A manager in a large manufacturing company tells me that some people in his team does not respond well to acknowledgement. It is a case of give them the finger and they will take the whole hand. Thus, he feels he hardly dare acknowledge achievements for fear of the rewarded behaviour coming to an abrupt end.
This is an observation which many leaders will confirm.
Why is this so?
Neuroscience shows that, when threatened, the brain’s functioning becomes limited because new neural pathways shut down and old ones become overstimulated.
A vicious cycle is created; employee feels threatened – creativity is shut down – older redundant, survival directed behaviours is encouraged – productivity/excellence is compromised. Yet, the exploitative behaviour also exists, entrenching managers’ belief that reward will be met by exploitation. Thus, the culture is confirmed in circular fashion: excellence cannot be acknowledged because the acknowledgement will be exploited, yet neurological evidence shows a different story:feeling threatened equals shutdown!
A conundrum!
If there is sound scientific evidence that people underperform when threatened, are we to conclude that individuals are innately manipulative in their exploitation of affirming managers, leavingmanagers feeling as if archaic, authoritarian management styles is all that provides them some control in the work place?
Maybe this is not a very useful question because it leaves managers feeling wary, mistrusting of employees and adversarial.
An alternative is to engage with the prevailing culture (of, for example managers versus subordinates) in such a manner which will disrupt it. This can be done in two surprisingly simple and unassuming, yet mindfully courageous ways;
• Create an EDGE OF CHAOS by bringing people with different functions and roles, eg. Operators, supervisors and production managers together to grapple with transitions between their familiar patterns, and in so doing introducing challenges to the group’s standard view of one another and habitual patterns of relating to one another.
• CONSCIOUSLY SELECT WHICH STORIES WILL BE AMPLIFIED, and which dampened. The selective use of stories is how an organizations’ culture is shaped and influenced. Thus, in an organization where there are many stories doing the rounds in which workers exploit unsuspecting managers, the repetition of those stories in the boardroom actively serves to create an adversarial culture of mistrust.
Amplifying opposite stories puts them in the public sphere, out of harms reach, so to speak, and in so doing, also shapes and influences an altered organizational culture.
Scapegoating and bullying in the organisation
This edition of the OCC newsletter takes a brief look at the problem of “Scapegoating” in organisations.
The Scapegoat Society defines Scapegoating as: “a hostile social – psychological discrediting routine by which people move blame and responsibility away from themselves and towards a target person or group”.
This is evident in organisations where a lower-level employee is blamed for the mistakes of senior executives.
This is often due to lack of accountability in upper management.
Scapegoating in organisations does not just happen in a vacuum. It is also not simply something which happens between a bully and a scapegoat, it always happens within a context – the organisation where it occurs.
What kind of organisation encourages scapegoating to flourish?
Consultants agree that scapegoating flourishes in what can be called toxic organisations. These organisations are, without exception, characterized by inadequate leadership practices and a management too remote from employees with no effective and open channel of communication.
These may include
How does an organisation become toxic?
Organisations, in their turn, exist in a wider society and often reflect the values of the larger society. In SA we have seen the rise of materialism, entitlement and overreaching self interest in recent history. When there exist increased economic pressure, as did in SA in the past couple of years, where management practices do not bear up to scrutiny, and management does not walk the talk; i.e personal agendas and self-interest is more important than the greater good.
Characteristics of a toxic organisation
• A workplace where people are bullied or intimidated in the form of gossiping, veiled or openly maliciously threatened, exclusion from an invisible ‘inner clique’ or, even, adequate information or resources to do their job.
• Change, when it happens, is not managed adequately
• A workplace characterized by ongoing and chronic restructuring and staff cuts
• Un(der)qualified people are hired for the job
• Sound standardized labour practices and procedures of reward and accountability is not applied, or applied selectively and some individuals are therefore favoured, or perceived as being favoured.
• The contributions of subordinates is not credited, managers often imply these contributions are their own.
• Employees are ruled by fear and threat, or overly controlling systems
• Menacing managers are often rewarded for being ‘strong’
• HR manager for a variety of reasons side with the bully, or fail to take appropriate action
• Increased sick leave amongst employees, particularly stress leave,
• And, ultimately, increased turnover.
• Scapegoats are used to carry blame and explain ongoing problems. The scapegoat is often expelled (fired or forced to resign) but in biblical manner, they remain blamed for problems, sometimes long after they have left the company.
How to resolve the Scapegoating culture
The problem will, unfortunately, not go away unless you face the problem squarely, by
• Conducting exit interviews, which will provide valuable information on the prevailing corporate climate
• Hire an organisational consultant to do a culture survey or climate study, and follow up with an appropriate team intervention
• Equip leaders and managers with the skills they require to manage, particularly how to deal with conflict, manage gossip, bullying and scapegoating,
• Equip leaders with skills or resources to inquire into what is being hidden from scrutiny by the bullying, and name the ‘elephant in the room’,
• Include in routine performance reviews criteria for respectful behaviour
• Offer coaching and training to the bully
For more information on how to heal your organisational culture, contact Hanna Kotze.