Workplace Dynamics

Workplaces are complex environments, a collection of personalities, goals, and hierarchies. Performance, morale, and engagement often become key indicators of success in the eyes of management. However, in many organisations, managers misdiagnose the underlying problems that plague the workplace, focusing on individuals who seem to be “behaving badly” rather than systemic issues. Let’s dive into this paradox.

The Symptom: Behaving Badly

It’s not uncommon for managers to identify problems within a team based on observable behavior. Arriving “late”, missed deadlines, negative attitudes, and other seemingly defiant behaviors are visible symptoms that something is amiss. Labeling these actions as “behaving badly” and attributing them to individuals is an understandable yet misplaced reaction.

The Root Cause: The Way Work Works

Beneath these symptoms lies a more complex issue: the structure and culture of the workplace itself. If employees are disengaged and underperforming, it’s often due to underlying factors such as:

• Inadequate Communication: Lack of clear direction, feedback, and open dialogue can leave employees feeling disconnected and misunderstood.
• Unrealistic Expectations: Overburdening employees with unrealistic targets and insufficient resources sets them up for failure.
• Lack of Recognition: When hard work goes unnoticed, motivation and morale suffer.
• Poor Leadership: Inconsistent leadership and lack of empathy can create an environment where employees feel unsupported and undervalued.
• Toxic Culture: A competitive or hostile work environment can erode trust and collaboration, leading to a breakdown in teamwork.

The Manager’s Dilemma

Understanding the root cause requires a paradigm shift from focusing on individual behaviours to examining the environment that shapes that behavior. For many managers, this is hard to see. It involves self-reflection, empathy, and a willingness to change not the individual team members but the system itself, not to mention themselves and their (shared) assumptions and beliefs.

Strategies for Improvement

Here’s how managers can foster a more supportive workplace:

• Embrace Open Communication: Encourage open dialogue, ask for feedback, and continually demonstrate that all voices are valued.
• Set Clear and Achievable Goals: Collaborate with team members to set goals that are both challenging and attainable.
• Recognise and Reward Effort: Show appreciation for hard work, both privately and publicly.
• Invest in Fellowship: Support people to become more responsive, empathetic, and effective in their roles and in their relationships with each other.
• Foster a Positive Culture: Create a supportive environment that continuously invites collaboration, innovation, and well-being.

Conclusion

In a world where the pressure to perform is immense, it’s easy to blame individuals for failures within a team. However, the real solution lies in addressing the deeper systemic issues within the organisation. By understanding how the way work works can undermine performance, morale, and engagement, people can create a more positive, productive, and fulfilling workplace for all. Recognising that what may seem like people ‘behaving badly’ is often a signal of needs not being met can be the first step toward real and lasting change.