How panic changes work culture

Its old and sad and painful reality that US economy is doing bad.

For people in who are working in companies which are not doing good fear is doubled. "Economy is not doing good dont know how long my company will survive". Then there is a third kind. When economy shrinks, it forces companies to take drastic steps. When company takes drastic steps (cost cutting, freezing projects) it creates panic in employees. What usually follows is layoffs and its seen so people know the effect of layoffs. However I wanted to write about a situation where layoff's have not happened (but are waiting to happen) third kind.

This period of uncertainity creates panic, makes people become deperate and brings out their survival instincts. Usually net effect of all the above is not good.

Some take it responsibly and say and do their best to adjust and make the most of the sitaution yet keeping their abilities and qualities intact. Some however loose it.

There have been instances where a great team questions, threatens, challenges, argues and shouting matches over silly things haopen simply because pressure has been created from the top and there is a unknown fear as to what might happen. if there is a great team who has worked well in the past and knows exactly where boundaries are for each, know the work done by each and results delivered, till now this team has been on same page untill now when all hell broke loose i.e. changes have been made and more will be made.

Because there is pressure on one person he stops trusting the judgement of the other person and starts asking dumb questions rather than trusting the colleague, it becomes a challenege at every statement made. Questioning the deliverables presented and doubting the quality of deliverables at every step. This becomes so much that they stop focusing on their job and spend a lot of time questioning and challening others and their motives. net result frustation and strained relations. This is no longer a dream team because it has lost trust.

While it is dangerous to trust blindly and questions should be asked, it should not become a pranoia.

This is only a small instance and can be dealt by doing what is right and ignoring the noise. There is no other way.

One of the sad outcomes of bad economy.