Anxiety is a Business Killer

Anxiety obscures the big picture.

Anxiety captures the attention of the group.

The group relieves anxiety through ritual sacrifice.

The group relieves anxiety by sacrificing the weak, the individual, or the marketing department.

Anxiety is a dangerous force that can quietly infiltrate every corner of our lives, seizing control of both individuals and groups, often without anyone fully realising the extent of its power. It begins subtly – a creeping unease that clouds our judgement, narrows our focus, and distorts our ability to see the bigger picture.

It is an emotional contagion.

Before long, it’s no longer just an individual experience; it spreads like wildfire, capturing the attention of the entire group and pulling everyone into its grip.

When anxiety takes hold of a group, it demands action. But it’s not a rational demand – it’s an urgent, almost primal need to do something, anything, to relieve the collective tension. The group, now consumed by this shared anxiety, looks for a way to restore order and regain a sense of control. And this is where the real danger lies. In their desperate search for relief, groups often turn to ritual sacrifice – not in the literal sense, but through scapegoating. They identify a target – often the weak, the individual who stands out, or the department easiest to blame – and they sacrifice it. This symbolic act externalises their anxiety, transferring it onto someone or something else, in the belief that doing so will dispel their discomfort.

Take the marketing department, for example. When a business hits a rough patch, when sales falter, or when the brand takes a hit, it’s often marketing that gets thrown under the bus. The group, united in their anxiety, seeks a convenient scapegoat. The narrative goes something like this: “If only marketing had done a better job, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” It’s a simple, satisfying story that temporarily quells the group’s anxiety. But it’s also dangerously short-sighted.

The problem with this kind of ritual sacrifice is that it solves nothing. While it may provide a momentary sense of relief, a brief lull in the storm, the underlying issues – the real sources of anxiety – remain unaddressed. Worse, this behaviour can have long-term consequences that are far more damaging than the original problem. Sacrificing the weak or the individual doesn’t just cost you a person or a department; it strips away potential, creativity, and the diversity of thought essential for growth and innovation.

Breaking this cycle is hard. Anxiety is relentless, and without conscious effort, it will continue to drive groups into destructive patterns. The key is to recognise anxiety for what it is: a powerful force that obscures the big picture and pushes us towards irrational actions. Instead of letting it dictate our behaviour, we must confront it head-on. This means fostering open communication, where anxiety can be discussed and dissected, rather than hidden or ignored. It means staying focused on long-term goals, resisting the urge to prioritise immediate, short-term fixes. And it means supporting those who might otherwise become the targets of collective anxiety, strengthening them instead of sacrificing them.

Ultimately, the danger of anxiety lies not in the emotion itself, but in how we respond to it. If we allow it, anxiety will drive us to make sacrifices that weaken us in the long run. But if we confront it, manage it, and maintain focus, we can harness it as a force for growth rather than destruction. It’s not easy, but it’s essential. Because when anxiety takes control, the real sacrifice isn’t just the scapegoat – it’s the future we might have had, if only we’d had the courage to face our fears instead of fleeing from them.

Actions:

Recognise anxiety: Identify its presence and impact on individuals and groups.

Avoid scapegoating: Resist blaming the weak, individuals, or departments.

Foster open communication: Create spaces to discuss and address anxiety constructively.

Focus on long-term goals: Prioritise sustainable solutions over short-term fixes.

Confront anxiety directly: Manage it proactively to prevent irrational, harmful decisions.

Reading:

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Anxiety at Work by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute

Overcoming Organizational Defenses by Chris Argyris

This article was written in 2006 and was based primarily on observation. Long before generative AI. If anyone is interested in the psychological context here are some references from our new buddy:

This article aligns with several well-established theories and concepts in psychology and organisational behaviour:

1. Emotional Contagion

• Concept: Emotions, particularly negative ones like anxiety, can spread rapidly within groups.
• Support: Research shows that individuals unconsciously mimic and synchronise emotions with those around them, leading to collective emotional states.
• Relevance: Your article highlights how anxiety spreads within groups, creating a shared sense of urgency or distress.

2. Scapegoating and Group Dynamics

• Concept: Scapegoating is a defence mechanism where groups project anxiety or blame onto an individual or subgroup to alleviate collective tension.
• Support: This is rooted in Freudian defence mechanisms and René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire and scapegoating.
• Relevance: Your description of sacrificing individuals or departments like marketing as a way for groups to manage anxiety reflects these dynamics.

3. Cognitive Biases

• Concept: Anxiety narrows focus and impairs judgement, often leading to over-simplified decision-making (e.g., attributing failure to a single source).
• Support: Biases like availability heuristic and fundamental attribution error explain how anxious groups blame convenient targets rather than addressing systemic problems.
• Relevance: Your point about sacrificing the marketing department as a "simple narrative" fits this framework.

4. Psychological Safety

• Concept: Anxiety thrives in environments lacking psychological safety, where people fear speaking up or addressing issues openly.
• Support: Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety emphasises that open communication reduces anxiety and fosters innovation.
• Relevance: You advocate for fostering open communication and supporting individuals, which aligns with this principle.

5. Fight-or-Flight Response

• Concept: Anxiety triggers a primal fight-or-flight reaction, leading to impulsive actions rather than thoughtful problem-solving.
• Support: This physiological response is well-documented and explains why anxious groups seek immediate relief through symbolic actions like scapegoating.
• Relevance: Your discussion of irrational group actions driven by anxiety reflects this response.

6. Systems Thinking

• Concept: Anxiety clouds systemic understanding, leading to a focus on symptoms rather than root causes.
• Support: Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline highlights how organisations fail to see the "big picture" when overwhelmed by immediate pressures.
• Relevance: Your article emphasises the need to address root causes instead of short-term fixes.

7. Social Identity Theory

• Concept: Groups under stress reinforce internal cohesion by identifying and marginalising an “other” to maintain stability.
• Support: Tajfel and Turner’s work on social identity explains how groups manage anxiety by creating in-groups and out-groups.
• Relevance: Your mention of sacrificing those who stand out or are perceived as weak ties to this theory.