Every Work Culture Is Toxic (And Not)
How to integrate the positive and negative
No organization is 100% negative or positive.
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
Your organizational culture is not static. It’s continually becoming more negative or more positive.
When we talk about organizations we often think in absolutes — companies have either great or toxic cultures. That approach narrows our understanding — companies are not 100% toxic or 100% healthy.
Culture is something fluid that’s fueled by both positive and negative behaviors.
Whatever you feed your culture, it becomes.
The Ambivalence of Culture
Most organizations fail to integrate their good and bad aspects. Culture is the behavior we reward and punish. A toxic culture is not created out of the blue.
Reflect on what you reward and punish.
Idealization creates deception: The pressure to attract the best talent forces organizations to idealize their culture. Lea…
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