What is growing in the Petri dish??

Remember back in high-school and biology class?  One experiment was to see what we could cultivate or create in an environment we thought we controlled.  The Petri-dish was used to create the conditions to grow bacteria in a controlled and anticipated way.

But, if the petri-dish was compromised, it was always a surprise to find out what grew instead.  We knew it wasn’t what we originally expected or needed to have happen.

I reckon it is the same with the team environment.  When the cultural conditions aren’t optimal, we don’t get what we expect, or what our Culture Statement says we should expect.

Then we find ourselves balancing what we tolerate with that we expect.  And the gap between what we demand / expect and what we tolerate will actually be how the culture is measured.  And it isn’t always pretty.

The same goes for the mood of the team – we can talk all day long about the team being like a family, but if the mood (emotional regulation) of the team is unhealthy, then it might certainly look like a family but not an ideal one.

And the mood of the team is generated by how they are responding to each other and the work situation.  Just like the Petri-dish, if it isn’t as we imagined it, then something is spoiling the experiment.

How many teams do you know that are operating predictably and efficiently?  And how many are showing signs of petri-dish contamination?

Helping employees know they matter, by helping leaders show they care.  This is my mission now.

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