A Culture of Negativity

August 25, 2006

In the last issue of eTips, I offered some tips on how to work with individuals who have a negative attitude. These are people who criticize others, refrain from participating in group activities, and have a tendency to be particularly unhelpful in their dealings with others.

Sure, it can be tedious and frustrating to work with these people. However, for some managers having to deal with one or two grumpy individuals is the least of their concerns. Imagine for example, having to supervise an entire group comprised of negative people! That's what some managers face every day.

Your situation may not be nearly as bad. Nonetheless, do you ever worry that the steady stream of negative messages coming from the few disgruntled individuals could have a potentially demotivating effect on other employees in the group, causing them to become dissatisfied as well?

It's a concern among many managers because the thing about negative attitudes is that they have a way of spreading, like a virus.

Here is a typical scenario. In the beginning, the team is enthusiastic. Most people appear to be happy. They have fun together and they help one another. Then, over time the level of enthusiasm in the group gradually begins to diminish. A chorus of employee complaints begins to rise. You sense that something is different, but you don't think too much about it until one day you take a look around and wonder, "how did we wind up with such a negative group of people?"

What's happened is that a majority of individuals in the group used to have a positive, upbeat attitude about the job and about the organization and now they don't. And the change in attitudes is reflected in their behavior. People are less helpful to others, including customers. The result is a Culture of Negativity, where cynical attitudes and unhelpful behavior is the norm. It's "the way we do business around here."

A Culture of Negativity is harmful to the organization. It undermines morale, prompts talented people to leave, and turns customers off, resulting in a loss of business.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be that way. Even in situations where employees have been unhappy for a long period of time, the trend can be reversed. The Culture of Negativity can be changed. I'll share a few thoughts on how this can be accomplished, but first here is a quick test to help you determine whether or not a Culture of Negativity exists in your organization.

A Short Quiz

Think about your group as a whole, then answer the following questions:

1. When conditions are most stressful, are employees more likely to:
a) Offer help and encouragement to one another; or
b) Treat each another as the competition.

2. Do employees:
a) Willingly accept extra job assignments; or
b) Grumble when asked and resist taking on additional tasks or assignments not specifically stated in the job description.

3. With regard to occasional disruptions and work-related impositions, do employees mostly:
a) Accept them and do their best to work through them; or
b) Complain and use the situation as an excuse to stop or slow the pace of work.

4. When conflicts arise, are employees more likely to deal with it by:
a) Acknowledging the disagreement and developing strategies for resolving it; or
b) Avoid attempts to resolve it, choosing instead to engage in long-term guerilla warfare.

5. Do employees generally:
a) Treat others with respect; or
b) Frequently criticize or disparage other coworkers, management, or the organization.

6. In their dealings with customers, do most of your employees:
a) Go the extra mile to be helpful; or
b) Find it easier to say "we can't do that."

If you answered 'b' to any of these questions it could be a sign of a potential problem. If so, your first instinct might be to blame those few "troublemakers" who started it all. For example: "I knew I should have gotten rid of those people a long time ago. We wouldn't be in this mess today."

However, that's probably not true. The observation that a few "bad apples" spoil the bunch in this case is an illusion. Negativity doesn't "rub off" except when people have a reason for being receptive to the negative messages. So it means that something else must be going on.

There really is such a thing as a Culture of Negativity in some organizations, but it is caused by a widespread dissatisfaction with organizational policies or practices, not by a few bad apples.

And here is where the solution lies. As the manager, if you see signs that a Culture of Negativity may be developing in your organization you need to find out what it is that people are unhappy about. Often it involves a perceived lack of fairness, such as favoritism, unreasonable expectations, or other form of inequity. Whatever it is, the first step in changing people's attitudes is to find out what is influencing them.

Consider holding a group meeting to discuss the situation. Share your observations, for example, "I have noticed a drop in the level of enthusiasm in the group and I am concerned about why that is." This kind of discussion may require a thick skin on your part, especially if employees believe that you are contributing to the problem. This is not the time to be defensive. It's a time for listening only. Ask for suggestions on how conditions can be improved in your department.

Make specific changes that demonstrate your commitment to improving the situation. In a Culture of Negativity, people are aware that a problem exists. They're waiting for the manager to acknowledge that the problem exists and take the appropriate action to change it. If that doesn't happen people often assume that the manager is either out of touch or simply doesn't care enough to correct the problem.

Follow up. Monitor progress over time. As with any cultural change, reversing a Culture of Negativity takes time. There are usually no quick fixes here.

By the way, this process also works well as a preventative measure. Even if the people in your group are mostly positive, it never hurts to take the group temperature from time to time, simply by asking employees how things are going. By keeping the lines of communication open with employees, you can ward off any potential problems long before they affect people's attitudes.

Best regards,

Stephen Foster, Ph.D., SPHR
Expert Supervisor, LLC
1493 Market Street
Tallahassee, FL 32312
(850) 893-5699

E-mail me at: Steve.Foster@ExpertSupervisor.com.