The Toxic Workplace
Changing a work environment from a place where competition is the underlying motivational force to creativity is essential for advancement within an ethical, progressive and successful vision.
Workplaces that encourage competition foster a fertile ground for;
Petty power struggles – these tend to escalate
Fear – of being seen or of not being seen – this leads to covert behaviours
Gossip – flourishes and causes an atmosphere of mistrust, providing a useful channel for saboteurs who, although have self interest may not share the whole company vision
Blame – a blame culture becomes established where employees lack a sense of personal authority or responsibility for own performance
Sub Groups – sub groups form in uneasy alliances creating limitations, restrictions on each other and stopping information flowing throughout the organisation. Secrets abide – sometimes hiding unethical and incompetent behaviour
Bullying – this can happen as employees feeling threatened, unrecognised or unsure of their own skills use manipulative tactics to get their needs met and to get 'rivals' out of the picture
Lack of productivity – the above behaviours are time consuming and can lead to stress and employees are more likely to be dishonest, take time off or not give optimal performance at work
This combination leads to a toxic workplace. This can be changed.