Organizational Culture- Nysa Stiell

The values and expectations at New York Legal Aide Group focus on everyone doing their part to accomplish the same goals. With the clients at the center of each unit, finding them the resources and connections they need is the most important value. This is the mission statement of the organization, but I don’t think it was a norm that needed to be taught when joining the organization. Part of what I love about NYLAG is that each person has a passion for helping others and for getting them the justice they deserve. This is the goal we all work towards without it being explicitly stated.

My internship this summer has been remote, meaning that I only directly work with my intern partner and our supervisor. While there is a larger pro bono team, it is not often that we interact with them, as they work on internal projects while we focus on the external part. Within this small team, we all have the same values as I stated earlier, making our working environment cohesive and fun. 

Unfortunately, because I work so closely with these two people, I have limited access to understanding how the rest of the organization communicates, learns norms, and interacts with one another. This is the downside of a remote internship as it is difficult to gauge how individuals behave and interact with one another when it is not only formal communication, as it is when we schedule meetings to discuss projects. I have little experience with interaction s and communication when it is not for work purposes. 

While the work we do is very serious and sometimes emotionally challenging, being involved with client interacts, allows for flexibility in leadership and communication–each person communicates and interacts with others in the way that works best for them. This, I would say is a strength, of the organization’s culture. 

With this flexibility, there is an overall norm of professionalism. This is seen in zoom calls, text communication, and emails. There is an expectation that one will respond promptly when someone reaches out to them and be responsive on all platforms whether it be Microsoft Teams or email. This, again, was not taught or instilled but a general expectation when working within a legal group and especially with underserved populations.