Olga Khazan’s updated article on women who bully, published in The Atlantic last month, is reflective of the dynamics I outline in my book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire, where I explain how a toxic culture creates and supports bullying.
Women are often singled out as being difficult to work for or with, but the dynamics that cause this are based in fear, just as they are with men.
The way that these situations can be made healthy is for upper management to agree that the culture of their organization must adopt the ethic of reciprocity in all of their interactions with all stakeholders, especially fellow employees. This paves the way for the creation and sustainability of psychologically safe workplaces.
Author: Andrew Faas
Photo credit: gratisography.com