Your organization was founded on and has worked to maintain a culture of mutual support and respect. These ideals are even memorialized in your organization’s values.
However, instead of an organization with seamless and respectful communications, supportive cross-team collaborations, and solid performance, you’ve got departmental silos, inter and intra-team conflicts, and performance that’s anything but stellar. Instead of a culture of true mutual support and respect, you’ve created a culture that enables competence bias.
Instead of a culture of true mutual support and respect, you’ve created a culture that enables competence bias.
Competence bias is a belief many of your team members have that they’re more proficient in performing their jobs than they really are. Now you might be thinking, “Well sure, there are some team members who think they’re better at their jobs than they really are, but it’s not the entire organization. Liz, why would you say such a thing?” Because I’ve worked with you and most of your leadership team for a few months now, and you’ve asked me to help you. Competence Bias is killing your organization.
Competence Bias is killing your organization.
Your organization has been around for decades. However, in its attempt to create a culture of mutual support and respect, a warped understanding of mutual support and respect has taken hold. Instead of meaning: Do or say anything that will help another team member become more informed, skilled, and effective. Mutual support and respect have come to mean: Don’t do or say anything that could possibly make another team member uncomfortable.
Instead of meaning: Do or say anything that will help another team member become more informed, skilled, and effective. Mutual support and respect have come to mean: Don’t do or say anything that could possibly make another team member uncomfortable.
Prior leaders and many on your team now are perpetuating this misunderstanding. Because of this, the majority of your team members now believe mutual support and respect mean:
- Don’t disagree or challenge ideas
- Don’t provide candid feedback
- Don’t hold team members accountable
- Don’t provide honest performance feedback or performance evaluations
- Don’t address interpersonal conflicts or intra or inter-team conflicts
- Don’t address passive-aggressive behaviors
For the nicest of intentions, these behaviors are causing confusion, conflicts, and chaos. It’s time to reset a cultural understanding with everyone. It’s time to help each team member be better informed, skilled and effective. It’s time to help them to realize that a culture of TRUE mutual support and respect EXPECTS them to:
- Disagree with or challenge ideas to achieve better outcomes and decisions
- Provide candid feedback that could help another grow and learn
- Hold team members accountable to do the jobs they’re being paid to do
- Provide honest performance feedback or performance evaluations to enable needed skill development
- Address interpersonal conflicts, as well as intra or inter-team conflicts to enhance understanding and relationships
- Address passive-aggressive behaviors that stifle communication, projects, and performance
If your organization has departmental silos, inter and intra-team conflicts, and performance that’s anything but stellar, it might be time to assess if competence bias is killing your organization too.
Copyright MMXXV – Liz Weber, CMC, CSP – Weber Business Services, LLC – www.WBSLLC.com +1.717.597.8890
Liz Weber is an advisor to boards of directors, business owners, and C-Suite leaders. She’s a leadership, strategic and succession planning consultant, speaker, and author. She helps her clients focus on the right things at the right times to get the right impact. Learn more about Liz on LinkedIn!
