Agency Culture Barrier 1: Agency culture and values do not align with nature-based values and outdoor interests of broader constituencies.

May 23

According to the America’s Wildlife Values study (Manfredo et al., 2018), wildlife value orientations for fish and wildlife agency staff often differ from those of constituents. In the study, 68% of state fish and wildlife agency staff have traditionalist value orientations (i.e., wildlife should be used and managed for the benefit of people), compared to 30% for the public. Thirty-four percent of the public have mutualist value orientations (i.e., see wildlife as part of their extended social network), whereas just 8% of state fish and wildlife agency staff do. From 2004 to 2018, there was a 6% decrease in traditionalist and a 5% increase in mutualist value orientations for the public in western states. Value orientations of the public can vary markedly between states. This shift in wildlife value orientations and the disparity between public and agency values can create a cultural rift and may contribute to some constituencies not seeing their priorities represented in agency work.

Changes in governance may be necessary to help conservation institutions adapt to changes in the socio-political environment (Jacobson and Decker, 2008). The need for change is becoming increasingly urgent and new and different conversations about conservation are needed to meet public trust obligations in the face of persistent uncertainty about the future effectiveness and relevance of wildlife conservation (Decker et al. 2016: 294). To achieve this, agencies will need to be adaptable, accurately evaluate current work priorities and situations, and be willing to make adjustments or realignments.

Strategy 1: Commit to recruit and retain diverse values and perspectives within the agency workforce.

A workforce that is more diverse and inclusive and made up of staff of varying ages, gender identities, races, cultural backgrounds, interests, and experiences would be more reflective of a state’s or province’s demographics which could benefit an agency. It could result in organizational innovation, a richer talent pool, improved employee performance, enhanced organizational brand, and lead to a better understanding of an organization’s constituents. It would also likely change agency culture since more diverse perspectives, wildlife value orientations, and outdoor experiences would be represented and could result in more inclusive and better decisions, leading to increased success and support for the organization.

Step 1: Leadership demonstrates support for a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Tactic 1: Create policies and working environments that encourage and support diversity and inclusion.

Policies and work environments that support diversity and inclusion and allow opportunities for various viewpoints, values, and ideas to be expressed equally, could lead to cultural changes that better align an agency with its constituents. This includes a recognition that the majority of constituents may value and pursue outdoor recreation in different ways than most agency staff. Increased diversity and inclusion is not just about numbers, but includes fostering a welcoming environment where differences are recognized, valued, and respected. Increased diversity and inclusion can help an agency advance its goals and — when embedded throughout the agency — can improve all facets of agency work including support, field, science, and policy programs and operations.

Tactic 2: Reward staff for participating in events and outreach efforts that improve diversity in the workplace.

People respond to incentives and meaningful rewards. Staff workloads should be adjusted to allow more time for activities that increase diversity recruitment, provide a welcoming environment, support networking with diverse audiences, and improve overall diversity in the workplace. Staff who participate in these activities should be acknowledged, encouraged, and rewarded. Examples of incentives could include an employee recognition program, extra leave, financial incentives, etc.

Tactic 3: Create programs that encourage underrepresented groups to become wildlife professionals.

Some underrepresented groups are not aware of career opportunities in fish and wildlife conservation, or the training needed to enter the field. Others may be aware of conservation careers but do not see themselves represented and therefore do not consider this career option. Improving knowledge of natural resource careers should start at an early age. Agency investments in K-12 school curricula, as well as educational opportunities for families outside the school system, are important tools for introducing the next generation to the conservation field. Similarly, investments of time and resources in internships, college-readiness programs, and mentoring could encourage diverse audiences to enter the conservation field in such roles as fish or wildlife biologists, conservation officers, human dimension specialists, educators, outdoor skill instructors, or natural resource communications professionals. Partnering with universities, particularly those that serve underrepresented groups, could lead to a more diverse pipeline of candidates for recruitment. Some universities such as Colorado State University have created a minor in cultural and natural heritage that is available to natural resources students.

Agency culture success story: employee recognition

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has an employee recognition award program that annually recognizes an employee who develops innovative methods for increasing and valuing diversity and inclusion through wide-ranging activities.

Step 2: Change hiring practices to attract and recruit more diverse staff at all levels.

Tactic 1: Adopt policies and procedures that ensure diverse selection committees.

A diverse selection or interview committee can lead to increased diversity of new hires (Gorman 2005; Rice and Barth 2015; Rice and Greenlee 2018). To increase the diversity of selection committees, it may be necessary to work with external organizations that have staff with greater ethnic, race, and age diversity or who can provide different perspectives and backgrounds. Including an outside perspective could help ensure hiring committees consider individuals with diverse backgrounds or nature-based values and outdoor interests that may be missing from an agency’s workforce.

