Loopholes of Unhealthy Working Environment
Toxic Organization
These day’s organizations are falling from their own well- established scales. We have three types of organizational structure. One end is affixed with sound functioning personnel and machinery, second one is categorized as average organization performing in a better state running effectively and the third one is known as toxic organization which is not only ineffective in its structure but also harmful to its leaders and working personnel.
Definition of Toxic Organization
These organizations inhabit two significant features that differentiate it from healthier and sound workstations. First, it combines both low level of performance and poor decision making ability. Secondly towering heights of dissatisfaction and tension or pressure beyond the average workload among employees forms an important feature of toxic environment. Harsh, unhealthy and unhelpful human relationship between employees forms the root cause of this organization.
Along term irreparable damage may occur because of the nature of this organization not only for the employees but also for the institution, even after the employees get replaced.
Features of Toxic Organization
Toxic organizations work on very different level in comparison to healthy institutions. Employees and other working staff supported the following features in respect of this organization. They blame of being helpless in making things better off. They are not able to sustain themselves either professionally or emotionally.
Employees find it difficult to track the root cause of problem and discomfort. They find themselves under constant pressures. They are powerless in either solving problem fully and permanently or in leaving structure.
The toxic organization suffers from loopholes on the grounds of structural functioning and output achievement. It has drawbacks such as pitiable internal communication system, multiple amounts of wastes due to poor decision-making and reworks. It is incapable enough in achieving operational goals and targets and in meeting its commitment.
The major feature of this organization is its poor problem solving techniques and methods, which are obsessed with fear. It can be concluded that these organization finds it difficult to yield a good amount of output and accomplish much thereby creating a high level of anguish and misery among the personnel and institution.
Circumstances That Lead To Toxic Environment
Interpersonal relationships forms the core basis for the organization to have a sick atmosphere or healthy. Nature of relationships forms the basis of such toxicity. Low degree of interaction between employees helps in declining the rate of the toxic nature of environment to get enter into organization and establish its footprints in it. Toxic environment usually occurs in those small working units where there is enormous amount of face to face communication between various members of organization. Toxic organization shows the following characteristics:
- Large number of personal agendas serving only some sections of organization, not organization as a whole.
- Pitiable communication system
- High degree of interdependence between the staff members of organization
- Enormous amount of external pressures, which acts a threaten weapon to its members for losing job
- High level of classifications in an organization.
Toxic Leader
Toxic leaders form an important element and constituent of toxic organizations. These leaders develop a very confusing and conflicting atmosphere in organization making people crazy. These leaders prepare and follow such puzzling behavioral patterns that usually perplexes and paralysis people who follows them.
These toxic managers behave in very unpredictable manner, dangling from one emotional extreme to another. On an emotional level toxic leader are likely to be bitter and distant or very emotional and over reacting personalities. They exhibit these two qualities at the same time because they lack the maturity on emotional grounds, which help in dealing with people in more productive and accommodating way.
Toxic leader works in a conflicting manner. He may say one thing and do things in another way. He may perform tasks in contradiction to his statements. His decisions and working patterns may differ at different points without any justification and validation. He says something else and does something else.
People working under such a toxic leader finds it hard to cooperate and work to their best of abilities as they are not fully aware of what is expected out of them. They are also unaware when they will be blamed for inefficiency and put to punishment.
Toxic leader usually avoids decisions relating to stress, conflicts and to other emotionally charged situations, therefore he is also known as avoider. He avoids decision making unless emergency occurs.
It can be concluded that toxic leader perplexes his subordinates, uses clever means and techniques of punishment for disobedience, and a person carrying an attitude of indifference.
The Underlying Truth
Though the various comments have been made regarding the role of toxic leader, but it is equally true that he is also victim of an organizational structure. He is a helpless part of institution backed with his personal problems and weak understanding of management. He is conflicting and troublesome most of the time, living in distressed state.
Conclusion
The above written paragraphs acknowledge us with the concept of toxic organization and the role played by a toxic leader. We should made attempts that such an atmosphere not get its hold in our industrial structure otherwise it will become very difficult to manage and as a result it will ruin down the people, organization and we will have to pay a very steep price in terms of our well being and livelihood.