Client Situation & Challenge
Valerie McMurtry, President and CEO of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) reached out to the 1-DEGREE/Shift team for input on her desire to “create the most attractive foundation culture in Canada, and a more intentional culture post COVID pandemic to fuel our strategic plan.” When we first engaged with the team at CAFC in early 2022, it was clear they were ready to grow and evolve their culture. They chose to engage in a comprehensive assessment to understand their current & desired state and a plan to develop and implement a more intentional organizational culture. The challenge was to co-create a “culture code” that resonated with everyone and to foster leadership capabilities, trust, and inclusivity within the organization.
Our Approach
Our journey began with a detailed culture assessment in 2022, leading to the creation of a new culture CAFC code that could help enable their strategic plan. Their newly created culture code VOICE (Vital Learning & Innovation, Open Communication, Inclusion & Diversity, Care & Compassion, Empowering Accountability), set the foundation for how they wanted to show up with and for each other. The successful launch of the CAFC culture code was a proud moment, symbolizing the hard work and dedication to their path ahead. We also guided CAFC in assembling a group of Culture Champions – a small team of leaders to support and help activate the new culture code.
In 2023, we partnered together to focus on developing leadership capabilities through a series of ‘Leadership Bursts’ for CAFC’s people leaders. These sessions focused on key topics like open communication, coaching skills and performance management. Additionally, we conducted a VOICE Pulse Check to measure how well their values were being lived. We then facilitated a full day workshop, an all staff offsite where we explored and elevated trust within the organization.
In 2024, we continued our commitment to CAFC’s culture evolution by conducting a second VOICE Pulse Survey and helping activate a new group of Culture Champions. Our efforts included a high impact all-staff offsite focused on inclusion and diversity, reinforcing CAFC’s commitment to better living into their value of Inclusion & Diversity and fostering a more inclusive environment for all employees.
Impact
“Our team has appreciated 1-DEGREE/Shift’s deep commitment to partnership. The 1-DEGREE/Shift team have been great coaches & guides and have helped us be much more intentional about our CAFC culture. Their tailored strategies and deep understanding of cultural dynamics have helped empower our people. Our VOICE values & culture code is alive and well and will provide a solid base for us as we develop our new strategic plan for 2024-25. We are grateful to have the ongoing support of the 1-DEGREE/Shift team to maximize our impact at CAFC.”
