With a fresh new year ahead of us, a recent article about incivility and respect offers timely information about workplace civility.
“The Price of Incivility” by Christine Porath and Christine Pearson can be found in this month’s Harvard Business Review. You can also read the authors’ short HBR blog “You’re Rude Because Your Boss Is Rude” (January 18, 2013).
Because the topics of respect, civility and appreciation are often raised by my clients I found the articles relevant and interesting.
Here are some highlights:
Research shows that workplace incivility has detrimental effects on creativity, effort, quality of work, profits, productivity, relationships, commitment to the organisation, client satisfaction. Workplace incivility increases stress and ill health, anxiety
What can be done?
For a workplace to retain its soul, health, productivity, quality work and strong team relationships, the building block is respect. Are you an active participant in generating and maintaining a civil and respectful workplace?
Further readings
Four related articles I’ve written in the past:
Appreciation #1 (2006)
http://www.amandahorne.com.au/pdf/2006Oct-Appreciation.pdf
Appreciation #2 (2011)
No Jerks Rule (2007): http://www.amandahorne.com.au/april-2007-the-no-jerks-rule/
Respect at Work (2009): http://www.amandahorne.com.au/respect-at-work/
Other references
Leadership lessons from the Royal Navy (January 2013, McKinsey Quarterly )
“This branch of the British armed services consciously fosters cheerfulness and nourishes its collective memory. Business executives should take note. ”
Christine Porath has also written a chapter on Civility for The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. I haven’t read it yet, but plan to soon. Porath, C.L. (2011). Civility. In K. Cameron & G. Spreitzer (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Oxford University Press.