Toxic Workplace and Leadership Failures at Gordon Foundry

Introduction: A Toxic Workplace Case

Mr. White Deer's case represents an unfortunately common occurrence: a toxic workplace environment. It is difficult to provide a thorough assessment without having been an eyewitness to the events precipitating the aggressive maneuver of the hose-down, but it is clear that several micro-aggressions had already taken place to intimidate Mr. White Deer. There are multiple layers of problems in this case, but all fall under the rubric of ineffective leadership.

Leadership and Organizational Culture

Leadership determines organizational culture. The foundry's manager seems amicable enough, but appears to be a laissez-faire leader who lacks awareness of organizational culture and climate. He believes the old foundry workers are a "fine group of fellows" because they have been with Gordon Foundry for a long time and have served the company well. Yet this "fine group of fellows" is better described as a "good old boys" club: men from an older generation whose values are starkly different from those held by Mr. White Deer. Unfortunately, their habits, values, and beliefs have been ingrained for so long that it is unlikely any of the foundry workers will be willing to change. The foundry workers also seem to lack a leader or manager who sets the tone of their discourse and comportment, which is why they ended up taking control of the situation by intimidating the newcomer.

Mr. White Deer did not anticipate the reactions of the foundry workers; otherwise, he might have addressed the problem early. Perhaps he could have invited all of the foundry workers for a round of drinks to break the ice when he first started. As the leader of the organization, the manager needed to be more cognizant of how the foundry workers might react to their new colleague. He should have prepared the foundry workers and ensured that Mr. White Deer would be treated warmly and welcomed to the organization as an ally, not an enemy. Therefore, most of the salient issues are linked to the manager's lack of awareness of the importance of organizational culture and climate. The most critical issues include leadership, organizational culture, and communication.

Intergenerational and Class-Based Conflict

Another problem evident in this case is the intergenerational conflict between the foundry workers and Mr. White Deer. The older men may resent having a younger man as their superior, which could be one reason for their aggressive behavior. Additionally, the older men likely hold a strong working-class ethos and take great pride in their working-class identity. They might view persons with higher education and advanced training with disdain rather than admiration.

Compounding the already salient variables of age and social status is the fact that Mr. White Deer is viewed as an outsider. Whether or not the workers see him as an outsider because of his nationality or ethnicity, they most certainly see him as an outsider because he is new to Gordon Foundry. The fact that several of the foundry workers are members of the manager's family exacerbates the likelihood that Mr. White Deer will be excluded from the inner circle of Gordon Foundry.

Conclusion: Shared Values and Workplace Harmony

Interestingly, ethnicity, ethnic identity, and ethnocentrism are not as central to this case as they appear on the surface. Certainly, there are cultural barriers. French Canadians would likely have treated any Anglo — in fact, anyone outside of their community — in much the same way, especially if that person also held an advanced degree. Class conflict is a more meaningful root cause of the issue. It does not appear that the foundry workers made any overt racial slurs. In fact, Mr. White Deer may hold some of his own stereotypes about the French Canadian workers — assuming, for example, that they would automatically dismiss his education. This is why the solution must focus significantly on changing Mr. White Deer's communication style.

Having open, face-to-face communications with all stakeholders is the best solution to the problem. The manager needs to improve his leadership style and recognize that he is uniquely positioned to create a new organizational culture. He holds legitimate authority and the respect of the foundry workers. If he fails to recognize his responsibility, he risks losing Mr. White Deer to a competitor.

To create a more harmonious work environment, all stakeholders need to find their common values. As Myatt (n.d.) puts it, "Those team members who share the same core values will be predisposed to trusting one another at high levels" (p. 1). Finding common values will help overcome the immutable differences related to language, culture, class, and age. For instance, they all value the success of the foundry, and they all take pride in their work. Recognizing that they share similar ideals would help them see each other as allies rather than enemies. The same applies to Mr. White Deer. Although he did nothing wrong, he does need to play a more active role in reaching out to the foundry workers and establishing rapport. He may never expect — or even desire — to be welcomed into their tightly knit social group, but everyone at Gordon Foundry needs to treat each other with respect.

References

Myatt, M. (n.d.). Leadership and toxic work environments. N2Growth. Retrieved from https://www.n2growth.com/controlling-gossip/