GroundWork Cohort
GroundWork is a developmental year-long organizational/group design process for a cohort of groups to go through together, rooted in liberatory values. Participants will assess the fundamentals of their group design, learn models to support their group to work together effectively such as clarifying/articulating decision-making, roles, design feedback structures, and more, with the support of the facilitators and peers from other organizations.
In the absence of clear choices, supremacist culture patterns creep in, unfortunately recreating oppressive dynamics we are trying to dissolve. To prevent inequity and unnecessary conflict, organizations and groups must address structural unclarity around the inner workings of an organization: roles, expectations, how decisions get made, how teams operate, how/when feedback is given, and how learning & growth is supported.
Over years of supporting social justice organizations and groups dealing with internal conflicts, we’ve found that groups run into unnecessary tensions when they have not done the foundational work of organizational/group design. This year-long program is designed to create space for organizational leaders tackle this critical, foundational work alongside a community of practice.
What you’ll leave with
GroundWork participants leave with the tools and skills to accomplish the following within their groups and organizations:
Identify strengths and challenge areas
Establish protocols for addressing conflict and accountability
Facilitate conflict-clearing processes
Clarify decision-making and use a range of decision-making methods
Establish clear roles and expectations
Support learning through feedback
Guide organizational change
Participants also receive customized support in the form of coaching and office hours for their team to offer sounding board on how to move through barriers and implement the changes.
Program Overview
Each participating group sends 2 to 3 team members to participate. Over 10 months we will provide:
A monthly workshop
A monthly coaching session for each team
Templates, tools, and practices for bringing these learnings into groups
Optional further tailored support for leaders (1:1 conflict coaching or small group strategy sessions)
Session 1: Introduction & Strategic Compass
Orientation to the role of an organizational / group designer; how/what to input & buy-in on vs. co-creation; introduction to integrative decision-making process, or IDM, introduction to the strategic compass framework to assess group clarity on vision, values, purpose, people & working agreements.
Session 2: Supporting Learning Through Feedback
Share and evaluate strategic compass assessments. Introduction to characteristics of generative feedback and range of feedback methods and rhythms. Take home: assessing how feedback/supporting learning is happening in your group, to individuals, on projects, within teams.
Session 3: Conflict Mapping
Share and evaluate feedback assessments. Map conflict in your organization. Introduction to conflict vs accountability. Orient to sample conflict & accountability protocols
Session 4: Conflict Clearing
Learn how to prepare to have your own conflict clearing process/courageous conversation and practice how to facilitate them. Assess your group’s existing conflict & accountability protocols.
Session 5: Conflict & Accountability Protocols (for when things go wrong)
Develop a proposed conflict & accountability protocol for your organization. Discuss barriers to implementation. Make a plan for how you’ll bring this to your org with input. Take home: bring proposal to your group
Session 6: Orienting to Decision-making Models
Debrief Conflict/Accountability Protocol proposal process. Introduction to liberatory power vs. extractive power. Decision-making assessment: how decisions function at my org. Take home: Get input on decision-making assessment
Session 7: Decision-making Clarification
Debrief decision-making assessments. Identify opportunities to clarify decision-making. Develop a proposal to bring to your org and a plan for input using consent-based decision-making. Take home: Bring decision-making proposal to your group
Session 8: Proactive accountability: Roles & Learning
Developmental hierarchies: What do we expect of each other at different levels of responsibility? Introduction to accountability escalation, and staff development matrix. Identify capacities that you believe are relevant for your group. Take home: draft staff development matrix for your org/group.
Session 9: Role & Expectations Clarification
Develop a proposal for a staff development matrix to bring to your org. Identify decision-making process. Clarifying individual roles: template and process Supporting individuals’ learning & development - reviews, developmental roadmaps Take home: Bring the staff development matrix proposal to your org. Identify who would benefit from role-clarification
Session 10: Organizational Culture, Integration & Implementation
Recap & assess work completed. Identify Further Practices to shift/align organizational / group culture. Articulate barriers to implementation & get support. Articulate next steps and support needed.