I often wonder how people manage to stay in toxic and dysfunctional circumstances for as long as they sometimes can and do. Some organizations and teams are toxic – as risky as war zones.
While, no doubt, there are people who seem to enjoy crisis and conflict, most people prefer peace and problem solving. Where a sense of team is missing, and where organizational breakdown and a lack of collaboration is the prevalent organizational or team characteristic, the costs are many fold. While we do go into this in other parts of our research, I can say just a few words that should transmit the severity of of the consequences of a toxic workplace: Risk. Risk. Risk, costly beyond measure.
While there may seem no easy fix for interpersonal issues, difficult employees, and team breakdown, the core sources of such workplace toxins are findable – and solvable. Any conflict management system – and chronic issues within them can be recognized, and quickly addressed. No need for endless “they’re not from here” expert opinions on what’s gone wrong. No lengthy needs assessment, analysis and costly reporting with recommendations that tend to raise more conflicts than they resolve.
‘Action research’, (see the post here) is effective, efficient, and low-risk. Working with a coach, an organizational leader takes any investment available and turns it into effective, collaborative effort and alignment-building teamwork… even with toxic teams and teamplayers. The concept makes it easy to separate the people from the problem… even when it may seem they ARE the problem.
Even in the war-zone of a toxic workplace, action research’s “take small steps to make BIG strides” approach is not then, itself, the light at the end of the tunnel, rather it is the means of taking a sure step – clearly – toward it.