Is non-profit necessarily a better world?

I had an interesting discussion last Friday with some local business people and artists about irritating things that happen in corporate culture - the kinds of things that make you feel as if you're a Dilbert character. One of them astutely pointed out that small businesses come with their own share of idiosyncrasies. I have been there too and will verify that. I think that many of us in the corporate world fantasize about "giving up the rat race and doing something that matters". While that's important and perhaps even noble, it's also important to remember that human nature is at play in whatever work environment you are. I have been on some volunteer endeavors that were worthy of psychoanalysis. There can be just as much cattiness, sniping, incompetence, etc. than anywhere else.

Rosetta Thurman has some great related advice for those seeking positions in the non-profit arena. The grass is not always greener.

A friend of mine just decided to quit her nonprofit job. It was making her so miserable that it would sometimes bring her to tears. As I spoke with her, I was reminded that many people think just because you work for a good cause, your workplace will always be hunky-dory. You’ll come into the office or program site in the morning and everyone will be smiling and jumping up and down with excitement about saving the world. And your boss and board members will be just swell people of the highest character. While these are all nice sentiments about nonprofit work culture, they’re just not always true. Nonprofit workplaces can be plagued with the same irritations as for-profit companies: office politics, incompetent bosses, lying, stealing, lazy co-workers, etc. But if you don’t go into it with rose-colored glasses, you can avoid hating your nonprofit job.

Read the rest at www.rosettathurman.com

Comments

[Maia Duerr]

Having worked in nonprofits for most of the last two decades, and having a bit of experience in the for-profit world, I can testify to the truth of this post. In fact, some times things are more frustrating in the nonprofit world because there often is a lack of awareness around basic best practices related to management, staffing, planning, etc.

The bottom line is we are all human, as you say... and we all have something to learn from each other. The more we can cultivate an attitude of openness, receptivity, willingness to learn, humility, and patience with each other, the better off we'll be no matter what kind of setting we work in.

[Marlita H]

Thanks for the confirmation, Maia. It's funny, though, that you should mention the notion of best practices because that was also part of the original conversation - that it's common in the for-profit world to talk about the latest notions of process and practices but then not really follow them in order to meet a "death march" deadline (if you're not familiar with that term, look up Edward Yourdon on Amazon).

As we agree again, I think comes down to human traits in management, no matter what sector. And, yes, I agree with you that we should cultivate humanity to address these issues. My frequent discomfort with the business world and people who consult to improve business is that the motivation seems to still be the bottom-line. Sanctimonious? Yes, I am. I would like to think, though, that rather than teaching business people that they should behave better to improve their images, we should be teaching them to be better people in general. The PR part should follow from that on instinct.

Am I expecting too much of people? And can we change people or their motivations or am I wasting my typing?