Why People Sometimes Do What They Do
How important is organizational culture to performance? It’s important to remember that the most talented people will out-perform less talented ones, regardless of your culture. But culture affects how people think about ethics, customers, suppliers and other employees. There has been a lot written about this and “groupthink” in the news relating to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the administration’s decision to go to war. How does corporate culture possibly affect behavior?
In intense situations people will take on expected roles, even if it entails behavior which is normally not acceptable. This is particularly true when the roles imply large differences in power. Also, people are more likely to accede to abnormal behavior when all of their respected peers are demonstrating the behavior. Interestingly, even one voice of dissent allows newcomers to think for themselves, even if they don’t agree with the dissent. How could this apply to your organization?
• Beware when everyone agrees on everything early in the decision making process. This is a
warning sign that alternatives have not been fully explored. Asking questions should not be
considered a sign of disrespect or lack of trust. Rather, it should be reinforced as making it
more likely that the group will make the best decision.
• Look for artificial barriers between different groups. Nothing breeds teamwork and respect
more than interaction. Consider breaking these barriers horizontally (between departments)
and vertically (between managers and the people who work for them).
The pressures and rewards to conform are strong. For leaders of groups, conformity makes decision making proceed smoothly and without hurting feelings. For employees, it makes for good relationships with the boss and co-workers and minimizes risk. But for organizations the risks of conformity are even stronger. Decisions can made without due diligence and foresight. It's not that problems need to be analyzed to death. Rather that multiple viewpoints should be included in the process.
If you would like to learn more about encouraging creativity in your organization, contact Warren Bobrow.
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