Unhealthy Work Environment 1
Unhealthy Work Environment
School of Strategic Leadership, Liberty University
Unhealthy Work Environment 2
Abstract
The organization selected for this research project is a government consulting firm I work for as
a government contractor. The major issue we experience is the organizational style of the
government stakeholder lead, Colonel (COL) Jamison. He does not understand the role he plays
within the organization or the appropriate organizational style that would work best for this
particular contract. The lack of effective communication between the two leadership teams has
created a power struggle forcing us to miss project several deadlines and have unmet
performance metrics. The organization is also experiencing high turnover rates and a lack of
motivation among those involved. This paper will explain the current organizational system
(rational system) and discuss a more appropriate one for this contract. It will also suggest some
changes that should be implemented as we move forward with the contract and how a lack of
effective communication, lack of motivation, and high employee turnover can affect an
organization.
Keywords: effective communication, unhealthy work environment, organizational environment
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Unhealthy Work Environment
Good leadership skills are essential to the success of an organization as they reflect on
those involved. It is equally important that a leader can adjust to certain situations. All leaders
must recognize that no single leadership style works in every situation. This means that leaders
must be flexible, possess good leadership skills, and apply those skills appropriately for
organizational success.
I work for a defense contracting firm that holds a contract with the United States Army
National Guard (ARNG). The organization I support is responsible for receiving, organizing, and
tracking personnel and training data for the current members of the ARNG. We also post the data
to a secure government website, as well as, incorporating application changes to the user
interface, and performing quarterly system upgrades to the website. One issue we experience is
with the government stakeholder lead, COL Jamison. Being a high-ranking military officer, he is
accustomed to having things done his way without questions being asked. He provides minimal
support to our organization and turns a blind eye to the problems we encounter attempting to
make system changes. According to Milosevic et al. (2019), ineffective leaders are more
concerned with the highly respected position of control and protecting their position to remain in
control. Individuals and organizations cannot survive an unhealthy work environment for long
periods. This environment is causing a high employee turnover rate and a lack of motivation
throughout the team. Ineffective leadership has been proven to cause reduced organizational
commitment and is “negatively associated with job satisfaction, dedication, and employee
motivation” (Bhandarker & Rai, 2019, p. 66).
Another issue we are subjected to is the power struggle between the two leadership
teams. This problem is intensified because COL Jamison does not understand his position with
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the organization. This power struggle creates ineffective communication between the teams,
causing goals to be misinterpreted thereby forcing us to miss deadlines, and making it impossible
to meet our performance metrics regularly. The increasing stress level continuously encountered
by those involved is proven by the low morale, sloppy programming, and high absenteeism.
Organizational Systems
Rational System Perspective
The current organizational style used by COL Jamison is the rational system. According
to Scott and Davis (2016), this perspective views organizations and individuals “as instruments
designed to attain specified goals” (p. 35) and focuses on “goal specificity and formalization” (p.
36). This system is very dominant and embraced by many managers. Organizations
implementing the rational system perspective rely on each organizational structure (team,
department, section) to determine how each goal will be met. Because these organizations do not
consider the employee’s creativity, initiative, or intelligence worthwhile, these systems have
been notorious for failure (Arnold & Dorn, 2023). The military is known for its structured top-
down or hierarchal leadership platform. Orders are received from higher headquarters and passed
down the chain until finally the action is completed. In our case, COL Jamison wants to build the
teams (within our organization) to work on specific characteristics of the website and manage
those involved himself. It is not the government’s place to manage or organize the contracting
team. COL Jamison should merely oversee the project by explaining any changes to be
implemented and ensuring specific goals are met on schedule. According to Arnold and Dorn
(2023), the rational system is better suited for small organizations due to the control element.
However, the military uses the control element of this perspective to its advantage. Soldiers are
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trained to give orders and execute orders. They are not trained to ask questions of authority
figures.
Natural System Perspective
Natural systems are “collectives whose participants are pursuing multiple interests, both
disparate and common, but who recognize the value of perpetuating the organization as an
important resource” (Davis & DeWitt, 2021, p. 1690). This perspective recognizes the various
interests of those involved as an asset to the organization and emphasizes how they interact by
exemplifying that interpersonal and informal structures are crucial to an organization (Davis &
DeWitt, 2021). According to Scott and Davis (2016), those involved “are never merely hired
hands” (p. 63) but individuals who bring different perspectives, innovative knowledge, an
abundance of skills, and bright ideas to the organization that assist in goal achievement. They
also share a genuine concern for the organization’s success.
