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Dismantling Racism Resource Book

Change Teams

What is a Change Team?
Many organizations have found that anti-racist organizational development is most
successful when an organization has a Change Team. A Change Team is a working
committee whose overarching goal is to provide leadership and momentum around anti-
racist organizational development.

Who should be on the Change Team?
Each organization needs to decide how to build a Change Team that can support
meaningful change in your organization. Many Change Teams are comprised of staff
and board members working together. In most cases it is important to have
participation on the Change Team from your membership or constituency as well.

Job Description for Change Team Members (Adapted from James Williams: Grassroots
Leadership’s Barriers and Bridges Workbook.)

Change team members are people who:

• really want to see positive change in their communities;

• bring enthusiasm and commitment to the process. They are role models and
cheerleaders;

• have a certain degree of skill in helping make change happens;
• have some degree of leadership in their organization or community;

• are willing to see themselves as change agents;

• but understand that they can’t do it alone. They must build a group or
organization of people who will take over leadership of the process and in turn
develop new leaders.

Their job is to develop a group of people who will work together to reach their
goals. This involves working with others to:

• assess the present situation, define problems, and set goals for solving

them;

Dismantling Racism Project 68 Western States Center