By Ann Latham
May 5, 2011
An employee is dismissed. At one company, anger and fear prevail. At another, there is little disruption.
A new strategy is unveiled. Department shuffling ensues. Titles, offices, responsibilities, and priorities must change. At one company, anger and fear prevail. At another, there is little disruption.
What allows one company to react calmly, while another immediately leaps to anger and fear?
Think about your own experience. When do you accept a situation, as unpleasant as it may be, and when do you become angry?
Have you ever seen a fellow employee dismissed abruptly? One minute he is there doing a great job and the next he is gone without explanation. It is alarming. You suspect an injustice has occurred. If it happens a second time, you are pretty certain things are not on the up and up. You may start worrying about your own fate. Anger and fear are reasonable reactions.
On the other hand, suppose you believe that employee expectations are abundantly clear and that dismissal would only follow an egregious act or ample warning that one's performance must improve. Suppose you trusted that the decision-makers were always informed and fair. In that case, you might be surprised and grossly disappointed, but you would likely assume that the employee was treated fairly; would understand the need for confidentiality and move on.
What is the difference between acceptance and revolt?
The difference is fair process. When people believe the process is fair, they can accept almost anything, even terrible decisions, and move on. When people believe there is no fair process, they become angry and fearful. Even good decisions can raise the hackles if the process is suspect.
Our democracy itself is an example of a fair process. It may not be perfect, but we know how it is supposed to work, we trust that it mostly works, and we can vote to influence the process and the players if they prove to be uninformed and unfair.
Athletic competitions are another example of fair process at work. We know the referees aren't perfect, but as long as they appear merely incompetent rather than biased, we forgive them. There are rules and consequences and most players and fans know when a line is crossed.
Smart organizations also maintain a fair process. Whether embarking on major changes or simply managing day-to-day activities, employees exhibit patience and respect as long as they trust the process.
At poorly run organizations, fair process is as rare as good morale, high productivity, excellent service, great quality, growing revenues, and handsome profits. And there is a reason for the correlation. The best employees are not going to stick around if the organization isn’t fair! Nor are existing employees going to feel committed enthused, or forgiving.