Shifting Workplace Norms: Small Changes, Big Impact

Hello all,

This week's post is about organizational culture and noticing when our everyday cultures could use some shifts.

SUNY Plattsburgh received several grants from our Clinton County Health Department and just hosted a celebration of our expanded efforts to be more lactation friendly with open-house-style tours of the lactation spaces.

We don't have them in every building, but we do have them now in many buildings. These spaces can be used by students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors as needed. I'm happy to report that we have one in the Library building where my office is.

Now—to be clear, no one needs to go into these spaces to feed a baby or express milk, but if they want a calm space with a fridge and privacy—it’s now available.

One "norm" used to be that lactating folks had to make do, or stay home, or find an empty bathroom stall. Not very welcoming, comfortable, or hygienic.

That got me thinking about other "norms" that have already shifted, and ones that we might want to shift now. You know the saying attributed to Peter Drucker:

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

So what are the cultural norms that are holding back your success—or the success of others?

This recent Harvard Business Review article offers some great suggestions about how to approach the possibilities of shifting our organizational cultures to improve the workplace for everyone and help achieve our SUNY Mission. And that’s what SUNY WIT is all about!

“Norms shape both individual and collective behaviors and serve as symbols of organizational culture or ‘how we do things here.’ Employees pick up on these norms over time by noticing what people around them do and inferring what would be acceptable (e.g., ‘Is it okay to disagree publicly with colleagues?’)...

Fostering a fundamental norm of fairness—where all employees play on a level field where they can succeed, support is offered equitably, and rewards are allocated justly—can create a virtuous cycle. As fairness breeds fairness, with employees reciprocating with higher productivity and a stronger commitment to their employers, fairness is a norm that builds on itself and grows stronger over time.

Of course, the reverse is also true, and unfairness can lead to a self-perpetuating cycle with bad outcomes, which is why it’s crucial for leaders to foster the norm of fairness.”

And they emphasize that it's not just possible for leaders to do this—we can all do this!

“While senior leaders may have more privileges, influence, and power to make change, employees don’t need to be in the C-suite to change norms in the workplace. Often, the people who shape our expectations the most are the ones closest to us, as equities sales trader Ronak Patel explained about his 16-week parental leave: ‘The more men that do it, the less of a big deal it becomes.’”

To change perceptions of prevailing norms, ask yourself:

• What data might you be able to collect or share that could challenge employees’ existing beliefs about an issue?
• What behaviors can you role model that will shift your organization’s culture in a positive direction?
• What is something you’re already doing that you wish more employees did as well—and how could you make those actions more visible in your workplace?

“You may think that one person cannot change the norms of a large organization. But these examples show that when people start with what they can control—their own daily work—and recruit a small circle of colleagues to join them, even a single individual can spark meaningful action.”

The article does more than give advice—it provides real life examples and action suggestions that I think are worth trying. I hope you read it!

Final Thoughts

So colleagues...what norms would you like to see shift in your workplace, and how might you go about leading that shift?

I’d love to know!

All the best,
Holly