When ‘good’ organisations disappoint us the most
The way organisations talk about themselves and the reality of working for them can vary wildly. Organisations that assert their values-driven status are often those that are most likely to disappoint us, whether we work for them or not.
There are plenty of thought-leader helping us to find a variation of our ‘Why?’ and a whole industry of explanations as to how and why organisations can become values-led. It’s seen as good for your people and your outcomes. The somewhat simplistic idea is that we are happier (and more productive) if we are doing purposeful work in values-led organisations. Yet the more I talk to people who have worked in a range of organisations, the more I feel that organisations with the strongest sense of being values-led are those most likely to let us down and diminish our sense of purpose.
Google had (still has?) a reputation as a values-driven organisation on the right side of the good/bad divide. They have always leaned into this pretty hard. An organisation that had the motto “don’t be evil” must be good, right?*
This perception of the organisation created expectations within the employee group that they worked somewhere doing meaningful work. It was the ‘good’ tech giant. It is always messier than that. In 2018, it took pressure from employees to prevent Google from renewing a contract with the Pentagon that, in part, used artificial intelligence to refine the targetting of drone strikes. Google didn’t renew the contract but they haven’t ruled out working on defence contracts in the future as they are losing out on billions of dollars, mostly being swept up by Amazon and Microsoft — organisations that are further down the spectrum of claiming to be good.
This was the same year that there were mass walkouts at Google, partly driven by the revelation that executive Andy Rubin had been given a $90m severance package while keeping credible claims of sexual harassment quiet.
I’m not trying to say that unethical business practices or sexual harassment are somehow worse in values-driven organisations. They’re not. It’s just that the disconnect between what organisations claim to be and how they actually behave adds an extra layer of disappointment that can manifest in ways both big and small. When we have been encouraged to pin so much of our own purpose on an organisation and the work we do for them it just hurts in a different way.
This isn’t a private-sector problem. Public sector and third sector organisations can suffer from a huge gap between who they want to be and the reality of working in the organisation. In fact, based on discussions with friends and former colleagues, I think this gap is greatest in the public/third sector.
That is partly because people who choose to work in the public/third sector are often values-driven themselves so they notice the gap more. If someone is perceived to get a job, not on merit but because of their relationship with senior leadership, it hurts more. If the organisation says it supports equality but it is senior managers that get the biggest pay rises it hurts more. If an organisation says it supports everyone to be innovative but there are a few ‘thought-leaders’ who seem to get all the air time it hurts more.
It is also because resources in the public/third sector are so tight. They can genuinely value their staff or support ideas like flexible working and inclusive cultures but there isn’t the capacity to show this. It’s not that leaders are willfully putting their values to one side, they just aren’t able to live up to the promises they have made for the organisation.
In public/third-sector organisations those receiving services are rightly put front and centre. This is the purposeful work, the real work! People in these organisations are prone to burning themselves out and those around them. I have heard multiple stories or organisations that are doing amazing work for service users but have toxic management approaches that don’t match with the values of care and empathy. It becomes somehow ok to treat the worker badly or push them harder because the need of the people being helped is so great.
I don’t believe it has to feel like this. I think it would be much worse if organisations didn’t even try to be values-led. Still, there needs to be much more work done to constantly renew and reflect on how well the organisation’s values are reflected in the actions and decisions made across the system.
Leaders of organisations make themselves vulnerable by putting the values of the organisations they lead on full display. This openness means employees should be able to hold them to account if these values aren’t being met. In some instances, I think this happens but too often people walk away from organisations that promise so much but struggle to deliver. The promise of change that never comes.
If you’re helping shape your organisation’s values you have to be sure you have a plan for how these values will be cared for and maintained. You also have to recognise that the time will come when these values aren’t being met. This is when the vulnerability and willingness to listen and learn matter the most.
It would be great to hear your thoughts and I’d love to hear about organisations you’ve worked for or with that have truly lived up to their declared values.
*’Don’t be evil’ isn’t Google’s motto anymore — it quietly got moved to the code of conduct in 2015 and refined to “do the right thing”.
