Fostering a Strong Diverse Culture at Big BrothersBy Valerie Lambert
Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver has a rich history of community service that dates back over fifty years. Our vision of putting a mentor in the life of every child who needs one is carried out through one-to-one friendships and school-based programs. Adults (or teens), referred to as “Bigs”, and children, known as “Littles”, are matched for the purpose of providing a supportive friend to boys and girls in the 7 to 13 year age group, the vulnerable middle childhood years. Often the children in the programs have come from father-absent homes or simply have a need for a person in their lives that can devote a few hours per week to share experiences and to enjoy each other’s company. For many years, Big Brothers has reached out to the community it serves to ensure that programs are relevant and reach the children who are most in need. A strong culture of empathy and caring has been built among the staff and many volunteers who give generously of their time and commitment to make a difference in the life of a child. As our community becomes more diverse, we are examining what we can do to ensure that we continue to reach the children in need. We recognize that in this pursuit we may have larger barriers to overcome than in the past such as language, social customs and beliefs. We further recognize that in being responsive to the community we serve and defining it in broader terms than we did before, we will redefine our organization and accept that, in order to be strong, Big Brothers’ culture must also be diverse. What exactly do we mean by a strong, diverse culture and, more importantly, how do we build on the strength of the past while recognizing the need for change? When we read about culture, phrases such as shared knowledge, learned behaviors and traditional ideas are often used. Cultures grow as a means to celebrate achievements and to form the conditioning for future success. Organizations are usually comprised of many sub-cultures but often have dominant values that bind the team together. Due to the long time horizon over which Big Brothers has served the community, a culture of dedicated service has developed. At Big Brothers we view our culture as both a set of traditions that defined our past and a strong base of shared values. In order to incorporate diversity in our organization, we need to build on the best of the traditional culture that has been shared for many years while recognizing and implementing urgent change. It is necessary to embrace diversity in order to serve the complex community in which we all live. It is important as service providers to understand the consequential need for organizational change that this implies. The recent Canadian Census data highlights the extent to which our service area of Greater Vancouver (and the Sea to Sky Corridor) has changed in recent years. A strong culture means a diverse culture. In order to uphold the values of the past, we need to embrace the reality of diversity and what it means for our ability to reach our community today. We also need to understand that values are an important way of uniting people who may not share language, background or ethnicity. An example of this is valuing the importance of helping children develop into competent and contributing adults. No culture believes that this is wrong but very real differences may exist as to how to achieve it. As we pursue the goal of organizational diversity, we will no doubt learn from each other and find new ways and techniques to deliver the best service we can. How do we define diversity? The development of a diversity definition will be one of the outcomes of our diversity evaluation and training over the next one to two years. It is clear, however, that diversity is a very broad concept encompassing different beliefs, different languages, different backgrounds etc. In the multi-cultural and tolerant society which we serve, we must be very careful not to inadvertently miss a community, however it defines itself, because we have been unable to see it. Change does not mean compromising our traditional culture or values As the community we serve changes, we need to understand how this impacts on our ability to serve that community. Much of this lies in diversity training. Over the next year, we are planning to implement a diversity plan which will start with a survey of cultural competency that will be completed by all staff departments. We will then assess where the needs are greatest within the organization and develop a diversity training program. When it is fully rolled out, the plan will be to ensure that our ability to interact with our communities is greatly enhanced. We will also be revisiting our statement of core values as part of this process to ensure that the values the organization has upheld for so many years are understood and shared. As a team becomes more diverse, it is the core values that unite the organization. It is expected that when our diversity program is fully implemented, we will understand our core values in a different way as reflected by a more complex society. We will also add new values to the extent that they build on and support the traditional values at Big Brothers. For example, some of our staff members have formed a “green team” which is identifying ways that we can reduce, re-use and recycle within our office. Recognition is by way of a trophy awarded each month to the “greenest” employee. The trophy is a symbol that has been well-used in the past to recognize achievement. The new creation is a blue box on a trophy base, thereby incorporating traditional values in a more modern context. Implementing diversity One of the key responsibilities of the Board and senior management is to model the type of culture that is viewed as desirable within the organization. This can be done by writing and communicating overarching policies governing such things as ethics, code of conduct and diversity. The leadership of an organization also has the responsibility not just to set expectations governing standards and behaviors but to signal the need for change if an organization is failing to accomplish its goals. Although there is no substitute for walking the talk at the senior level in the organization, all employees have to recognize that they reflect our organization’s values. Our volunteers, without whom we could not operate, understand this inherently. While having lots of fun, “Bigs” model behavior for the “Littles” with unfailing dedication. This principal is a good one for the rest of the organization to emulate. Instilling strong values and driving cultural change are ultimately about modeling behavior and addressing quickly any situations in which core values are not upheld. The culture we foster within our workplace must extend outward to our community, our volunteers and the families in our mentoring programs. Our shared value system, belief in community outreach and service, and helping others is paramount to the work we do at Big Brothers. Compassion, empathy and tolerance will continue to be key values in our organization as we go through the process of implementing diversity. Celebration of differences, sharing of core values The process of melding many cultures of origination together to form a team with a shared value of community service is complex and requires much communication, empathy and resolve. Ultimately it is about clarity of purpose and values and a common sense that, regardless of diverse backgrounds and life experience, the goal of serving the kids is compelling enough to unite us all in purpose. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Valerie Lambert brings a blend of both corporate and non-profit experience to her role at Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver. Her corporate experience includes postings as Vice President of BC Gas, Energy Analyst for the East Asia Region for The World Bank and Treasurer of BC Hydro. Valerie has served on many non-profit boards and chaired the Foundation of BC Women’s Hospital for two years. She is currently on the boards of Crofton House School and the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs. Valerie also works with finance students at UBC, serving as an occasional guest lecturer and is a member of the Client Committee of the portfolio Management Foundation at that university.
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