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Have you ever been in an organization where people weren’t living its stated values? That disconnect is called organizational culture drift. It occurs when an organization’s values become disentangled from the day-to-day behaviours and activities of its people.
Culture drift can feel harmless, but without a concerted effort by leadership to get it back on track, it can have massive adverse effects on the organization’s reputation and the well-being of its employees.
Signs of organizational culture drift
Culture drift is a measurable phenomenon, but it can be challenging to detect.
It is identified through active measurement, such as surveys or one-on-one interviews. This works best when it’s ongoing and implemented before other signs start to appear, but initiating it after warning signs are detected can still be beneficial.
The warning signs stem from a mismatch between what the stated culture says and what is actually happening. Staff may praise the values, but then act differently, especially under pressure. Cutting corners and finding exceptions becomes the actual culture.
Employees often stop speaking up when they encounter problems, and a sense of apathy begins to take hold. The organization’s priorities begin to feel arbitrary, even in conflict, forcing employees to “pick and choose.”
This leads to employees abandoning the organization or burning out. Top performers are especially sensitive to culture drift.
What causes culture drift?
Culture is just the collective behaviours of the people involved, and those behaviours are just a series of habits. Good habits build healthy cultures, bad habits cause culture drift.
In the nonprofit sector, nothing drives the adoption of bad habits like a scarcity mindset. The constant pressure of there never being enough time, money, staff, etc., is fertile ground for bad habits. Here’s how:
Loss of intentionality – Constantly being stuck in crisis mode rewards quick fixes, and the intentionality that builds healthy cultures is a time-consuming process. Under pressure, we often fall into a “just get it done” mode and fail to consider the consequences.
Compounding compromise – Those consequences take the form of small, almost imperceptible, compromises. We overlook poor behaviour because the work is getting done, or we bend the rules to get that donor report out on time. But as these compromises take on a life of their own and multiply, culture is dragged along with them.
Erosion of staff investment – The scarcity mindset reframes our people as another cost, rather than an asset. Recognition, coaching, and development feel like luxuries, so leaders withhold them. Feeling undervalued, the staff best suited for holding the culture together are usually the first to burn out or leave.
Feedback suppression – Another luxury axed by scarcity pressure is the time required for staff and management to discuss important issues. Culture drift might be noticeable, but if staff don’t have time to report it, and management doesn’t have time to listen, it won’t matter.
Metric fixation – Under constant pressure, leaders often develop tunnel vision, focusing on measurable outcomes – such as programs delivered and funds raised – while the “how” takes a back seat. This builds a culture that rewards achievement over principles.
How can we correct organizational culture drift?
Because drift thrives on scarcity, any correction must focus on breaking that mindset and re-establishing intentionality. Here’s how:
Reclaim intentionality – When getting back on track, it helps to know where you want to end up. And that starts with defining a cultural north for your organization. This requires creating breathing room to reflect on culture. Whether with management, the board, or the whole team, make time to talk intentionally about your organization’s culture and the values you want.
Stop compromising – Next, we need to be intentional about the habits we build in our organization. Seek out the habitual compromises and look for opportunities to realign them with your values. For example, show how corner-cutting might save time, but hurts your reputation with donors. Pair behaviours, good and bad, with their impacts. Give yourself and your people the space to make better decisions and praise them when they do.
Reinvest in staff – Recognition is an essential part of reinvesting in your people, but it’s only the first step. To help your staff break free from the scarcity mindset, you need to make recognition and development non-negotiable parts of your culture. Reframe “we don’t have the funding for this” to “how are we going to make this happen?” And remember, saying “thank you” is always free. If you want a clear path for reinvesting in your people, check out this free resource.
Reopen feedback loops – Another form of staff investment involves pushing authority down the chain. This includes letting them make more decisions, but also involves soliciting feedback. Utilize low-friction channels for feedback, such as short surveys, regular check-ins, and anonymous options. Most importantly, close the loop by acting on what you hear or being transparent when you can’t. Showing staff that their input matters restores their willingness to speak up.
Balance metrics with meaning – Expand your measures of success beyond basic outputs. Alongside dollars raised or programs delivered, track indicators like donor sentiment, volunteer engagement, or staff morale. A balanced portfolio of quantitative and qualitative metrics ensures you reward both the work getting done and the methods behind it.
Break scarcity with abundance thinking – Breaking out of a scarcity mindset is a challenging proposition for people entrenched in it. It requires adopting an abundance narrative. “Here’s what your support will unlock,” instead of “Here’s what we’re missing.” It requires seeing your people as an investment, and not a drain on your funding. Scarcity mindsets feel ‘safe,’ but they turn away donors, team members and other opportunities. Adopting a growth mindset, as counterintuitive as it may seem, does just the opposite.
Organizational culture drift is an almost glacial process, with equally powerful ramifications. It’s slow enough to go unnoticed for a long time, but its impact can reshape the landscape of your organization. That’s why reigning in culture drift is so essential. Fortunately, with a bit of measurement and intentional habit building, you can redirect it before it reshapes the terrain permanently.
This post was originally posted on Charity Village.