Many often contribute low employee morale to several offenders such as poor communication, rudeness, distrust and disrespect. These offenders are probably all to blame. In the spirit of the chicken and egg scenario, some people even debate which of these comes first. In other words, does poor communication result because of disrespect or does disrespect result because of poor communication. Let’s look at this a little deeper.
First, can you imagine someone wanting to communicate with anyone who is disrespectful to him or her? On the other hand, we hardly consider disrespectful people as good communicators. However, some people have no idea they are being disrespectful. Oftentimes certain behavioral styles might create low morale with no malice intent. Here are four behavioral styles to consider.
Many of you are familiar with the DISC behavioral assessment. This assessment describes four behavioral styles and the communication style of each.
The D is for Dominance: These folks don’t necessarily mean to be poor communicators or to lower morale in the workplace. However, they are to the point people. You know, “I don’t care if your cat just died, get me the files I asked for, and do it now!” Other more sensitive styles may tend to cower, get their feelings hurt, or just avoid the D style altogether. The D behavioral style is not intentionally being malicious, they think they are just being efficient and see themselves as
- Confident
- A Winner
- Positive
Others see them as
- Abrasive
- Controlling
- Opinionated
The I is for Influence: These folks are just the opposite of the Ds and never meet a stranger. They are always willing to help, but may over communicate. They may even spill the beans about confidential information. “Oops, didn’t mean to tell you the boss likes Harry’s work better than yours.” In addition, these folks may be constant interrupters creating low productivity adding to low morale. They don’t mean any malice. They see themselves as
- Optimistic
- Inspiring
- Charming
Others see them as
- Poor Listeners
- Talkative
- Unrealistic
The S is for Steadiness: The high S is, for some, in the non-communicative box as they, unlike the I, withhold information. While you might trust them with confidential information, they may neglect to provide information that could move a project forward. While the I behavioral style may show a great deal of enthusiasm, the S shows no emotion being the steady Eddies of the world. The S doesn’t mean to be secretive. They see themselves as
- Considerate
- Thoughtful
- A Team Player
Others see them as
- Stubborn
- Insensitive
- Unconcerned
The C is for Compliance: These folks love policies and procedures. They don’t want to make any mistakes; they drag their feet, often unable to make a decision and don’t want to move forward without precedence or permission. They aren’t deliberately trying to be a roadblock to communication or progress. They see themselves as
- Thorough
- Knowledgeable
- Analytical
Others see them as
- Defensive
- Picky
- Hard to Please
While each of these behavioral and communication styles can be the reason for low morale, there is a solution. Each of us, regardless of our style, need to try to understand the styles of others and adapt our style to theirs. This does not mean being a phony or becoming someone we aren’t. It means putting a stop to the chicken and egg debate and that each of us must make an effort in better understanding others, taking responsibility for our own communication efforts and being aware of what we contribute to the moral and culture of our workplace….and do it NOW!
