In my last blog post, I wrote about the importance of
leadership in creating a respectful workplace.
But what about organizational culture?
Isn’t that a more important factor in maintaining a respectful
workplace? Here is why leadership comes
first:
- Leadership forms and influences culture.
- Culture drives behavior.
- Behavior results in a respectful workplace.
A particular organizational culture could be
inclusive, diverse, and respectful, but if a new leader comes in, all that
could change over time.
So what about culture and its influence on the
organization? I mentioned the 2016 EEOC
study in my last post, and in that same study, the EEOC concluded: “Over and over again, during the course of
our study, we heard that workplace culture has the greatest impact on allowing
harassment to flourish, or conversely, in preventing harassment.” Of course the
EEOC also recognized that leadership is what drives culture.
So how does an organization assure that organizational
culture will prevent harassment? I use
a visual aid to demonstrate the different elements of a respectful workplace:
Each of these elements are important. Each contributes in reinforcing or defeating
a culture of respect. What are the
elements to look for in your own organization?
What
are your organization’s values? Culture is set by the
values of the organization. As an example, Google has been ranked as one of the
“happiest” places to work. The
organization places a high value on diversity and inclusion, and has been one
of the leaders in efforts to eliminate bias in decisionmaking.[1] The organization is
dedicated to valuing people, celebrating successes, accountability for
diversity and inclusion, and other efforts that have shaped the Google culture.[2] Riot Games, an organization also listed in
Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work spent time developing their culture by
looking for “workplace toxicity” (defined to include behaviors generally
categorized as racist, sexist, homophobic and other forms of “hate speech”) in
their team members’ gaming behaviors, and used strategies designed to eliminate
it.[3] These organizations have both worked hard to
analyze and define their values, and develop initiatives to further those values.
How
intense are your organization’s efforts to address diversity and
inclusion? Studies
show that the more diverse the workplace, the less likely harassment will
occur. That is one of the reasons why
Google has concentrated so heavily on diversity and inclusion. The EEOC pointed to the lack of diversity in
a workforce as one of the “risk factors” for harassing behaviors. Diversity helps to define organizational
culture.
What
types of behaviors are formally or informally rewarded? Team
members do not learn workplace norms through policies, they learn through
behavior, attitudes, remarks, jokes, and the organizational response to
situations (spoken or unspoken). Does your organization have a high performer
who has bad habits like fits of anger, bad language, rude treatment? Rewarding that person, even if it is for
their money-making ability, sends the message that behavior is tolerated.
What
happens when a policy clashes with the organizational culture?
As Gustavo Grodnitzky writes in his book Culture
Trumps Everything, when a policy and culture clash, culture will always win
out. Leaders must set culture expectations,
and define organizational values.
How
does your organization address general workplace civility?
Studies show that in a workplace culture where there is bullying or general
incivility, harassment is more likely to occur.
Tolerance of disrespectful treatment may give implicit permission to
engage in the behavior, and contributes to a culture of tolerance.
How
does your organization encourage reporting of inappropriate behavior? The
EEOC cited the effectiveness of training such as “bystander intervention” in
combating sexual violence on campus (“If you see something, say something.”) Does
your organization value reporting? Encourage and reward such behavior, and
develop skills in reporting, giving permission even to bystanders to report
behavior. The “don’t tattle” culture
many grew up with is strong. Counteract that by enhancing the organizational
value that all of us are responsible for respect in the workplace.
The development of organizational culture is a complex
topic that cannot be covered in depth here, but these ideas will help leaders
begin to assess their own organizational culture of respect.
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