There’s an interesting show on the History Channel called Gangland. The show visits different cities and gives the viewer an inside look into the activities of notorious gangs in those areas. What I find interesting is the culture of these gangs in how they attract people to join them, how they use markings to identify themselves, how brutal and savage they are and how difficult they are for law enforcement to stop and infiltrate. All this got me thinking about Corporateland, i.e., the so-called streets of your corporate world, and how gangs in corporateland can create a culture of destruction as well. Here are a few similarities between Gangland and Corporateland.
Gang Markings – Gangs use markings to identify their turf and themselves. You know their turf when you see it by the markings on walls, signs, etc. You know them when you see them by their tattoos. Likewise you can identify the gangs in corporateland by their markings. Maybe not by tattoos but certainly by actions or inactions. We’ve called it Piracy activities in other blog posts. They violate the non-negotiables; they complain in front of customers; they have the back-alley meeting after the meeting; they rarely offer solutions; they create their own culture within the organization that goes against the corporate culture endorsed by leadership. And look out when these gangs get one of their own in the upper reaches of management and leadership. They will have the ability to tear your house down from within.
When you see the gang markings you must wipe them out. Be aggressive and move in on these markings the minute you see them. The longer you allow the markings to show the more turf you are going to lose.
Violence – The most ruthless gangs are the most violent. In corporateland you won’t see this kind of violence but you will see brutal attacks against the corporate culture. You’ll even see attacks against other employees trying to work within the boundaries. What’s sad is many in corporateland don’t weed out and get rid of the gang members and they live to attack another day… and they will strike. Attacks could be false harassment claims. They attack performers by accusing them of cheating or lying about production. They create an underground gossip-line of attacks against the culture and leadership. If you aren’t wearing their colors or supporting their team, they will take you out or at the least create fear in order to silence you.
When you see violence, attack it with justice. Make the penalty for violence hard-time. In other words, fire the offenders without exception. Swift justice will curtail the violence and send a clear signal to the gangs.
Recruiting – Gangs recruit with the money, their own backward sense of belonging to something and the threat of, “if you aren’t with them you are against them”. In corporateland you have those (usually about 30%) that are part of the gangs. You have those (usually about 30%) who are the “good guys”. They support the organization, its leadership and its culture. Then you have those in the middle (about 40%) who are on the fence (or hiding in the alley) waiting to see who will win or who is winning. The gangs are actively recruiting them. The gangs are showing these employees that they are entrenched in the organization and they are not going anywhere. They believe it’s their company, it’s their checks to collect and no one is going to tell them how to collect the money and certainly no one is going to tell them they have to do things any other way than their own way. This can be appealing to the fence sitter and the gang’s hostile takeover attempt can attract many.
When you see recruits (the fence sitters) joining the gangs it’s time to really look at management and leadership. You must have a core score to measure recruiting. If you don’t have a core score then you are guaranteed to lose recruits to the gangs.
Now, if you’re part of the gang underbelly in corporateland, we’re quite surprised you’re even reading this. However, if you’re one of the good guys you better take notice and take this threat seriously. Whether you think so or not, you can be assured that there are gangs in your corporateland. Here’s a warning… If those in leadership and management are hesitant or refuse to take action against the gangs, there is a high likelihood that your leadership and management ranks have already been infiltrated by the gangs. It’s your move. What are you going to do?
