Preventing Workplace Violence

Cliques are not something that only are formed in high schools, but something that also happens in the workplace.  Cliques in the workplaces are natural groups of people who talk to each other at work. 

According to Dave Logan, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, these groups fall into one of five categories.

Stage one is the “danger zone”, where workplace violence occurs.  Employees who fall into this category have a negative attitude on life, they behave in a hostile manner, alienate themselves from others, and commit theft or acts of violence.  

People in Stage 2 are apathetic and feel they are victims.  They believe that their voices do not matter and that there’s no point in trying.  

Individuals in Stage 3 think they are superior to others, and this type of attitude is what usually results in workplace bullying and drives other employees into Stage 2.  A workplace bully tries to boss everyone around, shut employees down, and thinks that their ideas are the only reasonable ones.  

In Stage 4 everyone comes together with a sense of shared values, and ego problems tend to disappear.  The common attitude is “We’re great and they’re not” with “they” being either an outsider or the competition.  This may sound like a hostile attitude but it is generally a friendly rivalry.  

In Stage 5 life is great.  Employees of an organization are in competition.  Companies that fit into this category usually succeed because of the collaborated innovation.   

In order to achieve the highest stage managers need to be careful of employees who start falling into the lower stages.  Moving either up or down a stage can happen quickly, so it is important to ensure that workers do not drop into the lower stages.    

Today’s economic situation makes people more susceptible to falling into one of the lower stages.  Managers should ensure that their workers do not reach the point where they feel nothing matters and that anything, including violence, is okay.

Petty theft or any kind of criminal behaviour indicates that an employee is in Stage 1.  Workers in this stage don’t feel a situation is fair, so they think that whatever they do is alright.  Another sign that an employee.  

Paying attention to how coworkers interact is a way to recognize and prevent potentially dangerous situation.  

One of the first things a manager can do is notice these naturally occurring groups.  Pay attention to who talks to whom.  

The second step is to notice the way employees interact with each other to determine what stage they are in. Mangers should work with employees who are in Stage 1 and who have alienated themselves from other.  Having at least one person to talk to or confide can make a big difference for a person in Stage 1.

For those in Stage 2, mangers should try to get mentors for them to help them get back into Stage 3.  For Stage 3 employees, managers should try to build a community with other individuals who have the values and principles.  

To encourage a worker to shift into Stage 4, introduce individuals to other who share the same values.  To get employees into Stage 5, start asking questions about what would make history.  

Although, these suggestions have more to do with employees and how they interact with each other, it is also important to put in place policies that have zero tolerance for violence, and come up with workplace programs that promote interaction with employees across the organization.  If social interaction is facilitated then employees may feel more at ease communicating and interacting with others.  

Posted by: suhujitha on 2009-03-20 12:11:38

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