Who Is To Blame For The Culture of No?

“If there’s a big problem in corporate America, it’s that we say ‘Yes’ too much at times. There’s a whole lot of yes going around. The problem? Only about 1/2 of the “yes” responses are followed up with action that is representative of all of us living up to the commitment we made. That’s why you need to say ‘no’ more.”  – HR Capitalist

You haven’t experienced all the fulfillment of service delivery management until your told something that is so foreign, so alien, that your first reaction is bewilderment. With a dash of astonishment. What the heck did this guy just tell me?

What could anyone say that would create such a reaction? When someone says someone represents the culture of no.  Traditional help desk, engineering, and information security has thrived in a culture of “no”. To be accused of perpetuating the culture of no.  Seriously?  Let’s break it down…

What is the Culture of No?

“Rather than encountering a world that encourages you to dream big, you may find yourself mired in a ‘culture of no’ — one where fear of failure means that great ideas don’t even get a try” – Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Program

“We have all met that wall. And when those walls exist, people find ways around them. The workarounds make their lives easier. They implement what they think is best. Their efforts are not intentionally destructive but can lead to unintentional vulnerabilities and, potentially, harm.” – Article from DZone

Let’s unpack the why…

First, is to acknowledge no one in management wakes up in the morning and says, “I’m going to tell 10 people no today”. Talk about a crazy goal. No is a often considered an emotionally negative word, so delivering it is avoided.  Sometimes, at all costs.

Second, is often ‘no’ is grounded in policy and standard. Especially if it’s a politically sensitive subject. In my early career, I’ve been directed, a couple of times, to refresh my memory on a policy as the no was delivered.

Third, Leaders are often asked to get creative to say no without saying no. Wordsmithing ‘no’ is a career maker for many leaders, especially in the public relations functions. I’ve been told this falls into the “interpersonal savvy” characteristic, which is a sought after leadership trait.

So mix all that up in a information security or systems engineering context, and you have an explosive mixture pitting IT against business units and developers alike. It’s not surprising there are movements like DevOps to correct the cultures behavior.

Again, all that said, the why of the problem is commitment delivery and lack of clarity that is so succinctly described by the HR Capitalist’s quote above. It’s far easier to just slide into corporate ambiguity versus a clear response.  Yet clear responses are sometimes not appreciated by types of leaders.

So, Who Is To Blame?

Many employees  who are described as being a part of the culture of no are often swimming to stay alive in a toxic company culture. DevOps won’t solve that problem, nor any other service management framework. If CAMS represents DevOps’s core values, start with the first letter: C = Culture.

If your organization is mired in the culture of ‘no’, look hard at your company’s culture and how you are affecting it.  This article isn’t about saying ‘no’.  It’s about having the right culture so ‘no’ is not political, but academic.

\\ JMM

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