Have you ever been in a meeting where everyone seemed friendly and on the same page, but once the meeting ended, people started having secret discussions and passing judgments without others knowing? This kind of situation is a sign of a “nice” culture.

The latest versions of FSSC 22000 V6 and Codex HACCP 2020 standards now highlight the importance of food safety and quality culture. A key factor in creating a positive food safety and quality culture is good communication. While many companies have established communication systems, some may find these systems ineffective, often due to a lack of clear, prioritized communication, resulting in a superficial niceness rather than meaningful dialogue.

Today, I’m going to share with you a fascinating article by Timothy R. Clark in the Harvard Business Review. It’s called “The Hazards of a ‘Nice’ Company Culture.” This article reveals some important insights about the risks of valuing niceness over honesty and how this can seriously impact your company’s achievements. I will also share with you the practical strategies from the article to shift your company culture from “nice” to genuinely kind, fostering a healthier environment for your team and, ultimately, achieving more substantial success.

A bit of intro about the author, Timothy R. Clark. Timothy is an organizational anthropologist and founder and CEO of LeaderFactor, a global leadership consulting and training firm. He works with CEOs and their teams, helping them achieve data-driven cultural transformation.

So, the question is, does being polite and nice in meetings or when talking to others actually helps in promoting a good food safety culture? Leaders believe they’re doing a good thing that will motivate people and create inclusion. But often it has the opposite effect and the result is, a lack of honest communication, intellectual bravery, innovation, and accountability.

Creating a friendly culture is often done with good intentions. For instance, organizations like schools, hospitals, government agencies, nonprofits, and volunteer groups often try to build a friendly atmosphere that reflects their noble goals. When an organization has a kind-hearted purpose, it tends to develop a kind-hearted culture, and that usually results in people being nice to each other. The author, Timothy gave us an example: he once worked with a biotech company that was deeply committed to keeping patients safe. Strangely, that caring attitude towards patients turned into a culture of niceness, where people were afraid to speak the truth.

There are several reasons why leaders try to make their organizations nice. From his experience of working with many organizations and leaders for the past 20 years, here are the top four reasons pointed put by Timothy:

1. To avoid arguments and make people like them. Many leaders steer clear of disagreements and discourage differing opinions because they want to be seen as nice. They think they can either be nice or risk offending others, believing those are the only options.
2. To pretend they’re inclusive. Some organizations think being nice is the same as being inclusive and humane. But when you see employees naturally grouping with others who are similar to them, it could mean the organization is silently saying, “You can be different, but still be nice.”
3. To be overly respectful of those in charge. In organizations where fear is a big deal, being nice is a way to protect yourself. The idea is that if you don’t upset the powerful people, you’ll have a better chance of keeping your job.
4. To motivate people instead of holding them responsible. Being friendly can help influence others, but you still need to hold them accountable. Timothy once worked with a CEO who was very likable, but his attempts to create a culture of niceness ended up causing problems. People would hug and be nice to each other, but they wouldn’t follow through on their commitments.

The Hidden Dangers of a Culture of Niceness

Being overly nice in an organization can lead to serious problems, not just minor inconveniences. Here are the issues it can cause:

1. Delayed Response to Crises: In a culture of extreme niceness, people often wait until a problem becomes a huge crisis before taking action. For example, it took the University of Southern California more than 25 years to address sexual abuse allegations against Dr. George Tyndall, a campus gynecologist, resulting in a massive $1.1 billion settlement. Many universities tend to hide low-performing individuals instead of dealing with their issues directly. Nice cultures wrongly suggest that you can either be nice or hold people accountable, but not both.
2. Stifled Innovation: Innovation naturally disrupts the way things are done, but it’s crucial for an organization’s growth. Innovation requires diverse thinking and open discussions. Excessive niceness can suppress these processes, causing talented teams to become dysfunctional. Many institutions need more innovation, but their culture of niceness slows down progress.
3. Talent Drain: Skilled individuals want to make a meaningful impact and challenge the status quo. A-players seek a healthy culture where they can be recognized for pushing boundaries. In a toxic but honest culture, at least they are told when they’re wrong. In a toxic nice culture, they’re humored, and nothing changes.
4. Slow Decision-Making: In a culture of niceness, there’s pressure to agree with the group. A lack of candid discussion leads to shallow and slow decision-making. You either end up with groupthink and poor decisions, or you spend endless time seeking consensus, resulting in chronic indecisiveness.
5. Learned Helplessness: Excessive niceness can promote conformity, passivity, and learned helplessness, causing lower performance standards. Many people in top-tier universities have complained about stifling politeness that damages morale and kills initiative. Niceness becomes a barrier to improving situations, making people give up instead of challenging the system.

How to Tackle the Problem of “Niceness”

You can take certain steps to prevent the issues mentioned earlier and foster a genuinely kind culture instead of an overly “nice” one.

1. Set Clear Expectations: Ambiguity fuels toxic niceness, so make it clear how you want people to interact and hold each other responsible. Tell them you expect honesty, open feedback, and challenging questions. Be sure to explain the organization’s current and future state and how the transition will work. Once you’ve communicated these new expectations, hold people accountable if they violate them. Also, when you have meetings, have a clear agenda and state the meeting’s purpose upfront.
2. Lead by Example: Don’t wait for others to break the fear barrier and promote honesty. Be the first to show vulnerability and admit your own mistakes. This will encourage others to follow your lead and be more candid.
3. Support Open Communication: When someone has the courage to express a different view or speak honestly, protect them. Show appreciation for their openness, and gradually, you’ll change the culture to expect this kind of communication.
4. Address Performance Issues Quickly: If you ignore a performance problem, you’re essentially allowing it to continue. It creates confusion and sends the wrong message. Deal with these issues privately and respectfully. Those who don’t adapt to the new standards can either change or look for new opportunities, but staying the same won’t be an option.

Conclusion

In the end of the article, Timothy shared with us this quote by Martin Luther King Jr. “There is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth.” Don’t hide this tension in your efforts to be nice. Instead, embrace it and manage it. That’s true kindness.

Take the First Step Towards Excellence! Contact us today to learn more about how your organization can elevate your food safety standards and establish a culture of excellence within your organization.