Creating a Culture of Practice

Over the years that I have worked in the field of social services I have come to understand that promoting the development of people in a positive way has to be priority for all of us to thrive in this work. Over the course of the days, weeks and years that we experience a constant battery of heartbreaking stories, there are protective factors that keep us here, where the rubber meets the road.

In my earlier years as an intensive, in home therapist I began to ask the question “What makes people stay?” I have yet to find the answer, but I have some thoughts. I have worked in organizations that seek to sustain workers in their roles, and I have worked in others that fail dismally to do so. In the speak of motivational interviewing, they are not even pre-contemplative. That is a separate blog.

Organizational culture encompasses the values and behaviours that influence the way that workers show up, interact, share knowledge, embrace change and ultimately drives the delivery of service to the people that they work with. There are visible and invisible elements to culture. Positive work cultures lead to outcomes that include increased job satisfaction, decreased turnover, less unplanned time off and generally healthier work environments. Clients experience an increase in positive outcomes and improved service delivery.

Organizational cultures that foster practice rather than performance become the North Stars of our field.

Historical concepts of leadership have not always promoted cultures of practice. Authoritarian, hierarchical and punitive methods of leadership that follow the “you do as I say” mentality must become a thing of the past as the new leaders emerge. I propose we take back the term boss and do it well.

In the practice of leadership this entails being able to loosen our grip and give people the autonomy that they need in order to do the work that we hired them to do. Leaders are not always experts, and this can be a hard pill to swallow. This means that we must check our ego and status at the door, understand power and privilege, respond rather than react and learn how to call people in rather than calling them out. We must recognize contributions and accomplishments in a very intentional way. We must take charge in creating a culture of practice.