Tactic 2: Adopt policies and procedures to ensure job recruitments are distributed broadly and are not perceived as preferentially targeting narrow categories.

Where and how a job opening is posted can inadvertently send a message about the receptivity of an agency to recruit individuals with diverse cultures and backgrounds. Broadly distributing hiring opportunities and being open to new and creative ways of reaching prospective candidates (e.g., through social media, student groups, diverse partner organizations) can increase the diversity of the applicant pool. Progress may be slow at first, but as partnerships, mentoring programs, and career-building programs take hold, candidate pools should become more diverse. The way in which job descriptions are written can affect perceptions, too. A job description that implies that preference will be given to those who hunt and fish could limit the applicant pool and make those who do not hunt or fish feel unwelcome. Similarly, overly restrictive job qualifications (e.g., all positions require a biology degree) can limit applicant pools, leaving out some highly qualified candidates. Job descriptions should be closely aligned with the desired knowledge, skills, and abilities sought for the position and include the agency’s vision, mission, and values.

Tactic 3: Use best management practices to reduce bias in hiring practices.

Best practices can be used to help ensure that bias is reduced or eliminated in the hiring process. Best practices should address all facets of the recruitment process including development of job descriptions, how and where job opportunities are posted, questions used during the interview process, the composition of interview committees, and how interviews are conducted. Involving staff across agency boundaries or partners outside the agency in the hiring process could foster a communitywide commitment to workplace diversity and harness expertise in diversity and inclusion. An agency may need to develop their own best practices or could use existing resources such as the hiring toolkit developed by the Conservation Lands Foundation.

Step 3: Create an environment that is inclusive and supports diverse opinions and voices in decision-making at all levels.

Tactic 1: Adopt policies and practices that value and support the needs of all staff.

Creating an environment that is welcoming of different perspectives, recognizes the diverse needs of staff, and provides opportunities for personal and professional growth can improve performance and employee retention and morale. Being sensitive to new voices and cultural experiences and welcoming those perspectives are key to retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. Many agencies have restrictions on monetary rewards, however there is evidence that other types of recognition and benefits can also motivate employees, particularly those who are younger. Providing flexible work environments, instituting policies that support employees’ needs, prioritizing relationship-building, and providing opportunities to share cultural differences can help create a cohesive and positive work environment. These types of practices can improve recruitment and retention of staff and help earn the agency a reputation of being a good place to work.

Tactic 2: Encourage and support staff expressing diverse opinions and solving problems creatively and inclusively.

Expressing views that are outside the current cultural norm can be difficult in some agencies. Staff should feel comfortable and welcome to express opinions or ideas that agency culture may suppress. Managers, supervisors, and agency leaders should encourage and support individuals who think outside the box or question long-standing practices or programs that may need to evolve to meet current needs.

Tactic 3: Measure staff satisfaction and adapt policies and practices accordingly.

An agency should measure how well it is meeting its goals for workforce diversity and adjust accordingly if goals are not being met. An employee satisfaction survey could be a useful tool to gather information to improve agency culture. Measures should be relatively easy to collect, transparent and used to continually review and adjust policies and practices as needed.

Agency culture success story: flexible policy

The Nevada Department of Wildlife instituted a policy that allows a parent to bring an infant under the age of one to the office on a daily basis to provide parents with the opportunity to return to work yet continue to care for their newborn. The policy includes steps to increase work efficiency, ensure that coworkers are not impacted and provide parents with a nursing room in the building.

Strategy 2: Adopt a clear, durable vision that includes nature-based values of broader constituencies that are embraced by staff.

An agency with a clear vision that reflects a diversity of nature-based values will ensure long-term durability and relevance. Communicating about a North Star or desired future condition for the organization that is more inclusive will invite a broader spectrum of constituents to appreciate and support conservation and the work of the agency. Reflecting this in the organization’s vision, mission, guiding principles, strategic plan, and agency priorities are ways to demonstrate commitment to serving broader constituencies.

Step 1: Develop, clarify and/or redefine agency’s guiding principles to capture the full scope of public trust responsibilities and constituency needs and interests.

Tactic 1: Make engaging and serving members of the public a priority.

Agency leadership should promote and prioritize work to develop, redefine, or clarify guiding principles, as well as mission and vision statements to emphasize public trust responsibilities that serve all members of the public. Diverse teams should lead these efforts, drawing from the field of organizational change and social science, and informed by science and technical expertise.Wildlife Governance Principles (Decker et al. 2016) should be incorporated as appropriate. As part of the process, an agency should conduct a situation analysis or needs assessment that includes internal and external audiences to help determine what changes are needed.

