You may be wondering how a dysfunctional manager reaches the top of her or his organization? As we get into the reasons behind such behavior, it might be helpful to keep in mind that these are not bad people they are just dysfunctional in the role of manager. You should also be aware that it could […]

There have always been dysfunctional people in organizations at all levels. Their degree of dysfunction, combined with their level of power, determines the impact their behavior may have — and the impact you can have upon their behavior. Coping with a dysfunctional boss is far more difficult than working with a dysfunctional subordinate. The impact […]

One of the failings of the psychotherapy model is that it has always pointed out the harm that parents and siblings do. What is seldom dealt with is the impact that coworkers can have on one another’s self-image. The consequences of negative peer pressure can neutralize an organization’s effort and bring any well-intentioned growth opportunity […]

In a fast-paced, market-driven organization, planning tends to be a bothersome task. If a plan does exist, it was probably pieced together at a recent management retreat and is gathering dust on a shelf alongside plans from previous years. One by one, each well-intentioned strategy died a quiet death, drowned in a sea of unforeseen […]

Without The Upward Voice in place to clarify expectations and neutralize negativity an organization is opening the door to frequent communications calamities between the upper and lower levels. Just such a situation is illustrated by the following true story: Picture a small city run by a city manager who was under pressure to justify the […]

Research shows that the primary reason chief executives and senior managers fail is not from a lack of skills or abilities, but rather from not being aware of information that could negatively impact their organization. People at the decision-making level need to hear the voice of truth from those closest to the problem who deal […]

As people are drawn together in the workplace, their beliefs, values, and practices are bound to create differing opinions and attitudes. Keeping silent about these differences as though they do not exist—adding them to the list of unresolved issues—erects artificial barriers, stifles fruitful dialogue, and drives well intentioned people apart. The longer the list, the […]

What you do not know can, and ultimately does, hurt you and potentially others, too. Instead of keeping negative information hidden, what you want others to do is tell it like it is or at least let you know when something is amiss. Communicating honestly, even when it raises tempers, will ultimately pull people together […]

Comparing the flow of information in a functional and a dysfunctional organization can best be illustrated by thinking of an hourglass. An hourglass is a device that measures time by the flow of sand between the upper and lower chambers. A narrow opening between the upper and lower chambers controls the flow. Imagine the hourglass […]

The vitality of any organization depends on its ability to respond to disruption with minimum upheaval. Disruption is much more subtle than change and thus more difficult to discern and detect. If you miss it when it first slips into your world, it will surely reappear. The abrupt onset of disorder and disarray are the […]