Cliques
A clique maybe your link in getting that promotion, support and friendship. What are cliques and how does it fit in today’s society?
Growing up allot of our character, principles, beliefs, thought process comes from our parents and personal development. It’s these values that influence our social skills. As a child we subconsciously make friends and become member of a social group based on traits that complement us and this is a clique in its simple terms. If we don’t have strong values then we are venerable of getting influenced by other people. When this happens we tend to form groups. The motivation for forming groups may consist of negative or positive reasons. Some people want to find people like themselves. Certain kids who lack confidence and are lower achievers will want to be with similar people so they feel less intimidated and more validated. Cliques are the opposite of thinking outside box. Cliques is all about conforming and limiting yourself. If you are a free thinker you will observe, analyze then form a conclusion. Cliques do not broaden their horizon so they are conditioned by similarities.
In the world of work cliques have great impact in an organization. Allot of times management are not responsible for how cliques are formed but they play a big part in the role. The following are the key benefits that cliques can bring in an organisation.
- Cliques can build a strong team. Also by complementing each other and agreeing on decisions they can effect change.
- Cliques are able to lift each other others morale and build trust which is something managers may find difficult to do.
- Cliques are able to go that extra mile by accepting favors from group members including shift swops, task support and even overtime etc.
- Cliques can go beyond work and able to accept social invitations, which can build a team further.
With all of this in mind if managers fail to monitor cliques then it can have devastating effects in an organization. Cliques collectively can posse’s power so if this is not checked then things can go wrong. Sometimes managers may be more in grossed with targets and revenue were things like job and employee satisfaction can be overlooked. If this goes unnoticed then it can lead to employees loosing motivation and eventually leaving. Some of the main problems of cliques can consist of the following.
- They can alienate other members of a group.
- Managers hiring staff members family or close friends can contribute to instant cliques.
- Groups members can promote hate, bad language and bullying others due to having a common dislike about a person.
- Cliques may feel they might be able to win over decisions and get preferential treatment.
- Cliques may even be the first in line for opportunities and promotion. This may mean staffs that are more skillful, qualified and experienced are missing out on opportunities.
As you can see from my research cliques do have positive and negatives like everything else. However the negatives should not be overlooked as it can cause serious staff issues. The only way cliques can only serve as a positive in a company is if management are a bit more hands on in regards to soft skills.
Cliques tend to become out of control when management do not have full presence in the department. When management works part-time hours it open doors for opportunities. Management also needs to practice equality throughout the organization. Furthermore it’s important to get on well with co-workers but never forget the importance of a working relationship. Allot of times cliques are created for another persons motives. In addition codes of conduct and organisation and behaviour is a key role to deal with cliques. Managers also need to learn the importance of employee satisfaction rather then just performance targets. In a sales team environment you may be forced or pressured to meet targets and compete. This may in turn create divisions, jealousy, alienation so managers need to tread carefully.
For sites that can guide you through cliques and the skills that can build staff in a positive way please visit the following site:-
Also a useful article from Business Management Daily (When The boss Hires an Incompetent ‘Good Friend’.)
Wellbeing & Fitness Writer.
