Hacking HR to Build an Adaptability Advantage
In many organizations, employees are afraid to make risky bets because if the bets fail, they are punished for the failure (in terms of losing out on rewards, incentives, promotions, etc.). So because of their fear of the consequences of failure, employees default to making "safe" decisions and not taking chances.
A culture of fear and blame can only be broken by consistency of being trusting of others around you. This applies both ways. Staff can be very judgemental of managers and vice versa.
This translates in actions to take more control over behaviours through punishment, leading to a vicious cycle of fear and reinforcement of that fear.
Only non-hierarchical thinking where everyone in the organisation is equal and deserves to be trusted can truly break the fear. You only need a pocket where this is not embraced for fear to start spreading throughout the organisation again.
The dominant concern of managers in organizations is 'looking good'. In a world where perception is everything, there is a tendency to align behind senior decision makers and toe the line even when things start to fall apart! One of the easiest ways to look good is to play safe and steer clear of risky and potential breakthrough ideas.
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