Tackling fear culture at work

Characteristics of a fear culture

Addressing a fear culture at work intervenes at every level of the organisation. Feeding sources of a fear culture are:

• pressure from a (shrinking) market
• uncertainty due to unclear structures, rules and expectations
• Pressure from unworkable, unclear and too many procedures
• hierarchy, power differential, acquired rights (coming under pressure)
• peer pressure on each other to achieve an own or organisational goal
• a feeling of not being able to move, promote or resign

Almost always, there is more than one cause. There are then multiple elements that reinforce the negative culture. Moreover, everyone is there and 'supports' this culture of fear, if only by tolerating it.

An incorrectly rotating flywheel

We often see that a culture of fear at work creates resistance in the organisation. This resistance in turn triggers additional fear. This creates a flywheel spinning in the wrong direction.

The flywheel has so much mass that one person cannot stop or reverse this negative energy. Expert team guidance is therefore desirable and necessary for some time.

Everyone participated in the unwanted culture. And so we invite everyone to contribute to a new culture, to growth and change.

Charting the change

A culture change process usually starts with a intake interview of half an hour with all stakeholders. The central question in it is whether the participants will keep their desire can describe.

What is crucial is whether everyone wants to take a step that contributes to change.

Bringing the flywheel to a halt

One of the hallmarks of a culture of fear is disbelief in change. Fighting against that disbelief is not very useful. Stopping feeding the unwanted culture, however, is feasible. On a first team day, we identify what needs to be worked on. Naming them reduces pressure and helps to focus energy on change. This makes room for the desire for a new culture.

Every millimetre of change we receive with cheer and feels (to us) like a new spring. A flywheel does not start at full speed. At standstill, there are no leaves on the trees yet, no harvest in sight. No, that's true, but we still see every positive millimetre as a new beginning, as new blossom, powerful and worth nurturing.

Address and appreciate

We have learned that appreciating what is going well - despite everything - is important. Acknowledging the (remaining) pain is also a key to getting the flywheel of this culture change moving in the right direction. Starting this process takes the most effort and sometimes tension.

Maintaining and lubricating the flywheel

Getting from millimetres to centimetres of change requires - what we call - 'satisfactory' glasses. Despite not everything running perfectly right away, green leaves do sprout.

Where the sun shines and it is no longer so chilly, the buds pop open first. At this stage, we usually (re)introduce 'The Scale of Cooperation'. Participants can now see through and with different eyes the differences.

We support this process by focusing during team days on what is already virtuous and working. A tree that is watered can grow.

Sometimes there are disruptive factors in this process. With individual coaching, we then address these. Here, the belief is that everyone matters in this change process and can participate. Everyone can contribute and is worth contributing. This belief in each other has been compromised in the fear culture. Restoring faith in each other's qualities is important at this stage. Attention to communication styles Ensures alignment and incorporation of qualities.

Giving and receiving feedback

In a team with characteristics of a fear culture, mistakes are played on the man. 'Who did this? is more important than 'How can we avoid this mistake together from now on?'

In a collaborative culture, the latter question becomes central. Making mistakes remains annoying but people learn as a team of. There is then enough mutual trust to discuss something that has apparently gone wrong.

Keeping the flywheel spinning

A collaborative team can self-correct disruptions. In this final phase of our guidance, the emphasis is on this. And everyone can contribute: the board, management, HRM, a confidential advisor, the works council, customers, and last but not least the team members themselves. Help is appreciated and valued. The honour of a success is widely shared. A successful project has many fathers and mothers!

A failed project no longer has one culprit, but leads to an evaluation process in which everyone takes their part.

The change cycle in teams

In a self-managing and self-empowering team, a relapse is still possible.

Sometimes, however, an organisation does not even embark on a team coaching programme because 'there will be another relapse anyway'.

This setup gets in the way of any development. Whichever way you look at it, you are then all alone.

Team coaching is a worthwhile investment.