Worforce.com passed along a delicate and complex question from a reader. Would be interested in any of your problem-solving ideas. Thanks.

Pervasive and persistent dishonesty in a system will inevitably grow from a malignancy to a full-blown cancer destroying an organization’s productivity and morale. As organizational consultants charged with helping to undo the damage, some key points to consider and to implement:

1.  Do a Gut Check.  First and foremost, when intervening with such widespread deceptive and manipulative behavior we must be aware of our own potential emotional reactions – fear, alienation, anger and revulsion.  Also, be prepared to be the target of this mendacity.  Make sure you have someone with whom you can bounce ideas and feelings.

2.  Understand the Dynamics.  What motivates such wide-ranging dishonesty?  Consider these forces:

a) Top Management as Role Models.  Clearly, b.s. easily trickles down.  Has dishonesty – payoffs, falsifying records, inflating productivity numbers, etc. – just become business as usual?  Is top management covering up for a friend or ally?  If these operational practices cease will their reign of power end? Even if top management is not outright dishonest, are they tolerating or closing their eyes to serious dysfunctional activity from key managers and supervisors?  Too often such leaders don’t want to hear "bad news," especially if it reflects on their performance capability.

b) Climate of Fear. Lying and cheating also flourish in an atmosphere of intimidation and reprisal, of harsh judgment and ridicule and of impulsive dismissal.  There’s an almost irrational fear of making a mistake, of not meeting productivity quotas as well as the belief that the messenger will suffer if giving honest feedback.  No one can say the obvious: the organizational emperors aren’t wearing any clothes.  So, of course, there’s a cover up!

c) Conflict Averse System.  Not surprisingly, such organizations tend to avoid dealing with conflict.  People promote false personas such as being "so nice," "too busy to notice what’s going on," delegating to others without monitoring performance or holding others accountable, etc.

d) Dysfunctional Competition.  Sometimes overly aggressive, territorial individuals and departments foment this institutionalized deceit and manipulation.  Especially, when there are insufficient resources and rewards to go around, self-serving and self-protective actions can evolve into chronic backstabbing and sabotage.

3.  Plan a Strategic Intervention.  Consider these four consulting steps:

a) Management Orientation.  Meet with top management to share your initial approach to data gathering and early stage intervention. (See following steps.)  In this meeting you may not want to directly announce the problem of widespread dishonesty. Instead, focus on the unproductive and self-defeating communication, destructive competition, lack of trust and true cooperation and cohesiveness in the organization along with the dangerously smoldering tension.  Of course, ask the participants to define the nature and scope of the problem in order to assess how open, self-deluding or defensive the climate at the top.  What’s critical, of course, is that you have genuine backing for this intervention from someone in the top management hierarchy.

b) Individual Interviews.  Have one-on-one interviews with a substantial number of employees across the organizational spectrum. Interview enough folks so you can begin to discover the inconsistencies and cover-ups.  Also, see if anyone will acknowledge the pressure, fear or guilt generated by this dysfunctional situation.  Another source of useful data can come from anonymous questionnaires.

c) Slowly Build Alliances.  Use this interview data to form a small group of potential change agent cohorts; individuals most uncomfortable with the toxic atmosphere. You may need to meet with these folks more than once to insure their readiness for this challenging the system and critical intervention role.  (This is similar to needing a number of family members, friends or colleagues to confront the alcoholic in serious denial.  By the way, don’t be surprised if there are serious drug/alcohol problems in the organization.)  In addition, build an alliance with any Employee Assistance Program counselors, assuming they aren’t part of the dysfunctional family. Some of the chronic manipulators or intimidators may have personality disorders, not to mention drinking issues. Referral of these folks to the EAP will also be vital to regaining control of the workplace environment.

Two or three intervention groups may be needed, that is, separate groups for managers and for employees, at this juncture.  Later, you can form a matrix task force – jointly comprised of managers, supervisors, employees, union, etc.  These groupings, or the individual members, will eventually become your core collective for challenging the unhealthy status quo at team, department and division meetings.

d) Large Group Workshop.  Once you have some backup support, hold a daylong workshop to confront the productivity and morale problems – the problems in straight communication, lack of trust and cooperation, destructive conflict or avoidance of conflict, etc.  For example, my Practice Safe Stress Programs:  Managing Stress and Building Team Morale through Humor enable participants to open up gradually sensitive operational areas for constructive discussion and creative group art therapy-like drawing.  These activities, along with subsequent role-play exercises, transform trashing and griping into dynamic and honest dialogue and problem solving.  (Email stressdoc@aol.com for my manual on running a Safe Stress Program or for any other assistance.)

An additional benefit of a large group workshop is that substantial numbers of employees – consider mixing all staffing levels here – can begin to bond with and develop trust in your leadership abilities and further open cross-line communication. (30-50 people/workshop is about the outer size limit for intimate exercises and problem solving.)

4.  Ongoing Team Building.  Finally, after the workshop(s), I would hold meetings with each team.  In this small group setting, the dishonesty issues are really ready to be engaged and confronted. (Sometimes needed are separate meetings with two or three members of a team who are entangled in a particularly entrenched and destructive web.)

Also, start recruiting individuals across the hierarchy for a "Save the Workshop" matrix group. These folks’ mission will be to insure that all levels of the organization are engaging in honest communication, effective dialogue and genuine conflict resolution.  And, too, that there are confidential and objective structures – hopefully HR and/or the Employee Assistance Program -- for reporting violations and grievances.