13 Culture Forward Strategy

Draft Copy

September 11, 2023

MEMORANDUM

TO:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

FROM: Dr. Chuck Barber, CDIO

SUBJECT: Culture Forward Strategy

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is working to foster an organizational culture that embraces diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and talents that reinforce how Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) should be perceived and experienced within an organization. Organizations thrive when their culture prioritizes DEIA as a means of transformation. Effectively leveraging diversity leads to greater innovation, stronger organizational performance, increased employee performance, and culture intelligence. NSF is committed to nurturing this type of culture.

With that in mind, the NSF Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) Team has developed a Culture Forward Strategy to articulate enterprise conditions that will enable our organizational culture to evolve to a state where effective DEIA is the outcome, not just a process. We anticipate finalizing the draft strategy (to include coordination) in the coming months. This strategy intends to create and sustain an organizational culture that allows diversity in all its forms to thrive. Practical, high-leverage initiatives anchor the Culture Forward Strategy and make it actionable, including:

• Linking CDIO efforts and DEIA initiatives to culture intelligence, and we’ve selected the Denison Model to help link DEIA efforts to organizational effectiveness and DEIA outcomes. This practical approach helps NSF identify growth areas that, when translated into action plans, strengthen DEIA outcomes and practices.

• The Under-representation and Barrier Analysis Tool which uses aggregated data to assess whether the full spectrum of talent is represented at NSF and highlights barriers that might be getting in the way. This tool promotes informed decision making, especially around hiring and retention practices. This new capability incorporates a predictive analytic to demonstrate when each occupational specialty is projected to reach population parity. The CDIO team looks forward to partnering with HRM and NCSES to further integrate this capability into decision making and talent management platforms

• The DEIA Maturity Model which provides a roadmap for directorates/offices to progress from compliance to a more advanced state of DEIA efficacy, while enabling us to operationalize inclusion and increase belonging.

• The Leadership Reflection Tool (LRT) which is a companion tool to the DEIA Maturity Model. This self-guided assessment provides leaders insight into how their actions and beliefs align with existing organizational DEIA core tenets. The LRT doubles as a restorative practice, giving leaders a concrete way to strengthen and further build relationships across differences.

• The Creating SPACE (Strength, Psychological Safety, Action, Compassion, and Empathy) Program which offers NSF leaders and staff opportunities to enhance and deepen their cultural intelligence, or the ability to recognize and adapt to cultural differences. Opportunities include participating in listening sessions, partnering with the CDIO as a Culture Champion, and engaging with a robust culture curriculum.

• The Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) which we will elevate as change agents and management advisory groups.

Our Culture Implementation Plan (which serves as an action plan and companion document to the strategy) organizes the organization’s DEIA efforts, priorities, and requirements to hold ourselves accountable. Inputs from the Racial Equity Task Force recommendations, requirements from Chips and Science, requirements in the Government-wide DEIA strategy, various efforts across the foundation and requirements in the multiple executive orders help derive the implementation plan. Additionally, these inputs align with the Denison Model of Organizational Culture and our four core lines of effort – policy, talent management, operations, and culture. Linking our efforts to these measures makes DEIA actionable and ensures NSF can harness top talent to meet its mission to “promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; and support of National Security” in an ever-changing world. We can meet the moment by moving our culture forward.

Additional Information

Chrissy Hyde (chyde@nsf.gov) is the principal point of contact for questions concerning our Culture Forward Strategy. We thank you in advance for supporting this strategy and I look forward to partnering with you on its implementation.

Copy to: NSF Executive Leadership Team

NSF DLG

HRM Leadership Team