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Business Leadership Dilemma: Can the Dark Side of Employee Behavior Be Tamed?

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair

Article Overview: This year is the 50th anniversary of one of the most important books in the field of leadership practices. When Douglas McGregor asked us to look at basic beliefs about the workforce he got the conversation rolling. "The Human Side of Enterprise" is a classic, one to be on all leadership development lists. Are employees lazy and self-centered, needing strong directives and lots of watching (theory X)? Or, are they inherently meant to blossom and all they need is to be given sunshine and room to bloom and grow (theory Y)?

Business Leadership Dilemma: Can the Dark Side of Employee Behavior Be Tamed?

This year is the 50th anniversary of one of the most important books in the field of leadership practices. When Douglas McGregor asked us to look at basic beliefs about the workforce he got the conversation rolling. "The Human Side of Enterprise" is a classic, one to be on all leadership development lists. Are employees lazy and self-centered, needing strong directives and lots of watching (theory X)? Or, are they inherently meant to blossom and all they need is to be given sunshine and room to bloom and grow (theory Y)?

Answering this basic thought about human nature will determine how you lead, actually how you live your life. Somewhere between the good of self-actualization in the workplace and sweating to get a job done fast and furious there is another perspective that is putting little green shoots into the work environment today.

It comes from the work of family therapy and systems theory. It agrees with both concepts; we are selfish blokes who want what we want when we want it and will "cut off someone's neck to get ahead" if we need to. We are also kind-hearted humans who will give the shirt off our back in the blink of an eye.

How can both of these theories of human behavior be right? Partly we must consider context. If the environment is safe, we can blossom. If it is laced with fear we retract to the old fight, flight, or freeze mentality.

The behaviors we bring to work are a by-product of what we learned as kids to keep us safe and secure. When stress is high we all revert to these patterns of behavior; we hide under the covers and become avoiders, we yell and fuss and become drama kings and queens, we grab for the bottle (scotch or vodka replaces milk), we take a long drag on our pacifier, now called a cigarette.

The behaviors are all around us at work. The boss yells, we cringe like we did when mom or dad yelled, a co-worker makes fun of an idea and we inwardly plot revenge yet feel like a victim, we become the clown to alleviate the tense situation yet nothing really changes.

The way out is to begin an evolution revolution at work. We need to discard the old behaviors, like giving away old clothes that we outgrew as children. Not so easy however. We are accountable for our behavior and the way OUT is to Observe the patterns we carry with us in the workplace, Understand their origin from way back when we were little, and then do the hard work of Transforming these patterns to ones that are more fitting the adult we have become.

Yes, revenge is sweet; only in the short term. Yes, thinking only about one self feels good for the moment. No, this is not about being a "goody goody" and self-sacrificing. It is about taking the reins and charting a course to looking for work interactions that will create safety.

The dark side is there waiting to take control. Understanding and shining a light on the ugly aspects of behavior gives us an opportunity to change. This can be done if the work place offers tools for developing long term positive relationships. This is a powerful preventive aspect to keep health care costs down and work production high.

Macgregor was right in addressing the best in us. The work setting is one of the most advantageous places to help individuals blossom. Addressing childhood behaviors and offering methods for change can be one of the most revolutionary ways organizations can add to the common good.

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Article Tags: business leadership, dilemma, leadership development, leadership practices, theory x, workforce



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