What does the polycrisis mean for our life at work?

Is the world is really getting grimmer or is it simply our perception due to the volume - and ease of access - of news? That’s the question I’ve discussed frequently with friends recently.

Our conversations turn to how we’re individually responding to this. Some shy away from the news cycle, determined to protect their state of mind and mood. Others have a targeted approach to when and how they access information.

This does not take away from each individual’s empathy and horror of absolute suffering today and of people in true crises and where we can, our attempt to do some good and offer support.

It strikes me that we’re all adapting and finding - for want of a better phrase - coping mechanisms. But that’s not getting to the nub of the issue - are we truly living in dire times? And how does this impact our lives at work?

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has said the world is currently experiencing a polycrisis - economist and historian Adam Tooze describes this as the coming together of multiple crises.

Former US Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers puts the polycrisis in context: “I can remember previous moments of equal or even greater gravity for the world economy, but I cannot remember moments when there were?.?.?.?as many cross-currents as there are right now.”

Add to this that the media is now distrusted in many countries, with a decrease in trust overall in the UK since last year. So, little surprise that my friends aren’t alone in their decision to filter what they’re reading: Reuters reports that in the UK 41% of people are now actively avoiding the news.

So far, so depressing. But there is a glimmer of hope and indeed a lesson we can take into our workplaces.?

According to Ipsos 70% of people believe that 2024 will be a better year than 2023. While we are more distrustful of traditional media, trust in our own organisations remains high. Linked to this, a theme of the recent research into our patterns of behaviour shows that we’re increasingly turning inwards to our own communities for support, news and information.?

So what does this mean when we’re shaping our workplace cultures and communicating with teams?

1. Avoid toxic positivity?

As Adam Grant , organisational psychologist, puts it: “In hard times, urging people to stay positive doesn’t boost their resilience. It denies their reality. Strength doesn’t come from forced smiles. It comes from feeling supported.”

Many people feel overwhelm today with the scale of change and significant news constantly emerging - while work demands our focus and attention for a period of time, it is not a bubble. Our asks of one another, our communications and culture must all adapt; we need to be mindful of how the polycrisis could be quietly impacting people.?

When it comes to bolstering our cultures, what worked before may not be as effective today. As Adam Tooze states “The pace of change is staggering.”

2. Listen for concerns, be open to questions

The theme of this year’s Edelman Trust Barometer is ‘Innovation in peril’, focussing on a decline of trust in the institutions responsible for steering us through change. The advice to rebuild trust? Give people control over their future. When people feel in control over how innovations affect their lives, they are more likely to embrace them, not resist them.?

We can apply this more broadly when actively leading our culture - communicating with integrity and transparency, being open to questions and concerns; encouraging individuals to play a part in shaping our culture and express what it means to them personally.

3. Take communities and identities seriously?

The Reuters Institute at the University of Oxford offers advice to media on how to appeal to those people not engaging in news. The authors make the point that actionability must play a greater part in how news is delivered to audiences - in other words, to make the news seem less depressing, show what action an individual can take to change things.

If we apply this to a work setting, it is more important than ever that we consider communities when tailoring our message to help empower people to take meaningful action - rather than a one size fits all approach. It also gives an opportunity to show explicitly what the change or update really means to people’s lives, respecting the fact that news is perceived individually.

4. Push and pull culture

Strong work cultures have an appreciation that strength springs from many individuals - that diversity of thought, innovation and a rich culture all thrive where we feel confident in speaking up, sharing who we are and playing to our strengths.

We cannot expect our cultures to thrive based one directional flow of information - stating company behaviours and displaying our values.

Great examples of push and pull cultures, include encouraging people to bring their own values to work and encouraging conversations to explore similarities (or differences) in personal and organisation values.

The key is creating the conditions for greater dialogue and to lean into an appreciation of the strength that comes from engaging more personally with individuals and communities.

What do you think? Are we adapting sufficiently in how we build cultures and talk to our people? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

#culture #polycrisis #work #organisationalculture #internalcommunications #career #pushandpullcultures