A Job-centric workplace climate tends to effectively isolate and prevent individuals from participating in collective efforts, collaborations, cooperate with one another and establish - as well as maintain - operational islands.

Regarding job-centric as a toxic workplace climate, probably isn't the politically correct term to describe this toxic climate phenomenon. The reason for doing so isn't because a job-centric mindset - in itself - is a bad thing, but the manner in which it manifest and is applied in modern times is the actual issue. More often than not, a job-centric place of work is riddled with actions, activities and attitudes that can be identified as countermine, plotting, disloyalty, toxic games, counterplotting, treacherousness, ego manipulations, treachery, treason, corruption, trick, trickery, sedition, creating illusions and establishing delusions.

Although the Job-centric Mindset term is used to mainly refer to a modern place of work, it also is inclusive enough to accommodate various other modern society or community structures and systems such as education, training, religion, charities, politics, government and the likes. The job-centric Mindset - generously sourcing from a domineering wild horse attitude and unhealthy manipulation of VIDSHE-priciples - is kept firmly in place and well maintained by means of the toxic application - to a lesser or greater extent - of various MMET aspects…

• M = Management - any person in a position of assigned authority - tends to harass and bully individuals; rather than to lead, guide and assist them to achieve higher levels of performance by setting an example to follow. In cases like these, a simplistic carrot (reward) and stick (punishment) method is used to remunerate predefined acceptable behaviors and disciple unacceptable actions.
• M = Meetings - often urgent and mostly compulsory - are used to kick a problem around, play the blame game and make “someone else responsible” for solving the problem (e.g. management blame employees and employees blame management for misfortunes). Sadly, meetings is very rarely used to become aware of, identify, plan, strategize and prioritize using the principles of the ADKAR-model.
• E = Emails - all communications for that matter inclusive of SMS's and WhatsApp - are utilized to “drown” people with all kinds of information - mostly out of context and irrelevant in many cases - without due consideration to ethics, intent and what is actually required or needed at that moment within a particular context. The actual value of communications (especially emails) is to keep people informed, sharing essential information and valuable experiences, which usually are lost or suffers severely in purpose under the immense pressures of an excessive and constant stream of “useless” information diarrhea bombarding people each and everyday.
• T = Technology and bureaucracy <ttip:surpassed>I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have created a generation of idiots! ~ Albert Einstein</ttip> human interactions and relations. Difficulties, obstacles and problem gets solve by implementing additional - and inflexible - regulation or procedures, more bureaucratic forms to be completed and technologies are used to drive pre-planned answers and solutions to problems, which often is completely <ttip:out of context.>Ever try to get a problem solved or query answered, without spending the first “2 hours” running through a set of menus with “press 1 for…, press 2 for…” and after being assured - every couple of seconds - “how valuable your call” is to the organization, you end up with a “consultant” that reads from a script, and being unable to address the issue, provides you with another telephone number to call? Just to repeat the process of… “press 1 for…, press 2 for…” all over again.</ttip>

Apart from being utterly frustrating, stressful and unproductive, the above indicated use of MMET-principles, tends to securely establish a workplace or business and social climate where…

• Doing business - generally - is regarded as a <ttip:conflict of interest>Actually collectively seen and regarded as a war with winners (successful in materialistic gains) and losers(failing to make obscene amounts of money).</ttip> between companies, different departments, teams and groups of people. Impressive and domineering headquarters are build with huge armies of “troops” to order about at will. Competitors are labeled as “enemies” and customers are treated as a “territory” that must be “overrun“, conquered and annexed.
• Companies and organizations have mutated into well oiled machines with employees treated as <ttip:standardized>I.e. having the right papers, specific qualifications, particular experiences and the right registrations</ttip> and replaceable cogs within that machine. This approached, creates plenty of bureaucratic structures and incredible amounts of paper trails, with numerous inflexible rules and rigid procedures. Control is maintained by “pushing disciplinary hearing buttons” and “steering the ship” by means of a “carrot & stick” kind of reward/punishment system, frequently accompanied by implied and looming threats of quickly replacing and/or medicating “dysfunctional” cogs.
• Employees are expected and required to do exactly what they are told or instructed. This give rise to a hyper-awareness and astute sensitivity for anything that remotely smacks of insubordination, which - in turn - leads to the establishment of a “workplace culture”, where individual initiatives are efficiently squelched by an overall (i.e. top to bottom) mentality of… “wait and see what the boss actually wants”.
• Employees are treated as inferior, immature individuals who simply can’t be trusted and who needs to be constantly ”shown the way“ or ”bulldozed“ to do the “right” thing. The general collective belief - despite lip service and many paper promises to the contrary - is that employees, when not overseen or controlled by a patriarchal and forceful management structure, will not “produce” the ”stuff“ as expected or performs required. Everyone take their performance cues from this persisting attitude and expend all their energy on looking busy, keeping a low profile and spend many hours either, ducking responsibilities or covering their behinds.
• Fear - of getting fired or ridiculed or losing privileges - is a crucial way to maintain ”loyalty“, keeping people ”motivated“ and on track. As a result, both employees and managers alike, become paralyzed and unwilling to either suggest improvements or take risky decisions, while - simultaneously - adopting an attitude of “rather safe than sorry“.
• Change is regarded as both extremely complicated and awfully threatening. Change is something to be endured only when a company/organization/institution is in desperate shape or going through quite a rough patch. In cases like these, change is normally dealt with in a “cyclone syndrome” fashion.
• The prevailing IT-centric view - that technology mainly is a way to strengthen management’s control and increase predictability - is at the order of the day. Centralized computer systems are developed and installed that dehumanize, antagonize, frustrate and “box” or limits employee actions and decision making capabilities.
• Workplace attitudes are characterized by the notion that work is a necessary evil and the only way to earn money. Employees are fully expected to resent having to work. By implication and subconsciously companies (specifically management) are defined as oppressors and their employees as the unfortunate defenseless victims. Everyone, within the company or organization, then behaves accordingly.

