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Non-Profit Case Study: METRO

Situation

In the early 1990’s, METRO was a 40 year-old county-level government agency with responsibility for bus transportation and water treatment in the Seattle, Washington area. In this organization, minorities and women filed complaints with the government about racism, sexism and homophobism at the agency. Discrimination was seen to be endemic and traditional in the organizational culture.

These groups complained to the federal government that they were being discriminated against. As a result, traditional diversity training for all staff was mandated. This was thought to consist primarily of small group training. But, the leadership of the agency decided to engage the entire 4000 person organization in defining and implementing a new culture that would stamp out any acts based on racism, sexism, homophobism and paramilitarism. Dannemiller Tyson was engaged to lead the whole system change effort after leadership became convinced that the culture could only change with everyone represented in the room.

Whole System Change Effort Planning

A series of 10 meetings was planned. Each group of 400 participants formed a microcosm of the organization with representation from all levels and functions within each division. The sessions evolved with each succeeding event building on the work of the previous ones.

Each event was planned by a cross-section of actual participants who formed an "Event Planning Team". In the first event planning meeting for the first meeting, the team proved itself to be a true microcosm of the whole. Young, old, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Native Americans, men, women, heterosexuals and homosexuals all were represented and expressed feelings for each other that ranged from distrust to contempt to hatred. What they found they had in common was the desire to find a vision of the future they could all embrace. Changing values was not enough. The group, it was clear, needed to agree on a preferred future for METRO and a strategy for getting there.

The work of this team, and those that followed, was to develop a purpose statement and agenda for the event. The "purpose statement" describes what will be different in the world when the meeting is complete. All activities in an event are chosen and sequenced to move toward the purpose. In the early sessions, participants developed strategy and values. In later sessions they defined behaviors and plans that would support living in the new, preferred culture.

This progression is illustrated by the purpose statements adopted for each of the events which took place over a period of one year:

Session 1 Purpose Statement:

"To define the culture we want for all METRO employees and commit to actions we will take to live it". (Culture is defined as: customary beliefs, social norms and material traits of a racial, religious or social group.)

Session 3 Purpose Statement:

"To unite in a shared vision of our culture and commit to actions to make it happen."

Session 5 Purpose Statement:

"To unite in a shared preferred future of our culture and commit to actions that will allow us to sustain our values in a changing environment."

Session 7 Purpose Statement:

To empower ourselves to participate in a shared vision of METRO's future, thereby enhancing our work environment, enriching our appreciation of diversity, and improving our services to the community.

Whole-Scale® Events

Each event seated participants at tables of eight with each table representing microcosm of the entire group as possible (max-mix seating). A series of activities helped participants get to know each other, build a common data base of information and work together as a team. While each event design was unique, these features were constant across all events.

The first large-group session was opened by a prominent person of color, the mayor of Seattle, and by an Asian-American woman who had served on city council. The group listened to what their leaders were seeing and to a panel from the Event Planning Team which described "Here’s how I feel in this organization." They heard from a panel of possibilities who described efforts at affirming diversity in other cities. The group developed its own view of what METRO could look like in their preferred future. The group gave input to a draft strategy from the leadership that included a mission statement, a vision of the future, values of the organization and strategic goals for the organization. Then participants developed action plans to begin moving toward that future.

Outcomes

All ten events were held and the results were successful in the eyes of those in the METRO organization. Behaviors changed, language shifted and people "grew up" in that they came to see themselves and the world differently. Individual group egocentrism and narcissism began to be replaced by a sense of interdependence and mutual appreciation. The world was not made perfect, but the individuals had created a culture which allowed them all to find new and healthier ways of dealing with each other.