The purpose of forming a corporation is to create a place where individuals can achieve collectively what they cannot accomplish alone. Sadly, and alarmingly, this is not happening in America today; at least, not to the extent that it needs to happen for our country to remain globally competitive.

And that’s not all. There’s an even bigger, more critical issue that we need to face up to: Corporate America is not about taking care of people—it is about taking care of business.

This misconception stems from the way children are educated. They are taught to be good, get good grades, get a good education, and get a good job with a good company, which will lead to a good life. As a result, our workforce views the corporation as a place that provides a good living.

Depending on Corporate America to undergird the financial needs of our “children” long after they’ve grown up is not only unreasonable, it also conflicts with the dynamics of the modern economy.

Employers need employees who can think for themselves and don’t have to be pampered. They don’t want to be disciplinarians either. And, above all, they don’t want to be held responsible for their employees’ well-being.

These conclusions are based upon over 40 years of training and consulting in failing organizations. I’ve covered a lot of ground, from public service to the private sector, including Fortune 500 companies, healthcare institutions, traditional governmental agencies, and classic small businesses alike.

What I’ve discovered time and again throughout Corporate America is that the traditional way in which people look at their role in the corporate world creates problems, the most serious of which is that employers and employees think and act independently until something goes wrong.

Motivated by fear, these opposing forces come together—not to address the issue, but to engage in finger-pointing, faultfinding, and face-saving. Meanwhile, the problem festers and their relationship deteriorates as a result.

In today’s marketplace, a company must add quality and value to its products and services. If it cannot reduce costs, attract customers, and make a profit, it will cease to exist. Consequently, employees cannot expect to keep their jobs unless they take a more proactive role in the prosperity of their company.

Whenever I talk to employees in a failing organization, I hear two recurring themes: “Whatever is wrong is not our fault,” and “If there is a problem, go talk to management.” Sadly, these same employees feel entitled to their jobs regardless of how much, if anything, they contribute to the firm’s bottom line.

The culture of any organization—its principles, ethics, style, values, and morality—is shaped by the interactions between labor and management. Each has a responsibility to be open and honest with the other and to work cooperatively toward the same purpose.

What we need is less soul-selling and more soul-searching. In other words, we must change the way Corporate America functions.

But you may ask, can something be done that will resolve this dilemma and not require a great deal of effort and a ton of money? And, more importantly, can a change of this magnitude be brought about without disrupting the workplace?

The answer is yes. There’s a lot we can do that won’t take a long time or a require a huge investment. All it takes is for us to stop pitting management and labor against each other. By fostering a collaborative spirit and a renewed commitment to the workplace, a “we-ness” can be created that isn’t there now.

America would benefit greatly if labor and management were to see themselves less as opposing forces and more as corporate citizens striving to do better. As collaborators rather than competitors, their wants and needs would be the same: to do good work and to prosper as a result.