The Silencing of Voices: The Corporate "Darkness" Nobody Hears

Abstract

Corporations are becoming increasingly aware of the pervasive impact the culture of an organization has on its financial performance. Both vertically and horizontally within companies, people defend against knowing, emotionally and cognitively, precisely what they need to know in order to impact the bottom line. Employees are often culturally overtrained not only to think in terms of certain consensually validated unwritten rules of the game but also to withhold information that will in any way threaten the current social order.As a result, today's management systems are fraught with oppressive social structures and unequal exercises of power in the corporation. Understanding this cultural ''darkness'', -the collision of espoused cultural values and the values in practice that contradict what the officially sanctioned culture is supposed to be about -becomes a critical piece of impacting business performance. Knowingly or unknowingly, management operates within this ''darkness'', perpetuating it by their support of the strategies, structures, and systems inherent in the organizational framework.Organizational ''darkness''does not have to impede the well-being of employees within organizations if it is uncovered, dialogued, and labeled for what it can be -the impetus for change and the catalyst for the organization to become all it is capable of becoming. Management might begin to think of a regular part of the corporation's action together as creating an on-going ever-changing ethnography -the kind of world in which employees choose to live and change with others.

Constrictive vs. distinctive familiness and the culturing of familiness capital (FamCap)

“…Habbershon et al (2003) caution that resources and capabilities related to familiness can lead to both the advancement and restriction of family business functioning. A cultural 'darkness' can operate in businesses when values that are practiced contradict official or healthy cultural morals and ethics (Lampe, 2002). Habbershon and Williams (1999) point out that negative cycle of familiness can occur; and that these may be constrictive to the functioning of a family firm.…”

“…At the heart of organizational culture are the unconscious 'taken-for-granted' beliefs of individuals that guide their preferences and actions (Schein, 1985: 14). Businesses have become increasingly conscious of the influence of the culture of a business on its financial performance (Lampe, 2002). For instance, identification with the organizational culture can support the mobilization of energy in the pursuit of the organization's goals (OrtonJones, 2003;Jones, 2006).…”

Playing the party game: musical careers

“…Another sign of organisational learning is the use of strategies such as unlearning, discussing the undiscussable, dialoguing, or reflecting (Lampe, 2002). However, the case study noted that public, divisional and departmental meetings lacked any discussion and were merely opportunities for management to tell others what decisions had been made.…”