Incest 0000i-xiv FM 1 - William L. White

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t h e i n c e st u o u s wo r k p lac e
commercial product at home and abroad that for many will be as lethal
as it is addictive.
Organizational character is being raised here because both closed
and porous systems are vulnerable to taking on psychopathic characters.
Closed organizations are vulnerable to psychopathy because of
the kinds of people drawn to high priest/priestess roles and the sustained
emotional depletion that occurs in such systems. Porous systems
are vulnerable to developing exploitive characters because they lack
strong countervailing value systems.
9.11 Team Building:
In Search of the Organizational Family
What porous organizations lack that closed organizations have in excess
is cohesion. Porous systems are by definition splintered and fragmented.
It is wrong to even refer to these collections of individuals as either organizations
or teams, for they are neither organized nor cooperative. The
prevalence of porous systems today is indicated by the number of organizations
that begin a request for consultation services with a discussion
of lost direction, interpersonal dissension, deteriorating staff morale,
poor motivation and productivity, and high turnover of the best and
brightest personnel. It is equally indicated by the number of organizations
that request help in communication and conflict resolution, team
building, and creating a work milieu that is positive and uplifting.
Porous organizations ask consultants time and time again for two things:
the first is help defining the overarching elements of an organizational
culture, including mission, vision, core values, strategic goals, and standards
of ethical and professional conduct; the second is help defining
these elements through a highly participatory process that enhances interpersonal
relationships, enhances team identity and loyalty, and improves
team functioning. What porous organizations ask us to do is help
take a diverse, often conflicted group of individuals and turn them into
what everyone in America seems to want: a family. In these cases, an organizational
family.
9.12 Organizations with Mixed Characteristics
The problem with any model is that it is only an approximation of reality—a
helpful starting point that requires care and caution in its application.
We have described two types of organizations—closed and
porous—that generate excessive levels of professional distress among
their members. But many organizations will appear to have mixed