Resource

Co-design New "Crisis Times" Working Norms

In times of calm, but especially in times of chaos, trust is a crucial component of an inclusive company culture. But trust can be challenging to build within organizations, particularly diverse ones, and uncertainty and lack of clarity can quickly degrade it during a crisis.

In a Medium article about building trust in the workplace, author Aaron Blum notes, “Trust is strengthened by clarity, clarity is gained through understanding, [and] understanding is attained by asking questions and listening.”

Designing alliances– essentially a process of proactively aligning on a flexible, but intentional set of rules for engagement– is an effective way to create clarity and, thus, trust in the workplace. Instead of waiting for conflict and miscommunication to arise in a relationship due to a lack of clear boundaries and expectation-setting, then trying to untangle the resulting mess, designing alliances is a way of proactively partnering and planning ahead. 

This downloadable template will walk you through the process of designing alliances in your own workplace, at the organizational level, team level, and in one-to-one relationships. While it can be a helpful tool anytime, the questions are especially relevant in moments of organizational uncertainty.

What This Tool Is Good For

  • Building trust
  • Setting clear expectation
  • Finding alignment
  • Relieving tensions
  • Increasing healthy communication
Download the Template
ABOUT CONTRIBUTOR (S)

Collective

Collective is an NYC-based diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy and research lab that is shifting how millennial-driven organizations build, grow, engage, and retain diverse teams. We take a bold approach to building inclusion into the foundation of organizations, using a holistic blend of comprehensive data and an emphasis on the human experience. We believe in true partnerships that amplify marginalized voices and drive sustainable change.