How’s this for a challenging assignment: You’re the new manager of a 14-person team that’s been together four years. During your first two days with the team, nine people come to you one-to-one and complain vehemently about two team members, Laura and Frances. They’re angry: Laura and Frances come in late, leave early, ignore assignments and are sarcastic and nasty.
Supposedly, Laura and Frances claim they’re the best employees and, therefore, entitled to set their own schedules and to offer their honest opinions to improve the others. And your predecessor didn’t do anything to change that behavior.
To read the rest of this article from Business First of Louisville, see: Take steps to change a culture of entitlement in the workplace http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/print-edition/2011/04/08/take-steps-to-change-culture-of.html
The situation outlined above is real; only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. The manager of the team involved stepped up to the challenge and the resulting change was well worth it.
Beware of organizations that are proud they never fire anybody. Destructive entitlement and deadwood will accumulate. When results matter, good workers will be forced to work around their unproductive and difficult co-workers.
If you’re leading a team with members who believe they’re entitled to do whatever they please, don’t ignore the problem. You can change a culture of entitlement in the workplace but understand at the outset that fixing things will require courage, strength and perseverance.
All tactics are situational. Expert coaching and consulting can help you create and implement a plan that fits you and your organization.