How Communication Affects an Organization
According to Albalawi and Nadeem (2020), communication is defined “as the process of
transmitting, receiving and decoding of ideas” (p. 68) and involves four specific skills, namely,
“listening, speaking, reading, and writing (p. 68). It is worth mentioning that the effectiveness of
the communication is directly dependent on the shared understanding of the material being
discussed. Effective communication is vital for the success of all organizations and plays a big
role when discussing organizational goals, providing feedback, and discussing performance.
“Workplace communication plays a crucial role in the industrial organization with the
development of economic globalization as well as the greater complexity of organizational
structures” (Dai et al., 2022, p. 1). “Cultural factors also play an important role in workplace
communications” (Dai et al., 2022, p. 2). Effective workplace communication creates
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transparency with management, builds trust among the team, results in a cohesive work
environment, and has been credited with increasing commitment, performance, and productivity
among those involved (Khan, 2023). Poor or ineffective communication causes decreased
productivity, low morale, unmotivated employees, lack of collaboration, poor customer service,
and increased turnover rates, and is negatively impacted by poor leadership, unclear goals, and
limited feedback.
Unmotivated or Disengaged Employees
Leadership must understand and apply motivational theories to keep those involved
engaged. Motivated employees are essential to the success and profitability of an organization. A
motivated team will give their all to create high levels of productivity. Motivated employees
believe they are obligated to the company beyond their job description and are willing to go the
extra mile for the organization. According to Bratty and Dennis (2024), recent studies “suggest
that only about one-third of employees thrive at work, while most are disengaged. This lack of
employee engagement and productivity is estimated to cost United States companies between
$450 and $550 billion annually.” Some reasons employees experience a lack of motivation are
poor leadership, boredom, lack of confidence, overload with tasks, no career progression, or
family problems. The negative impact of unmotivated employees wreaks havoc on the overall
team creating an unhealthy workplace, while “the behavior of engaged employees influences an
organization’s success significantly” (Obuobisa-Darko & Sokro, 2023).
One suggestion to increase employee motivation is through strength interventions These
interventions are designed to increase employee engagement and job performance. This approach
helps employees “identify, use, and develop their strengths at work” (Bratty & Dennis, 2024)
increasing their performance, well-being, mental health, and engagement. These interventions
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inspire employees to emphasize their strengths rather than improving weaknesses. Another
suggestion is through a reward program. “Companies must provide rewards in the form of
compensation, promotions, and career development to motivate employees and increase
employee satisfaction at work” (Lestari et al. 2021, p. 136). Studies show that loyalty is
positively impacted by compensation, job satisfaction, and career development (Lestari et al.
2021). Other ways to increase motivation are to discuss goals through feedback, be challenged
by work assignments, and recognize outstanding work efforts. Also, being a supportive,
approachable, and respectful manager helps.
Increased Employee Turnover
According to Obuobisa-Darko and Sokro (2023), employee turnover is the rate an
employer will gain or lose employees. Factors involving employees leaving jobs are either job-
related or personal. Job-related factors include a toxic work situation, job dissatisfaction,
employee work engagement, leadership, feeling undervalued or unappreciated, or pay. While
personal factors involve job insecurity, stress, anxiety, age, education, and marital status
(Obuobisa-Darko & Sokro, 2023). When individuals leave their job it not only affects them, but
it affects the organization as well. The time and cost implications to the organization include
productivity losses, “advertising expenses, headhunting fees, time loss, work imbalance, and
employee training for the new employee” (Obuobisa-Darko & Sokro, 2023). Other costs to the
organization are the time and effort it takes to review resumes, select candidates, and interview
prospective employees. Uncontrolled turnover interrupts the workflow within the organization
leading to reduced production, profits, and loss of customers (Obuobisa-Darko & Sokro, 2023).
Adopting a strategy to predict or prevent employees from leaving is understanding what impacts
their intention to leave. Once that is known the organization can move forward and have
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discussions with the employee. Obuobisa-Darko & Sokro (2023) explain that studies show “a
high predictor of employee turnover intention is their level of engagement. Engaged employees
who are dedicated, work with vigor, and are absorbed in their work will make a positive
difference in a negative relationship”.
