Are You Working in a Defensive Workplace?

In the first article of this series we introduced the four workplace cultures: Defensive, Paternalistic, Open, and Collaborative. In Part 2, we reveal the Defensive workplace culture. If you currently work, or have worked, in a Defensive workplace you’ll quickly identify with the hallmarks of this culture:

• Communication is virtually non-existent. Your company mantra appears to be, “The less said, the better” –that is, unless you count a ton of ugly gossip as communication!
• There are no team, or weekly one-on-one, meetings with your manager.
• Decisions are made in a vacuum and are unceremoniously handed down to employees in blunt-force fashion, resulting in a tailspin of confusion.
• No one talks about common goals or accomplishments because people work in silos, and turf wars are common.
• Problems are plentiful, but no one takes ownership. Defensiveness, finger-pointing, and blaming are rampant, and it’s only a matter of time until you’ll be blamed when something goes wrong.
• People are fleeing the company prison-break style.

Does this work environment sound familiar? If not, count your blessings, and we’ll address your culture in an upcoming article! If so, take comfort that regardless of your current environment, there are things YOU can do as an individual, or as a business leader, to transform it into a place where you can achieve your goals and enjoy going to work each day.