Tactic 2: Review and modify agency brand to ensure it is inclusive of nature-based values of broader constituencies.

The labels, terms, and structures an agency uses conveys messages to the public about whom the agency serves and prioritizes. Agency labels and organizational structures may not adequately convey the breadth of agency work or activities. Images and words used in logos, publications, or marketing materials contribute to public perceptions about which constituents are served by an agency and its priorities. An agency’s brand should make clear its purpose, cause or beliefs, or what Simon Sinek described as the “why” (see Simon Sinek’s TED Talk).

Tactic 3: Provide training on the full scope of public trust responsibilities to all staff.

Not all staff may be aware of the full scope of an agency’s public trust responsibilities. As part of an agency’s orientation and onboarding process, new employees should be trained to understand the full breadth of the agency mission and their responsibilities under the public trust doctrine. This can help institutionalize and expand recognition of all public trust responsibilities. Smith (2011) provides a foundation for this. Additionally, continuing education and mentoring opportunities such as detail assignments to other programs within the agency can help staff become aware and appreciative of the full complement of agency responsibilities. Informational meetings and workshops where a variety of programs are described and where staff are exposed to other work within the agency is another way to highlight the agency’s full public trust responsibilities.

Step 2: Revise or develop long-term planning processes that ensure a durable commitment to serving broader constituencies.

Tactic 1: Allocate resources and staff time to meet with new constituencies to better understand their needs and perspectives and how best the agency can meet those needs.

Making outreach and attendance at community events that reach new constituencies a priority, and incorporating that work into performance plans, will ensure there is a commitment to include broader community values into routine work. Participation in community-oriented meetings can help an agency network with community leaders and gain a greater understanding of community needs.

Tactic 2: Evaluate how existing work aligns with and contributes to the agency’s commitment to serving broader constituencies.

A situation assessment of how the agency currently prioritizes resources and staff time can help an agency determine whether changes are necessary to more effectively engage with broader constituencies. The analysis may show that the agency is already highly involved in work that serves broader constituencies or identify gaps or opportunities to improve the agency’s reach.

Tactic 3: Create or revise long-term planning processes to include a durable commitment to serving broader constituencies.

Once an agency reviews, revises, and modifies (if necessary) its vision, mission, and guiding principles, it can begin reviewing other aspects of the organization, including its planning processes. Ultimately, these planning processes should identify priorities that support and create a long-term commitment to serving broader constituencies.

Step 3: Communicate the agency’s commitment to serving broader constituencies internally and externally.

Actively sharing insights or knowledge about new audiences gained through meetings, surveys, research, and other means will help ensure agency staff have the information needed to understand, connect, and serve broader constituencies. Information can be disseminated through training, agency communications and through shared storytelling and learning.

Tactic 2: Promote a brand demonstrating that the agency manages all wildlife for all members of the public.

The agency should promote a brand that clearly demonstrates its commitment to serve all members of the public. In some cases, this may require an agency to review its brand or initiate a rebranding exercise to ensure the full scope of its work and engagement with broader constituencies is communicated. While rebranding can be time-consuming, expensive, and difficult for an agency to undertake, a well-thought out brand with an accompanying strategy can provide an agency with many benefits including a demonstration and commitment to serving all constituencies.

Step 4: Commit to serve broader constituencies through the implementation of long-term planning, new project development, and everyday work plans.

Tactic 1: Staff conduct work that aligns with the agency’s commitment to serve broader constituencies.

Staff should receive training to help them understand how to adapt their work to serve broader constituencies. Training should include techniques to improve communication and networking, suggestions on incorporating cultural appropriateness into discussions, and strategies for building effective partnerships. Supervisors should set expectations that all staff should seek opportunities to address the needs and understand the values of broader constituencies. Priorities identified in planning processes and work plans should reflect the desire to serve broader constituencies. Regular engagement with community groups and their leaders provides the opportunity for meeting shared goals and developing new partnerships.

Tactic 2: Provide staff opportunities to creatively develop new projects that could serve broader constituencies.

Staff should be encouraged to network with organizations that can reach new audiences or have a culture that is inclusive and supportive of reaching broader constituencies. Agency staff who have successfully built new partnerships should be encouraged to share their experiences. The elements of successful projects or partnerships should be identified, communicated, and used for new initiatives intended to reach broader constituencies.

Tactic 3: Evaluate the effectiveness of long-term planning processes and adjust as needed to ensure a durable commitment to serving broader constituencies.

