Is Your Organization Digging Trenches or Building Bridges?

Entrenchment happens when an attitude, habit, or belief becomes so firmly established that it morphs from “what I believe” into “who I am,” and it can lead to polarization within teams and organizations. The current environment, where political divides and social movements permeate workplace interactions and many employees are working remotely, can create ideal conditions for entrenchment to take hold. To prevent or fight against these divisions, leaders first have to understand the divisive forces at play. Then, they can employ a few strategies aimed at encouraging empathy and identifying with others to help weaken the boundaries between subgroups. Resisting entrenchment is even more important in difficult times.

We’re surrounded by entrenchment. In the U.S., we constantly hear of lawmakers unable to pass collaborative legislation because they’re entrenched in increasingly polarized positions. Stories of failed mergers and acquisitions populate the business press, as leaders attempting to blend cultures and groups remain entrenched in their way of leading and “their” group’s ways of working. And for those of us just trying to complete our own work, how often have we been derailed when other groups of people (those accountants, those marketing folks, those leaders) were entrenched in their view of the problem?

Entrenchment happens when an attitude, habit, or belief becomes so firmly established that it morphs from “what I believe” into “who I am,” and it makes change difficult and unlikely. In organizations, we often see the beginnings of entrenchment in groups and teams when individuals categorize themselves and others into subgroups. Subgroup entrenchment happens when group members believe that there are clear clusters of team members who have shared, specific views. This type of entrenchment is based on perceptions that a division between “us and them” exists, regardless of whether it actually does. Entrenched divisions are often seen as a state of being — that they’re fixed, stable, and not fluid. Most importantly, they’re often imbued with ideological significance, and this is where problems arise.

Decades of research show that the perceived divisions across subgroups, sometimes called “faultlines,” can increase negative forms of conflict and decrease open communication, team commitment, innovation, and performance. The more entrenched subgroups feel, the harder it is to see across the divide and consider the perspective of the “other.” Unsurprisingly, this leads to higher potential for increased polarization and worse outcomes for the overall team.

That said, there’s an upside to entrenchment. The subgroups themselves can be quite content working together. Working in a small team with impenetrable boundaries can increase a sense of belonging, cohesion, and implicit acceptance. For example, marketers and accountants may have trouble working together, as each subgroup has different training and an implicit language, but enjoy interacting within their own teams for those same reasons.   

Organizational leaders can harness the benefits of subgroups while avoiding the potential pitfalls of entrenchment. Before building bridges across the divides and engaging subgroups in more positive ways, the first step is to understand the key divisive forces at play.

First, leaders must be acutely aware of the potential for (or the actual) division in their teams, based on a number of different attributes and identities. Not all subgroup types have the same effect — some can fuel innovation and constructive conflict, while others can be divisive and trigger polarization. Look out for subgroup types based on the following factors:

Second, observe how team members engage and interact with one another in both the physical and virtual worlds to uncover who might be part of various subgroups. Ask yourself: Who talks to whom? Who aligns or continually disagrees with whom — despite the idea being discussed? Who chats together during virtual meetings or turns off their camera when someone from the other group is speaking? Who engages in informal interactions such as coffee discussions or inside jokes? These patterns of interaction offer important cues about whether subgroups exist, who might be aligned, and what information or attributes they’re aligned on.

Third, be mindful that, when subgroups emerge within a team, it’s likely that the team’s leader, by virtue of their demographic attributes, knowledge, experience, and values, is more aligned with one subgroup over the others (which may not be obvious at first glance). This alignment, coupled with the leader’s influence, has the potential to shape how these subgroups interact.

From the moment a subgroup is formed, it creates a history of its own — a shared identity and subculture that contains stories of triumph, loss, and sometimes intense emotional experiences that can be personal in nature — even if the interaction is purely virtual. Our research highlights that the longer we work in our particular subgroups, the more similarities we begin to find and create between us, which ultimately strengthens entrenchment.

Leaders can use several strategies to help weaken the boundaries between subgroups in order to resist entrenchment. At the core of these strategies is to encourage not only perspective-taking, but also empathy, care, and identification with the “other side.”

In difficult times, where our morals and values are tested and challenged, the path of least resistance is to become entrenched in the safety and comfort our views, values, and groups. To create and empower a high-performing team and organization, leaders need to learn to become bridge builders.

Is Your Organization Digging Trenches or Building Bridges?

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