Creating a Culture of Community

This is a follow-up to the most recent post on April 27, 2011, The Five Purposes Tool. One of the purposes then described was as follows:

To create a viable, sustainable community rather than merely a workplace.

This leads to the question, “How do you create this type of community in the workplace?”

Buddha recognized the mission critical function of community building and taught a specific system. I have paraphrased and modernized the Buddha’s language as follows:

• Practice sincerity of speech, avoiding gossip and double talk so that you might enjoy the joy of fellowship.
• Practice the kindness of action.
• Practice a sympathy of spirit.
• Provide for an equal sharing of common property.
• Share a common purpose or mission.
• Share a common vision and set of values.

Buddha also provided 7 rules for community building. Again, I have paraphrased and modernized the Buddha’s language.

• Gather together frequently and discuss your vision, mission and values.
• Respect one another.
• Revere the purpose (mission) and observe the values.
• Older and younger respect each other with courtesy.
• This is basically a mandate to value each other’s differences, also a key Stephen Covey principle.
• Sincerity and reverence mark their bearing.
• This is essentially advocating for us to be serious people doing serious work and therefore to refrain from idle talk.
• Purify your minds in a private place. 
• Be thrifty and frugal. 
• This is not being cheap, but simply being careful and thoughtful when using organizational resources.

Another expert on community building that I consulted was Rick Warren, the author of “The Purpose Driven Life.” The following is adapted from Rick’s book:

• The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
• Do we spend enough time directly with our people? Do we spend enough of our time with people issues? When we spend time, do we give our people real focused attention?

• In a real community you experience authenticity.
• Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives.
• In a real community people experience mutuality.
• Mutuality is the art of giving and receiving, it is depending on each other. It is about building reciprocal relationships, shared responsibilities and helping each other.
• In a real community people experience empathy.
• Every time you understand and affirm someone’s feelings, you build fellowship.
• In a real community you experience mercy.
• Fellowship is where mistakes are not rubbed in but rubbed out. Fellowship is about resolution as opposed to retaliation.
• Real community requires commitment.
• Real community takes honesty! When conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other.
• Real community requires humility.
• Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.
• Real community requires courtesy.
• Courtesy is respecting our differences, being considerate of each other’s feelings and being patient with those who irritate us.
• Real community requires confidentiality.
• Gossip always causes hurt and divisions, and it destroys fellowship. The fellowship of the business is more important than any one individual in the organization. You must confront your “well poisoners,” and if they do not modify their behaviors, politely and professionally ask them to move on.
• Real community requires frequency.
• You must have frequent regular contact within your group in order to build genuine fellowship. Relationship building takes time; there are no shortcuts to building a culture of community within your organization.

My hope is that these timeless tips from these great thinkers on the subject of community building will help you with your goal of accomplishing the second organizational purpose of creating a viable, sustainable community rather than merely a workplace.

Please share with us your community building best practices.We would love to hear from you!