Implementing Change
The only constant in today’s world is change. Organizational change has become a
standard in competitive businesses, forcing organizations to reexamine how they do business and
investigate the potential of instituting change. Implementing organizational change can be time-
consuming, but the rewards outweigh the time spent accomplishing the task. Organizations
implement change to maintain a competitive edge, introduce new technology, and become more
profitable. Some changes that may help this organization prosper with the contract are mentioned
below.
Natural System Perspective
From being exposed to this situation, the natural systems perspective would be a better
choice for leadership to implement. The stakeholder leader is currently following the rational
system perspective. While this system works well for the military, those involved are not in the
military. The rational system and natural system perspectives support the same structured top-
down or hierarchal leadership platform. However, this structure is much more formal when using
the rational system. Both perspectives focus on meeting the goals set by the stakeholders and
maintaining a diverse group of individuals who contribute greatly to the organization. But this is
where the similarities end, the natural system values the different perspectives and skills
everyone brings into the organization and uses those skills to their advantage. By implementing
the natural systems perspective, the organization can organically build teams based on common
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interests and requirements from the government. This will help keep employees engaged and
eliminate anxiety when preparing system upgrades. It will also help establish a relationship
between management and those involved.
Inclusive Leadership
Inclusive leadership is managing individuals while appreciating their distinct
characteristics. This leadership style is based on respect and empathy. These leaders attempt to
create an environment where those involved feel empowered to contribute their best. According
to Jolly and Lee (2020), inclusive leadership helps to build strong relationships between
leadership and those involved. By highlighting their individuality, those involved feel they
belong and that their voices, opinions, and ideas have value within the organization. “Inclusive
leadership behaviors communicate openness, accessibility, and availability to followers as well
as demonstrating an ability to meet followers’ needs” (Jolly & Lee, 2020, p. 1093). When leaders
exhibit openness and availability, they create group norms, demonstrating they are more
approachable (Jolly & Lee, 2020). This helps those involved feel comfortable approaching
leadership when problems arise, or they need someone to talk to. This concept will work well
coupled with the natural systems perspective.
Administrative Theory
This theory details an outline for effective management. It also features the five
management functions (forecasting, organizing, managing, coordinating, and controlling)
required by all organizations to be successful (Suarez-Barraza & Davila, 2021). The
administrative theory also supports a hierarchal leadership platform to organizational
management and applies a rational system perspective that encourages a formal structure with
the expectation that everyone works toward achieving the organization’s goals (Scott & Davis,
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2016). This theory supports various administrative principles of an organization including
individual roles and responsibilities, departmental requirements, and building social cohesion.
By implementing the administrative theory those involved will know where they fit in the
organization and the part they play in the contract.
Personal Perspective
Based on the details previously mentioned, the government stakeholder, COL Jamison, is
very comfortable overseeing the contract and is equally comfortable implementing the rational
system perspective. However, he does not realize the implications this management style is
causing to those involved. He has alienated the entire organization with his strict management
style and unclear goals causing those involved to become disengaged and unmotivated, and the
organization is experiencing a higher-than-normal employee turnover rate. Building teams in a
cohesive work environment recalls this verse in Psalm “How wonderful and pleasant it is when
brothers live together in harmony” (New Living Translation Bible, 1996/2011, Psalm 133:1). It
reminds us that harmony is not always pleasant, and people sometimes disagree but when people
cooperate and work together, harmony brings the situation into a positive light. By implementing
a natural systems perspective, COL Jamison will still perceive the hierarchal leadership style he
is accustomed to and welcome the variety of skills and perspectives brought to the organization
as an asset. Building teams based on interest and ability will keep those involved engaged and
challenged while creating a cohesive work environment minimizing anxiety and stress. By
incorporating inclusive leadership those involved can highlight their skills and build a stronger
relationship with leadership. This concept will also help them realize management is there to
help when problems develop. By following the five management functions mentioned in the
administrative theory, the organization will be destined for success. It supports the hierarchal
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leadership platform, rational systems perspective, natural systems perspective, and individual
roles for those involved. By combining the concepts, perspectives, and theories mentioned,
leadership can develop a viable management style creating a cohesive workplace where those
involved feel their contributions are appreciated.
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