A CULTURE OF FEAR IN ORGANIZATIONS

What is a culture of fear?

A culture of fear in organizations is a workplace culture where fear is the dominant energy, and employees feel anxious and frequently worry about unwanted consequences including job loss. It is also an organizational dysfunction in which collective, obstructive fear is prominent, and is systematically used to enforce loyalty, obedience and commitment from employees.

 

The use of fear in the organizational setting has proved to be ineffective and undesirable! Leading from fear can create a toxic culture in which people play safe, avoid mistakes, and lay low, in effect creating an organization that does not grow due to mediocre performance and unrealized potential. Fear is than natural, even in leaders, and fearful cultures bring out the worst in people, while fearless culture bring out their best. Fear consumes a lot of energy, and it reduces the capacity to function properly at every level, from individuals to teams to whole organizations.

 

Fear is an uncomfortable, unwelcome feeling and often people try to avoid it. This causes many different types of dysfunctional behavior, such as blaming, avoidance of risk or hiding issues to look good. A fear-based organizational culture is the least-effective way to get the job done and leads to higher turnover and unhappy employees. Even more, fear is often culturally taboo - especially for leaders. A lot of people fail to recognize that they are afraid, instead becoming angry or withdrawn. These very same people are not typically able to handle fear in others, either.

 

Not once have I met a leader who says it’s their intention to lead with fear. It is most often an unintended consequence, where someone hasn’t realized the impact of their behavior on other and the organization. Most people recognize the negative impact of fear and would prefer a culture based on trust - but it is easy for anyone, especially leaders, to inadvertently slip into behaviors that trigger fear.

 

The role of fear?

Fear is the way to force people into obedience, but it is disastrous for commitment, accountability, and results. And herein lies a difficult balance that gives many managers a headache. A leader must be a ‘bit threatening’; after all, it is a leader’s job to keep his people on their toes and aware of how they do their jobs. It is also expected of the leader; a leader who fails to do so will be taken less seriously. But although it is also the role of the leader to ‘act as an authority’, it is important not to let authority turn into intimidation! A leader who instills fear may reap obedience and command respect, but his subordinates will therefore only be concerned with one goal: to manipulate the source of the fear in order to reduce the threat!

 

Leaders in the culture of fear

Leaders do not stand alone. One manager who uses intimidating behavior does not immediately result in a culture of fear. Only when fear has a prominent, structural, collective, and obstructive character, which is not limited to incidents, but becomes part of the daily routine, can we rightly speak of a culture of fear. Therefore, for the emergence of a culture of fear, the following characteristics must be met: fear is structural and prominent, the fear is obstructive and collective, the behavior that causes anxiety is normalized, employees do not resign, and employees do not revolt.

 

In addition to the prominent and structural character, the attitude of employees also plays an important role. If people resist or resign, no culture of fear can establish itself. After all, employees then refuse to accept scaremongering and intimidation. The fact that a culture of fear arises, also means that the people who suffer from that fear allow it and, in a sense, accept it. The impetus for a culture is often given by managers, but only when there is support among their followers can a culture really establish itself.

 

How is a culture of fear born?

A culture of fear can emerge when external threats increase, when big changes occur, or when stress levels are raised for any reason. It can also arise due to unhealthy interactions within an organization, such as a culture that allows yelling and disrespectful behavior. If the fear this causes cannot be handled constructively, it can spread from one person/ team to another.

 

As levels of fear increase, people feel less energetic and experience less trust and sense of community, which reduces their ability to function effectively, respond to external threats, and make any necessary changes. It goes without saying that this amplifies the culture of fear, making it a vicious circle.

 

How to create a fearless organizational culture?

There will always be external pressures, big changes, and poor interaction at work, so there will be also always fear. In order to stop a feedback loop developing, organizations need to learn how to acknowledge and deal with fear. This is often easier said than done, because: we aren’t used to talking about our feelings at work, fear is an uncomfortable feeling, shame is often connected to feelings of fear, and fear is often culturally taboo, especially for leaders. A crucial step is to make it safe to be afraid. Managers must try to create an environment and climate where employees can express their full potential and respond to difficult challenges by letting go of fear of failure, fear of change, or fear of risk taking. In this regard, to start with, organizations need to build and secure psychological safety in a sustainable manner. When psychological safety is not adequately secured within organizations, fear of speaking up follows. Silence is unnoticed, but the costs of fear are massive. Studies have proven that organizations waste a lot of money because most employees stay silent. Speaking up is vital to drive progress and innovation! If employees stay silent, the organization loses invaluable input. People don’t just hold back bad news or dissent, but also ideas for improvement and growth. When psychological safety is not secured, holding back is natural. Silence is intuitive when one doesn’t feel safe. That’s why employees think twice before sharing an idea or asking a question during a meeting. They don’t want to be laughed at, ridiculed, ignored, or punished - they think speaking up will get them into trouble.

 

However, organizations need creativity and innovation, not silence. Without trouble, there is no change. A fearless culture encourages inclusion and participation - everyone shares their ideas and thoughts to move the organization forward.

 

Overcoming fear involves revisiting leadership styles, organizational culture, and team behavior. Be ready to challenge how we think. Amy Edmonson, author of The Fearless Organization, describes three steps leaders can take to create psychological safety - the shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.

 

1. Start with the leader - they have to set the stage to frame the work and emphasize purpose

2. Inviting participation - leaders must practice inquiry, humility, and set up processes

3. Responding productively - appreciate participation and destigmatize failure

 

Getting buy-in from senior leaders is vital to building psychological safety across an organization. However, this should not stop you. Many successful revolutions happen from the inside-out. One can create safe spaces even within a toxic culture.

 

A Fearless Culture encourages people to bring their best selves to work. Overcoming fear requires time - start small and be consistent. Building vulnerability and creativity will advance your organization. Take the first step.

 

Sources: G. Razzetti (2019), Psychological Safety is the answer. Here is how to get started. K. Vilkki (2020), Facing up to a culture of fear. P. Fijbes (2022), How does a culture of fear arise?