3 The Importance of NSF’s Organizational Culture

Research has shown that organizational culture is pivotal in determining an organization’s effectiveness and adaptability.^[1][2] Culture refers to the shared understanding of the deeply embedded assumptions, beliefs, values, and attitudes of personnel within an organization. Culture is the “glue” that holds an organization together because this shared understanding of the organization influences each staff member’s thoughts and behaviors.^[3]

Organizational culture also sets the tone for how individuals interact and collaborate. When organizations cultivate a culture of open communication, transparency, and psychological safety, they increase positive experiences, innovation, trust, engagement, and satisfaction among staff.^[4] Inclusive cultures create an environment where staff feel empowered to bring their authentic selves to work and fully leverage their unique knowledge, skills, and abilities. This collective sum of the workforce’s intelligence ultimately leads to increased productivity and success.

To cultivate an inclusive, collaborative, and prosperous work culture, agencies must proactively promote shared norms and values among their staff. However, this process is not without challenges. As individuals bring diverse thoughts and perspectives, constructive conflict may arise. To mitigate this, the need to realign individuals’ efforts toward shared goals and a common mission becomes most salient during these moments. Leaning into this approach, leaders can productively navigate conflict, leverage diverse viewpoints, and drive innovation to achieve the organization’s mission and objectives.

Culture also acts as the context within which all organizational functions occur because an organization’s internal culture shapes its external capacity and impact. This is especially true of NSF, the primary funder of scientific research in the United States, as it plays a significant role in funding international research endeavors. Scholars from underrepresented groups have backgrounds and lived experiences that differ from groups that have traditionally been represented in the scientific community. These scholars bring diverse and innovative perspectives to the research in their disciplines. However, their novel contributions to the literature are undervalued and discounted, which impacts the trajectory of their careers and streams of research.^[5] When NSF adopts a value-driven culture that prioritizes inclusion, the agency expands its proclivity to fund proposals from under-resourced scholars and institutions (e.g., Minority-Serving Institutions and tribal colleges), thus broadening the scope of scientific discovery on both national and international scales.

These processes, in turn, influence the organization’s external image, impacting public perception, brand reputation, and stakeholder analysis. A cohesive internal culture aligns staff with organizational values, creating a shared identity that resonates externally and contributes to a more compelling and authentic narrative.

Figure 1: The layers of NSF’s internal culture and broad external influencing factors

Building and continuously integrating DEIA as a vital component of a healthy and value-driven culture is critical to NSF’s success. Organizational culture is intricately linked with how DEIA is perceived and experienced within an organization, underpinning NSF’s work to become fully inclusive. An organization’s culture will ultimately determine the extent to which DEIA is merely a compliance exercise based on policies or a workplace that embodies inclusivity and leverages diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and capabilities. In the latter case, DEIA practices foster a creative and flexible organizational culture, facilitating innovation and change and achieving economic and social benefits.^[6]