3 tips for building unity in any workplace
unforgettable Lessons from an Assembly line
Life on the assembly line
A week after graduating from college I was working on the Honda assembly line in Marysville, Ohio making cars. Like every other worker, I wore heavy, steel-toed boots, plastic safety glasses, and a white uniform with a red patch that said HONDA. I had never before worked in a manufacturing environment but quickly noticed differences compared to the office environments where I had done internships. I heard people on the assembly line say ain’t. They cursed occasionally and when our white uniforms got dirty with grease or paint, nobody seemed to mind. Although I worked in the factory for only a month, it was enough to get a firsthand look at a timeless workplace culture gap—blue-collar versus white-collar work.
In the thirty years since I wore those steel-toed boots, I have spent time in hundreds of workplaces, from factories in the Midwest to executive suites in Europe, South America and Asia. In every institution, I observed historical divides particular to each corporate environment. Sales versus marketing. Back office versus front office. Internal audit versus everyone. I’ve worked with thousands of professionals across the globe and virtually everyone I speak with can tell me a story about a time when they have suffered the consequences of a departmental Us versus Them rivalry.
Varying Consequences
Sometimes the consequences are mild and function as a type of initiation. But in other situations, when resources are hoarded or communication is poor, the consequences have a long-term impact on the overall efficiency of the organization. Professionals in every organization deal with multiple Us versus Them dynamics. The task is figuring out which of these divides are harmless and which have the potential to negatively impact business and the people in business.
When an Us versus Them dynamic negatively impacts communication, relationship building, and teamwork, people will be under greater stress, miscommunicate more often, and encounter other problems.This can lead to the organization being less competitive in the marketplace by negatively impacting market share, revenue, and staffing.
Solutions for limiting division
When I worked at the Honda factory in Ohio and later in Japan, I saw firsthand how the gap between blue- and white-collar workers was addressed through policies and use of space in order to limit the differences between roles. For example,in most automobile manufacturing organizations in the U.S., people in the executive office wear suits and ties, but in Ohio and Japan people who worked in the office wore the same white jumpsuits as the people working in the factory. Having a water bottle or coffee on your desk was not allowed in the office because workers on the assembly line were not allowed to have non-essential items while they worked. The parking lot was first come, first park, with no executive spots. In addition to these rules, there was frequent rotation of personnel and physical movement between the factory floor and the office space. Of course, it is not possible to easily duplicate these strategies in most organizations.
The 3 things any leader can do to promote a WE culture in any workplace.
1. Reflect on yourself
As a leader you must pay attention to all your staff, not just the ones who are familiar or came up in the organization like you did. Leaders must demonstrate that they are broadly connected throughout the organization, rather than only with a small group of like-minded people. If, for example, a leader only has lunch with a particular few, then they may be viewed as prioritizing some over others. Even knowing people’s names and using those names is a way to recognize a broader group of contributors.
2. Listen for signs of division
When you hear someone talking about ‘those people in Dallas’ or ‘those folks in the marketing department’ it may be a signal of growing division. Rivalries between departments and geographical locations can get wildly out of control. One recent client told me that they had two departments where the people would not speak to one another.
3. Resist the myth
Don’t fall prey to the notion that there is nothing you can you to change US versus THEM dynamics. My experience with thousands of professional shows that most folks prefer connection but they often hesitate to reach out to others due to historical divisions, fear of unintentionally offending a coworker or because they are just busy and it’s easier not to take the risk. A comment from a recently client captured this perfectly. He said, “We so often see US versus THEM but don’t do anything about it.”
Now is the time to take action when you see an US versus THEM gap. The next step toward creating unity can be as simple as naming the divide.
More effective ideas and actionable strategies are available in my book.
My mission is to inspire a WE-building revolution where people take action to bridge US versus THEM gaps in the workplace and beyond.