Today, office culture is what people wish to work in as many are the perfect places to work for, but still there are still many more who are very behind the so called the perfect ones. Like not everything that shines is gold and the same way workplaces fail to match with the picture they project. For instance sometimes the management is not that good. There can be many signs of what makes a workplace dysfunctional. These could be because of the following:

LACK OF COMMUNICATION
Communication or the lack of it is one of the earliest signs of a dysfunctional organization. Gossip by itself is harmless, unless it tends to get malicious and personal. The office grapevine is probably the best way most people hear about organizational news. If this media can be purposefully harnessed, then the flow of communication can be made very productive.

THE DELEGATION
Sure, the boss has the final say, but work should be delegated, with employees taking responsibility for tasks that do not require the boss’s personal time and attention. The organization will be much more productive and empowered if the top boss doesn’t have to sign off on every little thing. Lack of delegation of authority can be a big impediment. In such organizations, the entire decision-making process is so democratic that most often there are more meetings after meetings but seldom are any directions or decisions taken.

STRESSED ENVIRONMENT
If a workplace is operating without any process in place, where the stress level is very high, and employees have no work-life balance and there is no innovation happening, then the workplace qualifies to be a dysfunctional workplace. Over-worked employees and avoidable pressures are also signs of a dysfunctional workplace.

PERCEPTION & PERFORMANCE
People are judged by their proximity and perception than] productivity or output. In dysfunctional organizations what matters is not what you have accomplished in a day, but how many hours you were seen working. Senior management should evaluate the employee’s performance based on achievement of targets rather than how long employees are working at office.

EMPOWERMENT
Empowerment is not about the signing of financial instruments or purchasing goods/services up to a certain financial level, but taking responsibility for your decision without fear of failure and having the requisite tools to do so. Organizations which have successfully overcome the mindset of operating in a blame-culture, have invited suggestions from the employees themselves as to what can be done about this.

LACK OF RECOGNITION
A company should constantly motivate its employees to improve performance by giving them various performance-based incentives, appreciation mails from top management and also acknowledging their achievements in their internal meetings/forums and magazines. Rewarding and recognizing top performers helps in encouraging and motivating the employees to perform better.

NO PUNISHMENT FOR BAD PERFORMANCE
Organizations should take corrective actions against employees who are lazy and recoil from hard work. Failure to take any corrective measures de motivates even the efficient employees to continue performing well. It further provides leverage to employees who do not perform to continue underperforming without any fear of being reprimanded.

LACK OF VALUES
Every organization should have clearly defined values and missions which have to be followed by all, from front line staff to top management. In the day to day functioning of organizations, many a times signs that can cause major harm are ignored or not given much importance.