Poor workplace teamwork - comments welcome!

[shalom]

What makes the work-place functional, positive and energetic?

That's a broad one, huh? My colleagues are mostly stressed to distraction- mistakes are common and people hardly speak to each other,unless it's absolutely essential. Morale is in the pits.

It's an awful emotional atmosphere. And it is not related to the recession ie not about possible job losses.

I am part of a start-up. The product is new so we are pioneers in an area with huge potential but also with constant operational problems of one kind or another .

A whole lot of $$$ has been recently invested in getting this off the ground. The investors are off-site and themselves have no real understanding of how things should function here.

Still, despite our difficulties, most of us are still very committed and excited by what lies ahead.

The problem? I think it's related to an inappropriately authoritarian management style. E.g. staff who were employed to exercise their professional expertise ( no,not me) feel they are being smothered from using it by a manager who behaves like a Doberman.

He intimidates, shouts, yells, barks ( hence the Doberman analogy) ignores important in-house professional advice. Product development is thus currently in the craps.

I wonder whether he is out of his depth with this job - it's complex and requires a lot of experience in this particular field, which he doesn't have.

So there is this atmosphere of fear. Most people are also grumpy,unnecessarily aggressive and even arrogant.

Don't know if this is relevant, but 99% staff are male. The testosterone/egos here are palpable, this norm is initiated and carried by the manager ... I am the only female and regarded as "the little woman". Ugh.

Words of enlightenment, wisdom and sharing of similar experience is most welcome !

Do you think people who are unsuitably employed eventually act to resolve their level of discomfort of their own accord ie leave ?

[RT Wolf]

Depends on how desperate you personally are. So, I guess, decide whether this place is worth it for you to work at. If you're ready and willing to leave if things don't change, you can try some higher-risk things that oculd cause change or could make things worse. So, I guess I mean, figure out your bottom line and then you can decide what sorts of action you can take.

Get an appointment with the manager, emphasize his strengths, then mention one actionable thing you are asking to improve things, then compliment his strengths or some previous actions again. The Sandwich method. Do not say anyhting on a high level, like you're not a good manager. Focus on yourself and others, ie, "we feel like crap and can't work well the rest of the day if we are yelled at. So, please, we would really like it and we feel we'd work better if we're not yelled at." If he gives a snarky response like, if you guys would work harder, I wouldn't have ot yell at you, manager's got issues.

Keep in mind one thing, too, motivating people is really quite difficult and it takes a lot of skill and probably years to learn. So, if the manager's got a method that seems to giving him the results he wants, then he may not be too bothered, but if you can show that there's a better method or that this method is really not very good, you may be able to change that. However, try to bound it as much as possible, don't give exclusive reason for the other person to take it personally, try to make it as limited as possible, ie, don't yell, praise for good stuff.

If that doesn't work or you don't wanna go about it: is the manager the top person? If not, find the person above them, talk to them about the issues you're facing frankly. This may involve going to investors, and even if they may be friends or whatever with the manager, if he's killing producivity and may be sinking the startup, they'll think twice. Suggest that they look at the manager's behaviour themselves and see its impact. Then, if they agree with you, they may have a talk with the manager, which may end well or badly. It'd be best if your name is not brought up, cause if hte manager's petty then it oculd make your job worse for you.

You may be interested in reading some books on this sort of thing. Secrets of Power Negotiating or just communication books.

No, not everyone who's in a bad place leaves. I'm sure you know of someone who shouldn't be in a relaitonship or marriage with someone but stays for whatever reason. The best explanation I have is from Tim Ferriss, "Pure hell forces action. Anything less can be endured with enough clever rationalization".

Finally, don't take the job so seriously and consul others not to. Have other stuff outside of work to focus on. I can remember one anecdote from Your Money or Your Life where everyone is running around stressed out except for one guy on the team. Someone asks him why he's not stressed out and he just says, "my job is not the main event in my life".

[silicon toad2000]

It is always a shame when the person at the top of a business has poor management/people skills.

I have always found that this leads from a fear of failing. I have never really had to cope too much with that kind of treatment. I have seen it plenty.

I believe the key is undertsanding. Understand where that person is coming from, understand what that person expects, understand what needs to be achieved and how that person expects it to be achieved.
Without ample communication this kind of understanding is difficult to attain.

As far as changing the whole culture of the place, one person, one step at a time. It sounds like starting with communication, start a small communications meeting in your area or SHORT weekly review meeting to go over targets and forulate a 'how to' plan to exceed those targets. When it works well it will catch on.