Is your Organizatioin Toxic?

How do you know? There are many factors that contribute to "Toxicity" in a system.

Like the human body, certain levels of toxicity can lead to a variety of disease; there are many types and levels of severity within the disease itself. From the common cold to pancreatic cancer, an imbalance in the human body can vary. The same concept holds true with the corporate organization, and like the human body, it’s better to detect the toxicity that can lead to disease early preventing an untimely death. While some of these ‘symptoms” seem harmless or just part of running a business, some are more damaging than others. However, when you begin to combine the symptoms together, it becomes apparent that the system has become more and more imbalanced. Some sub-systems appear to react to this imbalance, and perform the functions that are required to fight the disease.  See any correlations here? At one level we have the “Occupy” movements where individuals are joining together to fight the perceived disease within the corporate structures of the large institutions and organizations through protest. Another example can be found with employee morale. When morale is down it is passed on to other employees like a contagion. In fact, in his book “Emotional Contagion” John T. Cacioppo, describes this process in greater detail. An Emotional Contagion is where the emotional state of an individual affects others in his/her surroundings. He states that “while an emotional contagion is not a disease… the mechanism is still the same”.

A lower level of toxicity is where intervention can have a profound effect, the process of detoxifying is not disruptive and the prognosis is good if caught in time. However, more severe symptoms can create more damage and more aggressive actions may be required. It’s better to identify and open our eyes to the early warning signs making incremental changes that produce lasting results. In systems theory, even the smallest change can have a profound impact on the system as a whole. This is referred to as a developmental approach.

Organizational Energetics™ is a term I have coined that encompasses the process of analyzing the level of toxicity in an organization then going through the process of “Detox” to create a positive “Energy Signature” (Health and Vitality). An OES or Organizational Energy Signature™ cannot be seen or heard. It cannot be displayed on a business card, website, or through social media. It is an energy that is “sensed”. Yet, it is as important as your brand, reputation and culture and cannot be “masked” by either. In my opinion, a company with a positive Organization Energy Signature is a healthy system that attracts positive energy, people and success to it and performs better in normal and stressful circumstances. It can weather the economic storms and contribute to society in a way that goes well beyond paychecks and profits.

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