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
break the no-talk rules governing communications about agency
problems. A written outline of problems and strategies should
be presented at the time of the verbal presentation. There is
something about capturing such issues on paper that increases
our control over them. The goal is to make hidden agendas explicit.
The new message is: Agency problems will be brought
out into the open, confronted directly, and resolved. The plan
should clearly articulate the future of the organization. It
should say where the organization needs to be with its problem
six months from now and a year from now. It should include
both the programmatic and the service issues that must be resolved
to meet those time goals. The plan should outline in
broad terms the process by which each problem will be addressed.
This area is generally less well-defined and is open
to refinement and input from the staff. The basic message is:
Directly confronting and resolving problems is not negotiable;
how we approach solving problems is negotiable. Organizational
leaders should get organizational family members to participate
in the problem-solving and healing processes.
B. Decreasing Immediate Stressors. By decreasing immediate
stressors, organizational leaders demonstrate that the process
started will result in concrete, observable changes in the work
environment. These actions demonstrate good faith on the part
of leaders and instill hope in the change process. Actions that
can decrease stressors include the postponement of nonessential
projects, the renegotiation of production time lines to free up
emotional energy for the change process, and the establishment
of interim communication procedures that enhance role clarity
and increase performance-related feedback.
C. Aborting the Process of Scapegoating. One of the most dramatic
steps that leaders can take to decrease fear and increase
feelings of security and safety is to bring to a halt the continued
scapegoating of any organizational members. Such action decreases
feelings of vulnerability not only for the scapegoats, but
for all members. The new director of a closed system often inherits
a situation in which a scapegoat is on the verge of extrusion.
He or she can check continued scapegoating by modeling
appropriate respect for and inclusion of the scapegoated member,
assigning the former scapegoat visible responsibilities and