Paul Wilczynski's Observations

Kathleen Reardon: Pathological politics

Kathleen Reardon, professor of management at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, has a good article on pathological politics.

... Then there's the worst kind of political environment -- pathological. Here daily interactions are much like those in highly political climates, but conflict is frequent, fractious and often long-term. There's much distrust, and for good reason. The boss talks almost exclusively with people close to him or her and, out of necessity, people spend a lot of time covering their backs and not wanting to be the bearers of bad news.

Pathological organizations tend to self-destruct, but often not before destroying a lot of good people and resources. The inner circle becomes smaller and smaller during the final stages as trust diminishes even further. Ultimately, nothing is done well because hardly anyone is talking to anyone else and those who are talking aren't sharing crucial information. If the process of self-destruction characteristic of most pathological climates isn't helped along, it can take a very long time and do untold damage. ...

posted by Paul Wilczynski @ 9:05 AM