At some point in your career, a problem employee will emerge. An example might be a new hire who is disengaged and unfocused at work. Perhaps it's a manager with a bad attitude and a record of making their employees quit. At first glance, those examples seem like the individual identified is responsible for the trouble you are having.
But what if it is not just those individuals?
Let's say you let those individuals go or they leave on their own, and problems still remain. New hires still come into work disengaged and lacking productivity. You promote a new manager within the organization, and they still have to deal with a high turnover rate. If it is not the fault of the individuals who are no longer with the organization, then who do you blame?
The answer might be within the culture of the company.
Issues that pervade the company culture tend to go beyond the individual, a team, or even an entire department. These issues cannot be solved by firing or shuffling people around alone (if at all). Issues of employee engagement or high turnover can be just as systemic as siloed departments or lack of innovation in your products/services. The answers to solving these challenges are less clear-cut and obvious.
Issues with company culture start with asking tough questions.
When you think about the future of your company, what concerns you the most? That's a very tough question to ask and answer. The answer to this question usually does not have a clear-cut diagnosis, nor a clear-cut solution. The backstory to this concern is complex and was not something that happened overnight.
Another tough question might be asking what the organization's part of the mess is with that concern. In other words, how does the organization's culture contribute to the current problem (aka 'the system')? The conversation started with an individual being the cause of the problem(s); now shift the focus to a broader viewpoint. That broader viewpoint means that everyone in the organization - including you - has some contribution to the problem at hand.
Tough questions lead to tough conversations.
Asking yourself and others how they contributed to the problem your company will be uncomfortable. Perhaps it might be very uncomfortable. But that is a sign that progress can be made! It may not have been easy, but blaming one person for the problems you see tends to be easier than realizing the systemic nature of the problem. People like having a clear understanding of what dangers they face. But the reality is, that is not always going to be as clear-cut as letting go of John or Jane Done. Next time you think the problem might be an isolated issue with your problem employee, it might be worth asking some tough questions about yourself and the company first. It may very well be that the employee in question is the cause of the problem. But rather than jump into a solution right away, it might be worth your time to diagnose the situation a little longer.
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