Passive-aggressive behaviour destroys trust, stifles collaboration, and jeopardises productivity. Passive-aggression, unlike open conflict, which allows the possibility of dealing with issues, festers under the surface, breeding resentment and disengagement. Let it fester and it can destroy even the best of teams.
Good news? Teams can benefit from interventions to promote more healthy interactions.
Understanding Passive Aggressive Behaviour
What is passive aggressive behaviour
💥hiding information,
💥avoid difficult conversations,
💥backhanded compliment…
💥procrastination is a form of resistance,
💥or subtly sabotaging colleagues.
Passive-aggression is often an offshoot of avoidance, or the unwillingness to deal with uncomfortable feelings, says Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl, author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle.
It erodes psychological safety on a team, which Amy Edmondson describes in The Fearless Organization as one of the key ingredients of high performance.
The Effect on Teams and Team Work
When mistrust and passive-aggression rule the day; team members will not be willing to collaborate and will work defensively, which results in lower efficiency and innovation. In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni says, “trust is the root of all dysfunction”. You need trust to have open discussion.
The costs of workplace conflict are well documented, and much of that is due to passive-aggressive behaviors:
📊CPP Global Study (2008) U.S. businesses lose $359 billion a year in lost productivity from conflict. Employees spend an average of 2.8 hours a week on conflict.
📊 Workplace Research 2022: 69% of 2,000 workers polled say passive-aggression is an issue at work, and 48% say it has increased since COVID.
📊 Myers-Briggs Conflict Report (2021) After COVID, there is more tension in the workplace, especially around the issue of working remotely.
What needs to change?
Teams need to build to get out of the passive-aggression
✅Open discussion: To encourage open discussion for resolving issues constructively. Psychological safety is when team members feel safe to speak up.
✅Emotional Intelligence The discussion of self-awareness and self-regulation in Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence can help to avoid reactive behaviours.
✅ Clear Expectations & Accountability: Leaders need to set a communication standard and hold teams accountable.
✅ Positive feedback: Feedback that is both prompt and respectful helps prevent passive aggression from building up.
The function of a team coach
Good coaches help teams to:
🔘Spot dysfunctional patterns - reveal hidden tensions and insights.
🔘Create safe spaces to discuss conflict. Let's be real.
🔘Build Conflict Resolution Skills – Promoting healthy debate vs. passive resistance
🔘Rebuild Trust - Enable teams to work better together.
A brighter future for teams
Passive-aggressive doesn’t have to be a part of a team culture. They can be high functioning collaborative units with transparency, emotional intelligence and accountability. This change is possible and can be sustained with a team coach to help create a workplace where people feel valued, communication is open and success is shared. If this is a conversation you want to have, please contact me