In our last post, we introduced the second component of a workplace healing ecosystem: climate. As we noted, thinking about what climate means and how to work on it may seem more ambiguous than working on organizational structure, which might then discourage anyone from tackling climate as a means to improve well-being at work. In addition, it’s natural to wonder whether focusing on something as diffuse as climate can have an impact.

In our last post, we introduced the second component of a workplace healing ecosystem: climate. As we noted, thinking about what climate means and how to work on it may seem more ambiguous than working on organizational structure, which might then discourage anyone from tackling climate as a means to improve well-being at work. In addition, it’s natural to wonder whether focusing on something as diffuse as climate can have an impact.

As we continue to explore the concept of organizations as healing ecosystems, we now move beyond the first component of the model – structures and evidence that working on structures can enhance well-being – to an equally important component: organizational climate.

Most of us think of structures as physical buildings or organizational hierarchy – but structures show up as policies, systems, programs, schedules, or any other decision, rule, constraint, or tool that impacts how work is organized and executed. Even an agenda for a meeting is a form of structure.

Despite our tendency to view structures as immovable sources of burnout, they are important components of the ecosystem and therefore deserve attention.

What would a healing ecosystem look like, at work? Defined, an ecosystem is a a community of organisms and agents that interact with and within their physical environment.