Best illustrated as follows…

Tendency to establish and sustain a rigid, inflexible hierarchical and paper driven workplace culture where decisions is dictated by bureaucratic rules, regulations and processes.

Fueled by toxic MMET-principles, effectively creates an employee attitude and impression of being manipulated by THE BOSS

Gradually channel human energies and effort into various employee-management tug-of-war situations, which largely undermines productivity.

The above have a nasty and unfortunate tendency to manifest as a strict militaristic code of conduct enforced in most spheres of life… from families, society, companies, politics, organizations, schools up to the government.

An active job-centric Mindset and workplace climate - supported by maladjusted MMET-principles - creates, firmly establish and laboriously maintain an environment characterized by…

• A constant uphill battle to keep individuals motivated, focused and dedicated.
• Individuals that are permanently busy (or at least appears to be busy) all the time, without actually accomplishing much in terms of obtaining objectives or achieving goals.
• A continual and grueling challenge to keep people involved and to sustain productivity.
• Employees that aimlessly loiter around, without any indication that they are even aware of a possible difficulty, obstacle, problem or issue… unless, ”pertinently commanded“ by the authority to do something about it.
• Management who has to frequently make use of bribery, threats or tantrums to get employees to finish tasks in time or meet set deadlines.
• Employees that expect payment from the employer, purely based on his/her physical attendance only.
• A smoldering underlying restlessness and agitation is constantly present and noticeable.

MMET-principles that are poorly executed or handled, in association with a Job-centric Mindset, place tremendous pressure on the successful achieving of - especially - the following KPA's…

• The meticulous and accurate application of record (data) keeping and related procedures or processes.
• Knowledgeable about and an understanding of various information sources with the ability to skilfully utilize it, if and when appropriately required or needed.
• Processing and completion of instructions and/or task timeously (i.e. SMART-ly).
• Productive communications, informative discussions and sharing information openly and honestly.
• Maintaining minimum standards of professionalism in relation to the handling of customer or client queries, applying appropriate business ethics and behaving appropriately in a place of work.
• Ensure the proper upkeep and maintenance of equipment, tools and/or machinery.
• Prioritizing, managing time and operational schedules effectively.
• Understanding the work context, able to troubleshoot and solve problems within a specific environmental context.

When the above mentioned KPA's doesn't materialized productively within any company, organization, institution, society or community; the following functions, activities, processes and procedures tends to derail, gets out of control and quickly develops into a major crisis…

• Record keeping and viable information systems and data flows.
• Essential Administrative and updating processes.
• Contextual understanding of the business and workplace environment, often resulting in a lack of purpose and meaning.
• Cooperation, contribution and co-creation.
• Dealing with conflict, different ideas, various points of view and cultural diversity.
• Ethics, intent, etiquette and professional actions and behaviours.

In conclusion…

Conflict (or differences of opinion) often is excessively wasteful and draining. It always requires energy, effort and time, out of proportion, to the end result. When a conflict develops - under these circumstances - it almost always has a way of ”leaking“ into other areas as well, effecting other processes and drawing in other people. It takes on a life of its own and always feeds off something or someone else. Wasting plenty of time, money and energy in a futile attempt to merely contain it. Resolving the issue is not even nearly at stake.

In a rapid changing world, the right information at the right time, is immensely powerful. However, this facet depends heavily on people to be the ”eyes and ears“ for collecting and digesting required information. A prevailing Job-centric Mindset efficiently shuts down and eliminate this ”numerous sources“ (i.e. individuals) of data, information collectors and generators of new ideas. In a constant changing environment (especially business and a place of work), such a climate tends to speed up the redundancy of products, skills, technology and ideas. Mainly as a result of the incorrect or ”out of context“ applications thereof.

A Job-centric Mindset dominated workplace stranglehold, inevitable results in a gradual - but steady - downwards spiral!