Are you "afraid" of your boss or co-workers, or do you spend as much time looking over your shoulder waiting for a shoe to drop, as you do working? The good employee presents solutions. There is great power. While this idea of a weak subordinate going head to head with his boss may seem irrational, it may reflect what Albert Camus once observed: When deprived of choice, the only freedom left is the freedom to say no.. When you find out your colleague is making more with essentially the same job: Start doing your research. set up. If HR is the bully Then you can try telling your boss, but they hired HR so they didn't have to deal with that kind of stuff, so good luck! "Do what you love". One year after excitedly taking on the new production line, Steve was so dispirited he was thinking of quitting. Before answering that question, lets take a closer look at the dynamics that set the syndrome in motion and keep it going. Do you work in a toxic environment? A friend g-chatted me today to say the girls in the deli she frequents for lunch offered to set her up with . Leave it as soon as you lock in the next opportunity, that you love. You get the picture. The Economist: "Tempting as it always is to bash the politician, however, Mr Biden's shortcomings are only a marginal reason for his unpopularity. 1. Well the rationale goes something like this: If you have the guts to approach her to complain about the company, what's to stop you from sharing your opinions with others? This is particularly problematic because numerous studies confirm that people perform up or down to the levels their bosses expect from them or, indeed, to the levels they expect from themselves.1. No, he might have answered, I just reacted negatively because you asked for the reports in writing, which I took as a sign of excessive control.. "That behavior causes the boss to doubt the employee even more," she says, "and lower expectations, causing. There are many reasons you can sue your employer, or bring a claim to the employment tribunal. Imagine you've been told to write copy for the company website. In time, because of low expectations, they come to doubt their own thinking and ability, and they lose the motivation to make autonomous decisions or to take any action at all. One guy worked from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. almost every day. See, for example, Knowledge for Action: A Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Organizational Change (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993). She recently resigned and there have been some organizational shake-ups in my department. The boss must also mentally prepare himself to be open to the subordinates views, even if the subordinate challenges him about any evidence regarding his poor performance. Instead, they project organizational failures onto the people who bring problems to their attention. The first known documented use of "set up to . A boss who rigidly plans for this conversation with a subordinate will not be able to engage in real dialogue with him, because real dialogue requires flexibility. By creating and reinforcing a dynamic that essentially sets up perceived underperformers to fail. He could have explained the benefits of establishing such a system during the initial stages of setting up the new production line, and he might have expressed his intention to be actively involved in the systems design and early operation. You're setting me up to fail. Instead, what often happens is that members of the out-group set excessively ambitious goals for themselves to impress the boss quickly and powerfullypromising to hit a deadline three weeks early, for instance, or attacking six projects at the same time, or simply attempting to handle a large problem without help. The boss might even acknowledge that he feels tension in the relationship and wants to use the conversation as a way to decrease it. As one subordinate admitted, I used to initiate much more contact with my boss until the only thing I received was negative feedback; then I started shying away., Besides the risk of a negative reaction, perceived weaker performers are concerned with not tainting their images further. Set yourself up for success. Your coworkers want to know they can trust you to complete assignments, offer support, and provide assistance during tough times. For example, Jeff might have said, When you did not supply me with the reports I asked for, I came to the conclusion that you were not very proactive. That would have allowed Steve to bring his buried assumptions into the open. The employee doesnt understand the work, a manager might contend. In addition, the energy devoted to trying to fix these relationships or improve the subordinates performance through increased supervision prevents the boss from attending to other activitieswhich often frustrates or even angers the boss. An intelligent discussion can resolve most problems or, at least, get your differences out on the table. Finally, managers avoid the set-up-to-fail syndrome by creating an environment in which employees feel comfortable discussing their performance and their relationships with the boss. If they dont prioritize clear internal communication, and formal boundaries between the personal and