ISE Magazine, August 2019
AUGUST 2019 WWW ISEMAG COM 79 HUMAN NETWORK By Magi Graziano Most of us spend the majority of our time at the office or actively working inside or as part of a human work system Whether we are conscious to it or not the corporate culture of an organization can make or break how we feel about the organization and our place in it While most awake and aware leaders say they want a constructive corporate culture many are uncertain of what it really takes to shape it Consequently these executives and managers unintentionally lead their people toward the fatal destructive side of the culture coin They do this by buying into 5 double edged sword philosophies winning above all else commanding and controlling opposing others pursuing perfection and keeping the peace These philosophies will undermine your mission to craft a constructive corporate culture 1 Winning Above All Else Winning is an incredibly powerful motivator The desire to win can move mountains and bring in profits However when the need to win overwrites better judgement fragments and erodes core values runs over people and leads people to the brink of exhaustion it must be called out and new behaviors that promote and inspire must be integrated into the culture In pursuit of results above all else can cost relationships health and wellness trust quality and safety Inside competitive work cultures members are often expected to operate in a win lose framework outperform peers and work against rather than with their coworkers What begins with a healthy race often devolves into unproductive dog eat dog internal workplace behavior A once healthy desire to beat the competition gone unchecked very often creates opportunities for unproductive behavior and perpetuating neural pathways and automatic ways of thinking and being that result in an organization eating itself alive This shows up on the floor by people arguing for win lose scenarios and in fighting for power control rewards promotions and resources A focal shift from we to me where silo and personalized thinking prevail Even though the intentions of leaders who want to win is most often well meaning a workplace culture that values winning above all else can be fertile ground for destructive behavior and employment brand erosion Shaping constructive culture is about intentionally causing the kind of corporate culture that exemplifies your brand promise
You must have JavaScript enabled to view digital editions.