creating transformative justice culture from within

"Imagine an organization where everyone feels a strong sense of shared purpose, where people relate to one another in a way that fosters greater awareness of the work and of themselves because they feel deeply understood and share a common purpose."
-Henry Cloud, Boundaries for Leaders

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In the nonprofit world, especially in the challenging work of criminal justice reform or direct services, is Henry Cloud's vision of synergy possible? So often organizations are struggling in cash flow, meeting urgent client needs, and balancing ever-mounting demands on underpaid staff. How, then, does an organization move from a culture of stress to an environment where people "relate to one another in a way that fosters greater awareness of the work and of themselves"? How many spoonfuls of energy do you have left?

Henry Cloud's conclusion is that when leaders take time to really listen, so much changes about the workplace culture. This means listening to staff, clients, and partners alike. Let's talk about how this plays out in a broader movement for criminal justice reform.

In transformative justice work, we cannot cultivate a healthy movement if our workplaces are unhealthy. In order to effectively carry out their mission, organizations need to cultivate a space like Henry Cloud illustrates above. Why? Because the organizational culture will ultimately bleed into every corner of the work. If there is misery or mistrust among staff, you can bet that clients will feel it; if there is a lack of understanding of company values, clients and partners will experience inconsistent treatment; and if there is inconsistency in carrying out the mission, it will be harder to champion your message to broader audiences.

Here are some questions to consider. An organization that is embodying transformative justice would answer yes to most, if not all, of these questions:

• Staff care: Is the organization providing healing spaces and resources for staff, especially around addressing secondary trauma? Does the organization avoid hierarchical thinking and instead pushes creative problem solving, valuing input from every member, and trusting staff to work independently? Are there safe conditions for staff to come forward to leadership to talk honestly about problems they're observing?
• Client approach: While the organization talks publicly about reducing punitive approaches to justice, is it also ensuring its own policies for clients don't mirror the penal system? Is the organization holding itself to the same expectations it sets for clients (i.e. keeping promises, showing up on time to appointments)? Is the organization creating spaces to hear out clients about their experiences and needs?
• Partner relationships: Is the organization reaching out to directly impacted people, people with lived experience, and community groups in order to incorporate their voices and genuinely understand their ideas? Is the organization willing to hold conversations with community partners on how it can do better and "partner stronger"? Is the organization setting a tone with its staff around how it can learn from others and benefit from partnerships? Notwithstanding its own desire to be valued in the broader movement, is the organization also acknowledging the value of others' work?

If you are thinking about your own organization and answered no to any of these questions, there is room to grow, and that's the beauty of living out transformative justice. The process of facing our deficits -- not with shame but with an understanding that there are always new ideas to learn and ways to grow -- is necessary for positive transformation. It is the first step to moving closer to building a successful movement around justice reform.

If you'd like to set up a session with Transformative Justice Solutions, reach out to [email protected] or learn more about our services here.