The organization is struggling a year on from the merger. The reputations of the 3 legacy organizations (InsideNGO, Mango, LINGOs) are lost, and Humentum has not yet found its place in the sector, and has yet to establish its own reputation.
The Senior Leadership Team do not have my, and many others', confidence - they seem to revel in sharing as little as possible with staff - and only on a 'need to know' basis. There is no consultation unless you are one of the favored few, The CEO's communication is sparse, shallow and insincere. If you voice concern, you risk being accused of being negative or 'not liking change', or being sidelined and ignored.
A year into the merger process, they haven't even reviewed the terms and conditions/remuneration of the staff (apart from the Senior Leadership team, no doubt) and people are being paid different rates for doing the same jobs. There is no timetable for this either - or if there is, it is not shared with the staff team.
It is not surprising that we have lost many great colleagues - must be at least 40% of the team over 12 months (including some dissenting voices who have been 'eased out', and some new staff who didn't stay long) and others will no doubt leave as soon as they can. This mass exodus is creating vast holes in valuable institutional knowledge, and important balls are being dropped. Fee income has fallen significantly, and some programs are really struggling.
To be fair, some individuals have made the transition well, and are benefiting from new opportunities within a larger organization. But the challenges of bringing together 3 different organizations with 3 different cultures (US/UK/global) has taken its toll on many of us. It hurts to see say many good things we created as legacy organizations set aside or under-valued. From where I am sitting, it increasingly feels like a takeover by the dominant culture, not a merger of equals.
The only way to survive with your sanity in this organization is to keep your head down, get on with your work, and look forward to the day when you can leave.
