What do you do if your organization's goals conflict with the needs of the communities you serve?

When discrepancies arise between organizational goals and community needs, it's essential to approach the situation with a mindset of collaboration and understanding. By acknowledging the issue openly, organizations can initiate a dialogue with the community that fosters mutual respect and cooperative problem-solving. It's an opportunity to realign the organization's objectives with community interests, ensuring that progress benefits all stakeholders. This proactive stance not only resolves conflicts but also strengthens the organization's relationship with the community, laying a foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth.

I think you also have to determine if the organization's decision or the people's desires are more aligned with the values of equity and justice. I'd also be curious about how the organization came to a place of disagreement in the first place. IMHO orgs should be looking to the community they work with for guidance and leadership so this type of thing could be avoided.

When an organization's goals clash with community needs, it is essential to address the issue openly and proactively. Steps to take include listening to community concerns, fostering open dialogue, finding common ground, adjusting goals to align with community needs, building partnerships, seeking feedback, and remaining flexible. Prioritizing community well-being and collaboration can lead to stronger relationships and more significant impact over time.

Conflicts between employer goals and community needs can be challenging to navigate, but it's essential to find a balance that serves both parties.Start by thoroughly understanding the perspectives of both your employer and the community. What are their goals, concerns, and expectations? Identifying the specific points of conflict is crucial for finding a resolution.

I agree with this response but I would add that there is always a third perspective and helping each constituency view each other in a differently by broadening the community’s and organizations views on a particular matter.

This requires taking a systems view. Two concepts that I find useful here: POSIWID and Precession. POSIWID: "The Purpose of a System is what It Does", from cyberneticist Stafford Beer, is the idea that the mission statement or the stated goals of an organisation matter less than what it *actually* does. So first, take time to work out what your organisation's purpose *actually* is. Precession: as used by Buckminster Fuller, is the idea that agents pursuing their goals have ripple effects, and these are the "purpose" of that agent. E.g. bees: their goal is to drink nectar, but in doing so, they pollinate plants (purpose). Pollinating means more plants, means more food for bees. Are there ripple effects that you aren't considering?

This I believe is the best way to identify conflicting issues. Once such issues are identified it is better to get a joint team set up a pathway to m9ve forward

Be the game changer. If the organization realises this conflict and willing to revert to making positive impact in the community, then Be the Game Changer by structuring your resolution to implementing the same.