professional early on, the very things that make them lean and nimble as a startup, will make them toxic as they grow. He must, for instance, select a time and place to conduct the meeting so that it presents as little threat as possible to the subordinate. The business owners set a bank up in the small town. 4, pp. It may even result in the subordinates choosing to leave the company. Without this, you will fail no matter how good you are. They fail to recognize good results or, more often, supervise their employees excessively. Unfortunately, however, subordinates often interpret the heightened supervision as a lack of trust and confidence. Was the situation always as bad as it is now? If the Pygmalion effect describes the dynamic in which an individual lives up to great expectations, the set-up-to-fail syndrome explains the opposite. The initial impetus can be performance related, such as when an employee loses a client, undershoots a target, or misses a deadline. How does the company communicate polices and procedures? These organizations often lack the resources up front to prevent dysfunction. Finally, in setting the context, the boss should tell the perceived weaker performer that he would genuinely like the interaction to be an open dialogue. They also tend to volunteer less informationa simple heads up from a perceived under-performer can cause the boss to overreact and jump into action when none is required. Think many people have worked in an environment where "leaders" are actually NOT leaders because they simply don't have the capacity themselves. Here are things any employee should look for, to see whether they are being set up to be terminated: Your boss starts expressing unhappiness with you. Predictably, the subordinate fails to deliver to the bosss satisfaction, which leaves the boss even more frustrated and convinced that the subordinate cannot function without intense supervision. The boss might even try to describe the dynamics of the set-up-to-fail syndrome. When someone is harassing and bullying you at school, you can tell an adult. Chris Argyris has written extensively on how and why people tend to behave unproductively in situations they see as threatening or embarrassing. This time, because youve fallen into the gaping void your companys internal communication ought to fill. Indeed, recent studies show that the perceived fairness of a process has a major impact on employees reactions to its outcomes. Such an environment is a function of several factors: the bosss openness, his comfort level with having his own opinions challenged, even his sense of humor. I don't mean at a nuclear waste dump, I mean at an office where you feel like you're constantly walking on eggshells. The boss pays for the syndrome in several ways. They'll ignore. You have little to no familiarity with your team members, so you've reviewed previous performance reviews to get a sense of what you can expect from each of your new direct reports. Remembering the several times she turned you away herself, youre left shaking your head wondering what she expected? It is not surprising that on the basis of these assumptions, bosses tend to treat weaker and stronger performers very differently. One afternoon, a few of his coworkers showed up at happy hour, and I asked them why he worked so much. Even when members of the bosss out-group try to keep their pain to themselves, other team members feel the strain. The abused child often goes home and pummels his smaller, weaker siblings. Explain with . There may be, for instance, overwhelming evidence that the subordinate is not capable of doing his job. Once I started working there I learned that most of the teams not only detested discussing these best practice topics, they were upset with me for showing enthusiasm about them and offering them as solutions to existing issues. The reason? You still dont have the authority to fire her yourself, and theres no policy or procedure in the office to guide you through taking disciplinary action either. In our current research, we examine prevention directly. If one member is suffering, the whole team feels that pain.. Working his ass off to succeed with this task won't help him long term. In particular, he should acknowledge that he may be partially responsible for the situation and that his own behavior toward the subordinate is fair game for discussion. Members of the in-group are considered the trusted collaborators and therefore receive more autonomy, feedback, and expressions of confidence from their bosses. Select Accept to consent or Reject to decline non-essential cookies for this use. The boss might even want to mentally play out part of the conversation beforehand. Youwant to push back on your boss, but how can you? This is your sign that things will probably not change and history will repeat itself. His relocation may also open up a spot in his old job for a better performer. You feel very strongly that your employer did you wrong. Put on your neutral-observer hat and share your feelings without accusation or blame - pretend you are an objective news reporter and attempt to explain both sides. This button displays the currently selected search type. A lot to be said for communicating people's value instead of their shortcomings. It