Planning processes should identify metrics that are easy to collect, analyze, and report so that planning processes can be monitored and assessed. f planning processes are not effectively engaging broader constituencies, then they should be adjusted or adapted. Any lessons learned should be communicated.

Agency culture success story: partners meeting

The Missouri Department of Conservation hosts an annual partners meeting. This event is a one-stop shop for conservation partners to learn about the agency’s strategic plan, key issues, and priorities and serves as a forum for the public to ask questions and provide feedback to help guide conservation work. While some issues or topics are selected by agency staff, a survey of past and newly invited participants is used to help generate and prioritize a list of issues and topics to cover at the meeting.

Strategy 3: Adopt a clear, durable vision that includes nature-based values of broader constituencies that are embraced by staff.

Step 1: Gain an understanding of and appreciation for the values and interests of broader constituencies.

Building new and effective partnerships requires an understanding of the values and needs of constituencies outside the typical conservation setting. By actively engaging with broader groups, agencies can better understand their issues and priorities. This could be accomplished by establishing informal advisory councils or working groups, hosting public forums, and attending local community events. Creating forums where all sectors (both traditional and broader) can participate and be valued, is an example of a way agencies can develop a more comprehensive understanding of a community’s values and needs.

Tactic 2: Determine the level of participation desired by constituents and the ability of the agency to meet those expectations.

Traditional approaches to stakeholder engagement such as public hearings may be adequate for some constituencies but not for others. Stakeholders should be given an opportunity to provide input in a way that meets their needs and expectations. Their contributions should be acknowledged and given consideration in the decision-making process. It is important for agencies to consider stakeholders’ desired level of participation and influence in the decisionmaking process and for agencies to determine what level can be provided. The International Association of Public Participation has a Public Participation Spectrum that can be used to assist with determining the level of participation and expectations for stakeholder engagement.

Step 2: Engage in meaningful partnerships with diverse constituencies.

Tactic 1: Allocate staff and resources to broader engagement.

Building and maintaining effective partnerships takes time, leadership, commitment, effort, and funding. Most agency staff face heavy workloads and it takes additional time to engage with broader constituencies. Adjustment of work priorities, allocation of new resources, and refinement of performance or work plans may be necessary to engage in partnerships to reach broader constituencies.

Tactic 2: Develop and cultivate new partnerships.

Effective partnerships require personal connection and trust building. Regular formal and informal interactions are essential to developing personal connections with partners and their networks. Regular connections can build a foundation where trust, competence, honesty, transparency, and openness to new and different ideas can take hold. Jon Gordon, a best-selling author on inspiring organizations has identified 11 ways to build trust. The Partnership Impact Model is another resource that can help guide how to bring together diverse stakeholders to advance shared interests for long-term, systems-level social change.

Tactic 3: Evaluate partnerships and adjust as needed to better reflect changing societal values and conservation goals of the agency.

It is important to understand, measure, and communicate the strength of a partnership and the contributions of its members. The Partnership Impact Evaluation Guide includes seven steps for evaluating partnership impact. The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Partnership Center provides guidance on how to measure partnership health. The World Wildlife Fund’s Partnership Toolbox includes a monitoring tool that can be used to compare differences in partnership perception among organizations, examine how a partnership has changed over time, and compare differences between an existing and desired partnership.

Other Resources for Barrier 1

Texas Parks and Wildlife Division diversity and inclusion strategic plan. It is built on the three pillars of recruitment, retention, and education/outreach

The Diversity Joint Venture for Conservation Careers is a partnership of federal and state agencies, universities, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, and professional societies that are working together to increase the number of women and people of color in the conservation workforce.

Jones and Solomon (2019) identify challenges to women conservation leaders as well as support structures that agencies and individuals can implement to overcome those challenges

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has created Standards of Excellence for urban refuges. Urban refuge managers and visitor specialists are expected to conduct or contract social science inquiry about the needs of, and then engage, the local community.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently developed a comprehensive branding guidebook focused on demonstrating the full scope of work in which the agency engages. It also recently launched the ’15 and Forward initiative to update the agency’s vision and goals for the next 10 years. Public listening sessions included input from broader constituencies. The resulting vision and guide continue its strong commitment to hunting, fishing, trapping, state park visitation, and other outdoor recreation as well as broadening services and communications to reach more diverse groups of outdoor enthusiasts and supporters.

© Texas Parks & Wildlife DepartmentAgencies must encourage underrepresented groups to become wildlife professionals. — *© Texas Parks & Wildlife Department*
Agencies must encourage underrepresented groups to become wildlife professionals.