Threats to Organization Culture

What do you understand by Organization culture?

Organization culture reflects the working conditions, behaviour of employees, their thought processes, beliefs and so on. Organization culture in a layman’s language is often called as work culture and plays an essential role in extracting the best out of employees.

Work culture needs to be healthy for employees not only to enjoy their work but also deliver their level best and develop a feeling of loyalty and attachment towards their respective organizations.

Let us go through the threats to organization culture:

Negative attitude and ego are in fact two biggest threats to organization culture. Individuals who find it difficult to look at the brighter sides of life often crib and complain and spoil the entire work culture. They themselves hardly work and on top of it also influence others.

Problems are in fact everywhere. Can you name one organization where there is absolutely no tension or stress? Believe me, you would find peculiar characters in every organization. You just need to know how to deal with them.

How many organizations would you change? Employees who think that fighting is the only solution to solve issues are sadly mistaken and in fact pose a major threat to organization culture. Remember, strikes, unions, mass bunking not only spoil the organization culture but also bring a bad name to the organization. Develop a positive attitude and learn to ignore things if you really want your organization to do well and outshine its competitors.

There is no place of ego at workplace. Employees who carry their ego to work find it difficult to adjust with their fellow workers eventually affecting the work culture. In today’s business scenario, people expect you to drop “Sir”, “Maam” or “Boss” attached to a name in both written as well as verbal communication.

Corporate culture gives you the liberty to address individuals by their first names only irrespective of position and age. Now, there are some individuals who would really not appreciate their juniors calling them by their names.

You need to understand that there is nothing which is more important than your work and output. No individual would like to work in an environment where juniors are not treated with respect and care. Would you ever like to leave an organization where all employees are treated as one? Ask yourself.

Favouritism is another big threat to work culture. Problems arise the moment you start giving special treatments to few employees. Do not favour someone just because he/she is your friend or you like the other person. Such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable and unethical. Favouritism not only spoils the work culture but also demotivates those who genuinely want to work and carve a niche for themselves. Employees who work hard need to be motivated and appreciated irrespective of their position in the hierarchy.

Lack of communication among employees is another major problem faced by organizations. Employees need to communicate with each other to discuss work, various issues and also reach to innovative solutions. Employees need to work as a single unit for better results. Bosses need to communicate effectively with their team members. Do not always expect your secretary to pass on information to your subordinates on your behalf. Let employees feel special. Treat them as indispensable resources of the organization.

Individuals taking their organizations for granted also spoil the work culture. You need to genuinely feel for your organization. A feeling of loyalty is essential. Don’t work for anyone else but for yourself and obviously your organization. Things would never improve unless and until employees take pride in representing their respective organizations.