can be quite a strain to keep up a facade of courtesy and pretend everything is fine when both parties know it is not. It turns out that your BFFs weren't such BFFs after all. After all, bosses who systematically choose either to ignore their subordinates underperformance or to opt for the more expedient solution of simply removing perceived weak performers are condemned to keep repeating the same mistakes. As one boss half-jokingly said, Rule number one: if you want something done, give it to someone whos busytheres a reason why that person is busy.. 480 comments 96% Upvoted Were you supposed to light your hair on fireliterally? Such fairness is a benefit even in the cases where, despite the bosss best efforts, neither the subordinates performance nor his relationship with his boss improves significantly. Take precautions against co-worker sabotage It is wise to have some good measures in place to protect yourself if you ever fall under a colleague's attack. Whatever the reason, the problem is assumed to be the employees faultand the employees responsibility. Clearly, it takes a special kind of courage, self-confidence, competence, and persistence on the part of the subordinate to break out of the syndrome. When preparing your answer to "Tell me about a time you failed," consider these tips: 1. Wish I had know I would have asked these questions and not become an escapegoat. That improved fit can be achieved by significantly modifying the subordinates existing job or by transferring the subordinate to another job within the company. 1. Rather than arguing with him, Ive ended up wanting to say, Come on, just tell me what you want me to do, and Ill go do it. You become a robot. Another perceived weak performer explained, When my boss tells me to do something, I just do it mechanically., Shutting down also involves disengaging personallyessentially reducing contact with the boss. The subordinate must consistently deliver such superior results that the boss is forced to change the employee from out-group to in-group statusa phenomenon made difficult by the context in which these subordinates operate. Your coworker may be planting evidence to make it look like you did something wrong. The net result is that the boss and the subordinate feel free to communicate frequently and to ask one another questions about their respective behaviors before problems mushroom or ossify. How high that payback will be and what form it will take obviously depend on the outcome of the intervention, which will itself depend not only on the quality of the intervention but also on several key contextual factors: How long has that relationship been spiraling downward? They cannot maintain eye contact with you It is difficult to look someone straight in. If it sounds like its an afterthought, beware. Then, have your partner be you and you play the role of your supervisor. From the subordinates point of view, however, such involvement by the boss is more likely to be accepted, and possibly even welcomed, if the goal is to help the subordinate develop and improve over time. Adding to the confusion is the fact that he hired her, and you have no authority to discipline her. This is your chance to ask about the review process, and how performance is tied to compensation. And on and on, unintentionally, the relationship spirals downward. A recent University at Buffalo School of Management study found that those who feel undermined at work are more likely to sabotage their coworkers, according to Phys.org. 5) Ask HR to facilitate a mediation. Instead of focusing on the teams mission, valuable time and energy is diverted to the discussion of internal politics and dynamics. Learning to identify the people who have this trait and avoiding them as much as possible will protect your . Example: Blame Shifting Imagine you've been told to write copy for the company website. Primarily, shutting down means disconnecting intellectually and emotionally. She blames you for not finding a way to get it done. Your coworkers start avoiding you Rumors spread fast, and if people in your office expect you're getting laid off, they're bound to talk about it among themselves. The magazine says a set-up-to-fail syndrome can result from a minor transgression, such as missing a deadline, or it can be a byproduct of personal incompatibility. Also, being new on the job himself, Jeff wanted to show his own boss that he was on top of the operation. Most professionals can relate to this feeling. Team spirit can also suffer from the progressive alienation of one or more perceived low performers. Do you feel like you cant trust anyone? Or, maybe she agrees theres a problem, but says theres nothing she can do it about it because the solution requires time, money, and talent the company doesnt have. Be reliable. Management may see your attention-hungry coworker as the ultimate go-getter, the leader of the pack, and a "can-do kinda person." The . When managers assign work and deadlines arbitrarily, you may not have the time or resources necessary to do the job right. Non-toxic organizations clearly communicate the following: Companies that effectively communicate internally set clear boundaries for employees. That is not all bad. 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