Often, it is said that attitudes do not change at all. There are others who are able to succeed in doing so. Some negative-attitude employees are otherwise high-performing. Organizations are often in quandary about how to stop their negativity and convert their energy into positive contribution to realization of organizational vision. What interventions, you think, can be used towards this complex task?
The followers may find the following list useful:
1-treating employees with respect,
2-providing regular employee recognition,
3-offering open and regular communication about factors important to employees,
4-offering above industry-average benefits and compensation,
I like the way Shafig suggested the solution. But I think often these negative attitude develop over years for very obvious reasons. If people are left to do nothing and they get away with it, negativity will start. The work atmosphere should be very friendly, understanding but result oriented, you cant have two different type of people continous under performers and those who continously excel. Sometime it is better to cut off the bad part I believe amputation is better to save the body.
Where requirements of employer meet requirements of employees: cooperation between them is rather ok. But it seems be dynamic balance and can change due to discrepancy between them.
The followers may find the following list useful:
1-treating employees with respect,
2-providing regular employee recognition,
3-offering open and regular communication about factors important to employees,
4-offering above industry-average benefits and compensation,
Negative attitude comes through many of the problems faced by the employees with the current situation as well as his/her past. It is therefore necessary to understand the problems of individual employee and try to help him/her to come out of that attitude. It is not easy.
1. Listen to the employee carefully without any interruption about why he/she is having the (negative) attitude. Try to remedy any of them if they are genuine.
2. Make him/her understand the consequences of negative attitude – Some training.
3. Let the employee understand how to identify the moments of his/her negative attitude.
4. Educate the employee on methods of developing positive attitude so that he/she can come out of the negative attitude.
I think that all these attributes are results from a general centralised system. If the system is a kind of decentralised system (a gang system, with responsible workers), and the workers should be cost more but with related education . Each gang decide alone having the relevant information from a center computer, or supervisor. Such industries are in work more hours in comparison with usual industries that use unskilled more chip workers. In the first case we do not have negative practices . These are characteristics of the usual organisation. All the recipes, some of them are good are however darns. What is needed is a organisation that gives a dignified work.
Negative attitudes can be changed to positive attitudes. Change the way they are deaking with others from negative to positive and let them be helpful to others through training programs, putting posters, and talking about that in seminars and conferences.
Human beings are not born with either positive or negative attitudes. The positive or negative attitude is the outcome of perceptions about the situations ,events etc., which one comes across in the real life. Attitudes develop over a period of time. Every individual can be reformed through a process of counseling, training and understanding the need of the individual. Negative emotions lead to negative perceptions which ultimately result in negative attitude. Looking at the situations or events in an organizational set up in a positive manner will lead to positive emotions thus developing positive perceptions thereby creating positive attitude. Therefore it is essential for the management to first understand the persons with negative attitudes and to help them in thinking positively through counseling and training. Management must also maintain transparency and mutual trust to avoid development of any negative perception.
I believe it is even difficult to change the attitude of a person. When the attitude of a group of employees is negative and when it is important to change this, I see two paths. The first is to dismiss some leaders who print this negative attitude to the group. The second consists in bringing people from outside the company who can print a change of attitude to the group and could resign or not those who resist change.
That is very true dear Kamal. If it is genuine problem the employee should be helped. But if it is deliberate negative attitude that is detrimental to the organization the consequences should be made clear and the employee should pay for it. Unfortunately we have a person like that who is close to the administration. Result is he gets full support from the administrative to the detriment of his group. Luckily I am not in his group. Politics and favoritism is a problem here.
Negative attitudes can be converted into positive attitudes with patience, perseverance and skill. Someone with leadership qualities can do this, going into the shoes of the person and motivating and inspiring by giving examples and by being an example .
Dear Jaya
I agree with your thoughtful thread: "patience, perseverance and skill. Someone with leadership qualities." I would just say that when the organization is headed by sagacious leadership, it checks the negativity in the organization to a great extent. Of course, the leader has to have a lot of patience, lowest possible ego, faith in his/her counseling and coaching skills, and people-centricity as a way of organizational working.
I would however, think that the hiring exercise should be done extremely carefully. It is difficult to correct hiring mistakes. that is why, the top management in some organizations spends even up to 85 per cent of their time in hiring.
Dear friends
Your well-considered answers to the question are highly appreciable. Most of you have suggested positivity to handle the negative energy emanating from some people in the organization. Certainly, it vitiates the organizational culture. And, when the severity of the problem assumes grave proportions, the extreme action of termination may have to be resorted to. But the hard fact is that in most organizations negative attitude people are seen with contempt even by those who are themselves believers in positivity. This magnifies the problem. Consequently, negativity perpetuates itself. It is only in enlightened organizations that a systems approach is adopted in handling the negative energy.
I came across this useful paper on handling negative attitude, which I found quite interesting. Hope you find it useful. The article also clearly hints towards what negative attitude is. Thus, it answers dear Marion's question about what negative attitude is about.
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=7ad1ca8c-2b9f-4fdf-bb2e-9fae578e78d5%40sessionmgr4002&hid=4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=6035838
Dear Debi,
The paper you recommended on handing negative attitude is really useful and interesting.
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