What do you do if your team culture is toxic and unproductive?

Para erradicar una cultura tóxica en el equipo, empieza con un diagnóstico minucioso. Realiza entrevistas individuales o encuestas anónimas para entender las percepciones de los miembros sobre el ambiente laboral. Escucha atentamente sus preocupaciones y vivencias. Este enfoque no solo identificará los problemas específicos, sino que también demostrará tu compromiso con el cambio. Al comprender a fondo el problema, podrás elaborar un plan de acción dirigido que aborde las raíces del problema en lugar de solo los síntomas superficiales.

A toxic and unproductive team culture requires open communication, setting clear expectations, and fostering a positive environment. Start by addressing specific issues directly, promoting teamwork, and providing support for individual growth. Consider implementing team-building activities, conflict resolution strategies, and regular feedback sessions. Encourage collaboration, provide support for professional development, and lead by example to promote a healthy work environment. If necessary, seek outside assistance, such as HR or a professional mediator, to facilitate the process.

Fomentar un diálogo abierto es esencial para sanar un entorno de equipo tóxico. Anime a su equipo a expresar sus pensamientos y sentimientos en un espacio seguro y libre de juicios. Esto podría ser a través de reuniones regulares o sesiones de retroalimentación donde todos tengan voz. La transparencia por parte del liderazgo sobre los desafíos que enfrenta el equipo y las medidas tomadas para mejorar la situación puede construir confianza y demostrar que se toman en serio el cambio. Recuerde, la comunicación es de doble vía, y su disposición para escuchar puede ser tan importante como su capacidad para brindar orientación.

Establecer estándares claros de comportamiento es vital para transformar una cultura tóxica. Como líder, es tu responsabilidad definir y comunicar estas expectativas a tu equipo. Establece lo que es y no es un comportamiento aceptable y asegúrate de que estas pautas se apliquen de manera consistente. Al establecer estos límites, creas un marco de responsabilidad y respeto. Es importante que los miembros del equipo entiendan que si bien el rendimiento es importante, la forma en que logran los resultados también importa.

Setting clear behavior standards is key, requiring leaders skilled in identifying and addressing maladaptive behaviors. This requires proactive leadership and education to create a positive and inclusive environment. The workplace color spectrum serves is an effective framework: 1. Green: Ideal, with respectful, productive behavior. 2. Yellow: Indicates issues like poor management or lack of teamwork, needing improvement. 3. Orange: Near harassment, with unwelcome remarks on protected characteristics, requiring HR intervention. 4. Red: Unlawful harassment, significantly toxic and hostile, demanding action from HR or legal teams. Educating members on these standards is essential for accountability.

Leaders are organizational role models. If they wish to create a positive culture, their values and behaviors should align with the organization's values. If the leader wishes to create a safe culture, they must make a relationship based on trust and act with integrity, respect, openness, and humility. Leaders can change a culture by flagging unethical behaviors they see in other leaders and making them accountable. Leaders must also have the courage to deal with workplace misbehavior in their team. They must be present to support their employees and deal with behaviors not aligned with a safe culture. Dealing with a toxic culture is more about dealing with what is making it toxic (addressing the cause) than adding positive elements.

You can't lead by example until you know your impact. My research shows that over 60% of leaders have significantly inaccurate understanding of their impact on others. In reality, they are almost a different person when we use 360 tools to assess leadership styles. The point is that you can't lead by example from a bubble. You need lots of feedback from peers and professionals to get things right.

As Skip observed, most leaders don't intend to create a climate of fear but they aren't aware of the small things they do that can reduce psychological safety - giving more recognition to some team members over others for example, finding flaws in ideas rather than encouraging people to expand on them, or even saying things like "don't worry" rather than giving space for people to be truly open.

Como el médico principal en la sala de operaciones, tu conducta establece el estándar para todo el equipo quirúrgico. Sé el ejemplo vivo de la precisión, la calma y el respeto mutuo que deseas ver en tus colegas. Tu habilidad para liderar con compostura, ofrecer orientación y mantener una actitud positiva en momentos de alta presión influye en el desempeño de todo el equipo. Al adoptar este enfoque, inspiras confianza y fomentas un ambiente de trabajo colaborativo y seguro, similar al necesario en un quirófano donde cada acción cuenta para el bienestar del paciente.

As a leader, it’s crucial to articulate not only the challenges at hand but also the changes being implemented to overcome them. Clearly define the expected results and how they align with the organization’s objectives. To ensure a smooth transition, introduce changes incrementally. Break down the process into small, actionable steps to prevent any sense of overwhelm. This approach facilitates easier management and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Each incremental success will build momentum and reinforce a collective sense of achievement and progress within your team. Remember, the goal is to create a shared vision that resonates with your team, one that they can see themselves being a part of and benefiting from.

Implementar cambios en la cultura de equipo tóxica es como aplicar una terapia molecular: requiere identificar las raíces del problema y diseñar intervenciones específicas. Como un bioquímico meticuloso, analiza la composición molecular de la cultura, buscando desequilibrios y oportunidades para restaurar la armonía. Cada cambio es como una molécula terapéutica, diseñada para dirigirse a puntos específicos y catalizar transformaciones positivas. Al igual que un compuesto farmacéutico, los cambios deben ser dosificados con precisión y administrados con cuidado para lograr el efecto deseado sin efectos secundarios no deseados. Con enfoque científico y atención a los detalles, convertirás la cultura tóxica en un entorno saludable y vibrante.

A culture is transmitted through leaders. If the culture is toxic, leaders should, before doing anything, ask themselves: what are the values and behaviors I want to see in the culture I am creating? Then, ask themselves if they base their decisions and actions on their identified values. Are they leading with integrity? For example, if they tell their employees their well-being is a priority, they should respect their promise. So many leaders are all about the show: they say all the right words when, in reality, they favor performance/profit over their team's well-being. To create a safe culture, leaders must be ready to take responsibility for contributing to the toxic culture and put people before profit. Actions speak louder than words.

Assess how far reaching this toxicity is...how far up and across the chain of formal leadership does it emanate? Recognise that you may be treated with hostility if you try to change a status quo which others have benefited from. If senior leaders or those you lead talk about being supportive of cultural change do they back this up with action - do they speak publicly about it in a supportive manner? Are they brave about defining the problem and the impact on the organisation?....without this activity, such words may be a smoke screen by those who do not want to change their power / work balance in favour of creating a more values aligned organisation. This can lead to unscrupulous behaviour against you to prevent any change...

Abordar una cultura de equipo tóxica puede requerir tiempo y esfuerzo, pero es fundamental para el bienestar y el rendimiento del equipo a largo plazo. Identifica las áreas problemáticas y trabaja con el equipo para abordar las causas, se transparente en la comunicación y fomenta un ambiente donde los miembros del equipo se sientan seguros para expresar sus inquietudes Asegúrate de que todos en el equipo comprendan las expectativas de comportamiento y rendimiento. Promueve la colaboración, el apoyo mutuo y la celebración de los logros del equipo para fortalecer los lazos entre los miembros y mejorar la moral general.

I Agree with this based on research and professional experience. Not all 'leaders' in organizations accepts that it indeed "comes back to the leadership, it is the leaderships' fault" when the organization isn't healthy. On the small business side, I also think it is worth discussing that the privately owned companies also look at their time involved in managing the business - so if a toxic core team is 'running the show' -owners let them and disregard the toxic impact on others. I've seen this with the toxic "charismatic cult leaders" in particular. *This conversation/movement along with employees leaving honest company reviews online these days - seem to shake things up. Thank you for being a core spokesperson on this important matter!