Toxicity is defined in the workplace as an environment which is psychologically unsafe, for example:
- No boundaries
- Rudeness in communication
- Employees are overwhelmed with no support or underwhelmed with no motivation or development
There is a difference between teams who ‘do not get on’, and those which are toxically dysfunctional. In 2002 Patrick Lencioni published “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team” which still resonate today, these are:
- Absence of trust
- Fear of conflict
- Lack of commitment
- Avoidance of team accountability
- Inattention to team objectives
…while a rumble of dislike will often not affect productivity too much, dysfunction will affect performance.
With regard to effective intervention, the leader needs to respond much like a counsellor or coach (which brings its own pressures), first uncovering the cause, and working with the team to collaborate on a solution. However, leaders must also be mindful, because it may even be their own behaviour that can be causing the problems!
While within a short article it would not be possible to address every nuance, I would like to outline three fundamental principles that will help with resolution:
When asking what’s wrong – listen (and process) the response
Workplace coach Julie Starr outlines 4 levels of listening:
- Hearing (where we are thinking about something else – very little goes in)
- Listening (where we can probably repeat a few words by may not understand the true meaning of what was conveyed
- Active listening (where we interact with the information – and thus can take in much more)
- Deep listening (almost like listening between the lines and we may get a very full sense of what is happening in doing so.). It is noted that this level is usually reserved for professionals such as coaches or teachers or the medical and legal professions and is not fundamental day to day.
However, active listening – asking open questions, writing things down, or paraphrasing back to the speaker what they said, just to make sure you have received the information accurately is to be championed.
Keep questions open – those which begin with “Who”, “What”, “Why”, “Where”, “When” or “How” elicit more detail than close questions which often only need a one word answer eg:
OPEN: How are you?
CLOSED: Are you well?
Further, there are 3 key mistakes leaders make when listening – try to avoid those:
i) Rehearsing what you are going to say rather than listening. In this case, try to listen and see if you can then springboard off where the other person stops rather than bringing it back round to you if you thought of your response early on in the story.
ii) Evaluating – listening only to critique the speaker. This can include fault-finding which is listening in order to catch the speaker out. Ask yourself why you are needing to be critical and what that might be doing to the relationship. If you are only spending time with that person to wind them up, is it really the best use of your energies!?
iii) Derailing – making it about you – either by ‘topping’ their experience with your own, or making a big deal about if YOU were in that situation, or a ‘what about me’ approach. Again, this might need some soul searching to think about why you need that validation in someone else’s experience, as well as why you are reluctant to let others have their moment.
Always bear in mind the outcome you want is resolution.
Empower teams to find solutions
Coaches know that when an action suggestion comes from a client it is more likely to be implemented, so empower your teams to find solutions. Rather than hearing the issues and then jumping into problem solving mode, extend the discussion with questions such as:
- How would you like me to help you
- What do you think is best for me to do
- What would be of most help to you at this time?
- What have you tried/What has worked or not worked previously
This ensures collaboration and shared responsibility to define the problem and find a workable solution, and will also give leaders more information to better shape interventions.
Take on feedback: Reflect on and correct areas of weakness when issues are raised
Any issue is an opportunity to improve. Leaders must appreciate your teams gave you the chance by coming to you! You may yourself have identified certain areas in which your response was sluggish or affected company morale and trust, so be aware of what happened and explore the root cause of the problem, through asking Toyota’s “5 whys”:
For example: People are upset – WHY
Because they don’t have the right tools – WHY
Because their funding was cut last year – WHY
Because we weren’t working on that project – WHY
Because we didn’t have the clients then – WHY
Because we weren’t advertising for them but we are now…)
…and there you might realise the solution is practical, now you’re seeking work in that field ensure your teams are skilled and have the tools to address it.
Then, thank your teams for trusting you and giving you the opportunity to make changes.
