Core Design Principles

For Fetzer, the effectiveness of the COFG is not rooted in any single session or activity, but in the larger ecosystem, culture, and commitments surrounding it. The following core design principles shine a light on the organizational conditions that have been central to the success of Fetzer’s sacred-centered community and are based on our experiences with fostering sacred community in the workplace since 2013.

While we believe the nine design principles outlined below are crucial when cultivating sacred-centered community across diverse organizations and contexts, only you can design for your context. No doubt, your own core design principles will become clear as you step into this work, experiment, learn, and adapt within the context of your own organization.

What will it take to embrace principles such as these in your context?

What are the natural starting points for your organization?

We encourage you to start where you are. Small, authentic, contextually appropriate and consistent practices can become the foundation for deeper organizational transformation over time.

Demonstrate clear commitment to spiritual growth and community at the top.: The primary leaders for your organization must be full champions for this work. Senior leaders’ visible and consistent dedication to spiritual growth — for themselves and for the organization — establishes trust, legitimacy, and primacy for sacred-centered community.
Align your commitment to cultivating sacred-centered community with your organizational values and purpose.: Through the COFG, we are in deep dialogue about the unifying power of love and the Sacred, which is the core of Fetzer’s values and purpose.
Be clear, consistent, and persistent.: Culture-building is quiet, long-term work that demands both persistence and clear shared expectations for participation. It may feel slow going, and there will be moments of tension. When tended to with care and held within a dependable container, the community will deepen and flourish over time.
Uphold religious and spiritual pluralism.: For everyone to feel welcomed, the ethos and design need to be radically open and pluralistic — especially in a workplace setting. Ensure that you do not privilege a particular tradition or practice. Consistently signal your commitment to the full range of religions, spiritual practices, and worldviews.
Guide the community with experienced leaders trained in spiritual formation.: Fetzer has done this by engaging external spiritual leaders as advisors and facilitators, and more recently, by hiring an ordained spiritual leader to steward the community.
Craft and commit to a developmental approach.: One that is clear about the organizational capacities needed and how they will be cultivated over time.
Balance intellectual and experiential learning: COFG participants are invited to engage in multiple ways of knowing (e.g., embodied, aesthetic, cognitive, etc.). We aim for accessible language and pair ideas with storie
Be invitational.: ‘Do no harm’ is our starting point. While engagement in our sacred-centered community is expected, we don’t force people into specific practices or experiences; if the offering is not a fit, staff members can practice however is best suited to them. Being invitational is also important from a legal perspective. We recommend speaking to your organizational employment lawyers to understand what is permissible in your context.
Listen, learn, and adapt in collaboration with the community.: A community is a living being. It will always be changing as new challenges and openings for growth emerge. Regularly collect feedback, identify emerging needs, and adapt practices — and do so in close collaboration with community members.