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I had some great opportunities today to listen in on conversations about how associations are handling the economy. Here's one thing that particularly struck me: One member, who has lived through three layoff cycles in her nearly 20 years in associations, noted that layoffs can have a ripple effect, beyond the basic morale implications of seeing a coworker lose his or her job. Sometimes, she said, when certain people in a staff leave, the culture of the organization changes because they're gone. And then you may find that your star performers, the people that you least wanted to lose, will bolt as soon as the economy improves, because your culture is no longer one they want to be a part of.

Of course, we've all heard before that it's easy to lose star performers after an economic crisis, when you haven't been able to reward your best people as much as you'd like (whether monetarily, with benefits, or with professional development). But what that member had to say about the way culture changes after a layoff really hit home with me.

In recent months, I've heard people saying things along the lines of "this is a really tough time, and we have to do X for right now, but of course as soon as things get better we'll get back to normal." But the fact is, if you're doing X, whatever X might be--treating your employees poorly because you're stressed, skirting ethical lines a little more than you'd like, or what have you--you're now someone who will do that thing. If it continues, your organizational culture becomes one that will allow that thing. It's not something that will go away once the economy improves--it's who you are.

Organizational culture grows and changes and shifts. I think we all need to keep an eye on what our organizations are becoming in response to the recession. Is your organization what you want it to be? Are you still living by the core values you espouse, despite today's pressures? If not, start fixing it now. Don't wait for the economy to get better. Or it's entirely possible you will lose your key people, because you've allowed your culture to change into something they no longer want to support.