Red tape, departmental conflicts inhibiting goal achievement, and work overload impeding excellence are common obstacles faced by employees. They make good performance difficult, if not impossible. Often novice managers may overlook this responsibility, unintentionally demotivating workers due to their unawareness of the detrimental effects of their words or actions.

Too Much Change, Politics, Favortism and Unclear Expectations

Too much change, politics, favoritism, and unclear expectations can erode employee motivation by creating uncertainty, fostering distrust, causing confusion, and perpetuating a sense of inequity within the organization. 

Self-fulfilling prophecy

The phenomenon, known as the self-fulfilling prophecy, occurs when individuals conform to an organization’s expectations of them. Essentially, a manager’s expectations for an employee influence how the manager treats the employee, thereby shaping the employee’s behavior to align with those expectations. If the organization portrays doubt in an employee’s abilities, it increases the likelihood of the employee’s failure. Conversely, if the organization expresses confidence in the employee’s potential for success, it enhances the likelihood of the employee’s success.

Over Socialization

Clear expectations need to be established, primarily through thorough onboarding and setting explicit guidelines. However, over socialization is also a problem. Sometimes, organizations go overboard, micromanaging employees’ speech, dress, and behavior. If an organization excessively dictates employee behavior, individuals may become reserved and engage less. For example, placing too much emphasis on the organization’s expectations of newcomers may result in conformity and passivity. Managers may interpret passivity as a desire for more direction and control, perpetuating a detrimental cycle. This dynamic hinders both individual growth and organizational effectiveness.

Agents and brokerages tend to attract similar customer types and as a result assume clients prefer those like themselves. Fearing loss of clients, organizations seek replicas of current staff and then over socialize individuals until they resemble the existing team. However, this overlooks the unique qualities of each person, limiting the organization’s ability to attract diverse clientele.

I had an experience of this with a team I joined, my presence attracted a new type of customer, but they weren’t the type either of us were accustomed to dealing with. These customers acted outside of my and the team’s norms, causing friction in the short term. The team compensated by trying to adhere more rigidly to their norms, which further escalated the friction. In situations like this, the organization and the people involved need to adapt to the new types of clients attracted by the expanded team and undergo the growing pains associated with it.

To thrive in a rapidly changing environment, organizations require innovative, creative, and independent thinkers. Striking a balance between fostering individuality and meeting expectations is needed.

Moving Forward

If you break a promise purposely or accidentally, then acknowledge the breach and form a new agreement. If you’ve pressured somebody into confirming, it’s okay to loosen the reigns and if you’ve been acting like people are going to fail, never fear. It’s always okay to let somebody know you believe in them.