by Dr. Steven M. Rumery (a.k.a. “Rum”)
“Organizations that are plagued by issues of sexual harassment have deeper problems than the exhibition of these debasing behaviors.”
-Rum
We’ve all seen the headlines and the revival of the #MeToo social media movement. So many women and men are coming forward, bravely and publicly, with their own very personal and devastating stories of how they have been mistreated and abused in the workplace. The abusers being their own colleagues, managers and leaders. People who know them, who work with them, who are trusted by them. These degrading behaviors tear at the fabric of what makes organizations great, the shared sense of mutual respect and dignity that encourages people to be themselves and to strive to do their best work.
Most agree that the line is pretty clear about which behaviors are considered sexual harassment. Behaviors such as sending sexually suggestive notes or emails, inappropriate touching, and making offensive comments about a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity are clearly over the line. But when you apply various cultural, age, and other demographic lenses, you start to see that different people may see the same offensive behaviors differently. These factors do not justify or excuse the harassment, but it does highlight how seemingly straightforward guidelines regarding sexual harassment may begin to fray.
In my experience, organizations that are plagued by issues of sexual harassment have deeper problems than the exhibition of these debasing behaviors. In many ways, sexual harassment behaviors dismally indicate a deeper problem, something I call a “feedback anemic” work culture.
A “feedback anemic” culture fails to provide clear expectations of what is right and wrong, and lacks the formal and informal mechanisms to inform and correct behavior that does not meet expectations.
A “feedback anemic” culture is defined as an organization or group that lacks the ability to a) set expectations of what is acceptable behavior and to b) reinforce these expectations by providing feedback and corrective action to employees when they violate the norms of acceptable behavior. Inadequate feedback likely extends beyond the exhibition of sexual harassment behaviors to a host of other counterproductive behaviors, many of which are also demeaning and disrespectful to employees.
So how does an organization with a “feedback anemic” culture turn itself around? In three progressively difficult steps.
First, the organization needs to accept that there is a problem. Organizational leaders at all levels need to recognize that expectations about sexual harassment and other behaviors are not as clearly defined as expected and that the mechanisms that are used to reinforce boundaries are broken.
Second, the organization needs to clarify exactly what is expected of people within the organization. Leaders need to clearly define what are acceptable behaviors and what are unacceptable behaviors. Though broad principles are helpful (e.g., a set of organizational values), it is critical to provide very specific examples of what is acceptable and unacceptable. And the examples must be made relevant to all levels of the organization.
Third, and most difficult, the organization needs to create the formal and informal mechanisms to reinforce the expectations that are set. Formal mechanisms often consist of things like on-boarding and performance review processes, training, and organizational survey. Informal mechanisms include things like mentoring conversations, career conversations, team discussions and other opportunities for leaders to provide guidance to their people on an on-going basis. Inherent in each of these mechanisms is the courage, both individually and collectively, for people to speak up and provide comprehensive feedback to individuals when they have crossed the line and failed to operate within the organization’s standards.
It is difficult to hear the experiences of our friends and colleagues who have been treated so poorly by others in their organizations. Let us recognize that this is a wake-up call, signifying for us all to look critically at ourselves and our organizations to ensure there are clear expectations about what is acceptable behavior and the mechanisms are in place to provide clear and unambiguous feedback to an employee when they cross the line.
If you are a leader and/or people professional interested in learning where your organization is along the “feedback rich / feedback anemic” cultural continuum, click for a sample LRI methodology.
Dr. Steve Rumery (a.k.a. “Rum”) is a Director with LRI who specializes in developing the credibility and impact of leaders and organizations through executive coaching, research and consulting.
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