After 35 years of working in and around human services organizations, I have watched organizations and/or their programs cycle through creation, growth, and, inevitably, release. This post continues exploring the Adaptive Cycle with a deeper dive in the “Release” Phase. This portion of the cycle is often characterized by creative destruction, both through planned strategic decisions and unexpected external forces. I’ll share some examples of what I have seen and talk about ways that organizations can move through this process with integrity and a commitment to supporting those most impacted by the organizational changes.
Release can be triggered by different factors, leading to varying degrees of control. First, there are controlled releases that are largely internal decisions within the organization that are planned. The goal is often to improve efficiency, better serve the community, and/or adapt to changing needs.
As a result of the economic crisis in 2008, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development piloted a concept called Rapid Rehousing. The notion was to rapidly get households experiencing homelessness into their permanent residence and provide them with rental assistance and supportive services so that they remained housed. Transitional housing programs that often took referrals from homeless shelters and housed people for up to two years, ensuring housing readiness, were having trouble demonstrating a positive return on investment. Transitional housing programs had been considered best practices prior to this time. However, Rapid Rehousing was showing to be a more cost-effective way of supporting homeless households. It was less disruptive to participants by enabling them to stay in one place as their stability improved over time and the services they required decreased.
Organizations had to adjust, especially when HUD made the announcement that over time they would shift their funding toward Rapid Rehousing Projects. Case managers could still manage. However, organizations had to figure out how to manage and track rental assistance if they had never done that before.
Sometimes there is a restructuring of the organization, including the hiring of new leadership. This can involve eliminating and/or creating positions. It can be a struggle for the organization because there is uncertainty. However, it is important to remember that their are tools for moving through this uncertainty.
Sometimes the release is uncontrolled. An external and/or unplanned disruption occurs that forces the organization/program to adjust. As “stay at home” orders were put into place during March of 2020 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, organizations adjusted. No one on earth predicted the impact the pandemic would have on nonprofit human service organizations.
Organizations found themselves in situations they had never experienced. Chaos ensued. In part, because there was a vacuum in information. Initially, no one understood what could be done to keep each other safe. There were also mixed messages from leadership depending on whether they understood/believed in public health measures. Tracking systems and more information began to help communities make sense of the situation and organizations started gaining access to personal protective equipment and financial relief for losses they experienced. They also started adjusting spaces to accommodate social distancing, They began to adapt and move toward the reorganizing phase of the adaptive loop.
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Abrupt losses of key personnel can leave an organization with a gap in knowledge and experience. It can disrupt day-to-day operations. Sudden funding cuts forcing an organization to drastically reduce its budget without warning can disrupt an organization and its services. At the time of this writing, the US has recently shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID) program resulting in unpredicted disruptions in vital food and medical services. Refugee settlements depending upon this aid have been forced to do without needed assistance and the consequences of this are both devastating and unfolding.
Regardless of the cause. It is important to understand the critical nature of this point in the Adaptive Cycle; the Growth Loop stops and the Adaptive Loop begins. This juncture requires strong leadership that understands and guides the organization through this release phase. Leaders must be able to make tough decisions, communicate clearly, and inspire confidence. Authenticity is key. Clear, consistent and honest communication is essential for maintaining trust and managing anxiety that emerges. This communication needs to happen at all levels of the organization to promote the transparency needed for trust. It is even possible to engage stakeholders in conversations that can help in decision-making that impacts everyone. This is an opportunity for the organization and its leadership to step into building a culture that values adaptability, resilience and open communication. It creates an organizational culture that moves through the release phase into reorganization without the chronic disaster trap. This point is where transformation is possible.
This point on the Adaptive Cycle is difficult to identify and acknowledge, and easy to avoid. However, it is important to move through this cycle quickly and authentically. Sometimes leaders linger too long in trying to preserve the status quo, and it takes a cultural and financial toll on the organization; creating greater instability and prolonging the pain that is experienced by people connected to the organization.
As human service organizations navigate the turbulent waters of the Release phase, nurturing innovation and creativity becomes paramount. This requires fostering a culture that embraces ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking, where staff feel empowered to challenge conventional approaches and propose novel solutions. Brainstorming sessions that encourage wild ideas, cross-departmental collaboration to spark fresh perspectives, and partnerships with external organizations to tap into new expertise can all fuel this process. Moreover, it’s crucial to cultivate a ‘learning mindset,’ where failures are viewed not as setbacks but as valuable opportunities for growth and refinement, paving the way for a more resilient and adaptive Reorganization phase.
The Release phase, though often challenging, is not an ending but a transformative crossroads. It’s an invitation to shed what no longer serves, to embrace bold new possibilities, and to reimagine the very essence of the organization. By fostering strong leadership, building a resilient culture, proactively planning for change, and communicating with unwavering transparency, human service organizations can emerge from the fires of creative destruction not merely intact, but renewed, revitalized, and more deeply committed to their mission than ever before. Step into this adaptive phase, and watch the transformation begin.