I meet many cultures in business in the
Seattle and Redmond area (Pacific Northwest) that have a strong passive
aggressive culture. Leadership at these
companies are stuck in that results are promised but commitment and follow
through are weak. What is recommended as
a way to quickly stop the nonsense and help people grow up a little bit and get
on with creating a performance based system that is fair, trustworthy and a lot
more fun to work in?
David Dunnington, Our Best Work
Passive
aggressive behavior can come in many forms. It typically shows up as
noncompliance, negativity, and a failure of people to not act responsible or
accountable. Among others, it can also show up as indirect and direct sabotage;
forgetfulness; withholding of information; withdrawal; and procrastination. It
not only undermines performance, it also effects cultures negatively and tests
the ability of leadership.
Passive
aggressive behavior is the result of conflict. Not only is it a type of
conflict behavior, it is also an indication that there is a conflict that is
unresolved. In your inquiry, you hit on three main issues that are worth
exploring.
The first has to
do with the weak accountability that results when leaders do not confront
conflict and passive aggressive behavior in a timely manner. Or, they don’t
deal with it at all (the latter of which we see all too often). Leaders need to
learn that confronting conflict is one of their main priorities. Good leaders
address and manage conflict effectively. And they do it in a timely manner. In
my experience, it is the key skill required to becoming a great leader.
The second is
that passive aggressive behavior can easily permeate a culture. This is
directly the result of leaders not confronting conflict and letting disagreements
and misalignments spin out of control. How teams and organizations deal with
conflict is the key influencer of culture. Leaders are responsible for role
modeling and reinforcing the behaviors that are acceptable and unacceptable in
the culture. If they don’t confront conflict and passive aggressive behavior,
they are granting permission for it to exist. Hence, it becomes a key trait of
the culture and its accepted norms.
The third aspect
is that which addresses what is fair and reminds us that cultures can be fun to
work in and offer trusting environments to work in. Such cultures offer people
the ability to express themselves freely, without fear of retribution or
negative consequence. Again, it is up to leaders to take the responsibility to
be open and treat people with mutual respect. This involves listening, helping
people to succeed and always being open and candid about what people are doing,
and whether it fits the desired culture. All too often, leaders fail to see
their own relationship for the passive aggressive behaviors of those around
them. Leaders that fail to confront conflict are acting passively aggressive.
It just may not be as obvious to them.
Lastly, you make
mention of the Northwest region of the country. Maybe it is something in the
water? My observation is that these types of challenges exist in all
organizations and teams, regardless of geography. In the end, “a quick way to
stop the nonsense” relies on leadership not putting up with passive aggressive
behavior and confronting it the moment they see it (including their own). It
begins with asking why and exploring the root causes. It requires leaders to
act responsibly, to take action, and as a result, not let passive aggressive
behavior become a norm of culture.
Thank you for taking
part in the conversation.
