can determine my own structure that sits beneath me, and I’m listened to.”
(Governance 10).
Managing change across the almshouse community of residents, staff and trustees was a challenge, helped by consultation, communication and a phased approach:
“It is all about good change management. People go through a process of loss with change … So the best way is about keeping those doors of communication open… being honest and transparent … being quite clear in your communication, honest if something is going to be that way, and the reasons why. We had a phased approach in terms of communication and opportunity for people to have a say”
(Governance 6).
New staff with different experiences can bring new approaches. This can sometimes challenge existing culture and help it to develop, as long as the culture is already willing to change. One Chair welcomed this new approach:
“They’ve got all sorts of wider world experience. ‘Why do we do it this way? We don’t have to do that anymore”
(Governance 7).
Conversely, if key senior staff or board members have been in place for a long time, this may result in a culture which is resistant to change.
Some partners had developed a culture in which flexibility was part of the way they worked so that they could adopt new ways of working. An example of this flexibility is their approach to support services for their residents. By providing greater support with more experienced support staff, some partners offer housing to people with a wider range of needs.
