Cut-throat cultures are one of the worst corporate cultures to be a part of. Characterized by frequent back-stabbing, unethical behavior and high stress, this particular type of culture is absolutely torturous to those in it – whittling away at their confidence, health and sanity slowly but surely. So are you in a “cut-throat” culture? Here are some common traits of this caustic culture:
• Are you always watching your back? Do you believe that if you don’t watch out, your co-workers will not only stab you in the back, but they’ll even bury you in the grave they’ve already dug? Sam was in one of those cultures. She described her interactions with her co-workers like this: “I can’t trust a word they say. They smile and seem friendly, but it’s all an act. They are really just fishing for information they can use against me and if I make the mistake of telling them too much, I’ll find myself blind-sided. They’ll take what I’ve worked so hard for and leave me with nothing. I feel so alone.” If this sounds familiar, keep reading.
• Are ALL of your performance goals individually-based? Is your performance solely evaluated based on your individual performance with no emphasis on team results, collaboration or other contributions to the broader organization? If this is true, this can be a very bad sign. I received a note from a reader with this issue. He had been with the same retailer for years. But after the economic down-turn, the culture changed. He said now all they evaluate are the individual sales numbers that he and others produce. According to him, “this has created a cut-throat culture. No one collaborates anymore and everyone is trying to ‘steal’ from everyone else so they can survive. Forget customer service. It’s been thrown out long ago.” What are you being evaluated on?
• Have all the “good people” been let go or have left? Have you noticed that the people you really enjoyed working with, the one’s that seemed to work well in teams, were trustworthy and overall “good people” have either left or been let go? That’s a sign you should look at closely. Strong cultures, whether good or bad, repel those individuals that share different values. If you like all the people that have left, maybe you should follow their lead, particularly if you look around and don’t like what you see.
• Does your boss have a “what have you done for me lately” mindset? Another sign of a cut-throat culture is leadership that has a short-term focus and zero loyalty. What does that look like? It is commonly seen when one’s boss only cares about your current results and could care less about any big wins you might have under your belt or your level of commitment to the organization (tenure, sacrifices, etc…). If it seems like you are always on the verge of being fired if you don’t deliver today, regardless of your past performance and commitment, this might be a sign that your culture has moved into cut-throat territory.
STRATEGIES
I sure hope for your sake you are shaking your head right now saying “my culture’s not that bad.” But if you are looking at these signs and are nodding your head in agreement, let me offer some strategies you use to protect yourself in a cut-throat culture. Cut-throat cultures are a lot like being under a dictatorial regime. And just like being under any dictatorial regime, there are things you can do to protect yourself, but all require a degree of courage and patience:
1. Form a coalition and wait for regime change – One option available to you is to go underground and form a sub-culture of like-minded colleagues. Think of this as your own personal rebellion. Meet regularly and plan how you can support and help each other both with information as well as results. This could be a temporary strategy or one you use when you hope to either wait out leadership change or overthrow the current regime. Overthrowing a current regime is a particularly dangerous gamble, but believe it or not, I’ve seen it work.
2. Follow the defectors – A second option is to seek out the defectors and find out why they left and where they went to. Odds are if they are happy with their new environment, it might be a good fit for you. I met with several coaching clients last week who had all left the exact same bank over the course of their careers. It was shocking that each of them individually described that well-known bank as “cut-throat.” It turns out, they all found their way to their current bank and they couldn’t be happier. Funny how that works. Notice where the defectors went to and ask to be smuggled in.
3. Get on a raft – A third option is to get out ASAP. This is the equivalent to leaving in the middle of the night with only the shirt on your back. You might just decide that you can’t wait any longer – no time to build coalitions or talk to defectors. Or maybe you’ve tried those options with no luck. If that‘s the case, hop on your raft. The good news is that I can promise you that you will immediately begin to feel better – free of the pressures and stress that you were under. The bad news is that this strategy proves to be the most unpredictable when it comes to finding another job. Be prepared that you may be at sea for a long, long time. Bring supplies.
Regardless of what you pick, pick something. A cut-throat culture will wear you down to the point that you are so emotionally abused, you may be tempted to cross the line and do something unethical – just to survive. When that happens, you’ve become one of them. Don’t let happen to you. Protect yourself, your integrity and your soul. Get a plan and get moving.
Therapist, professor, consultant and radio host, Brandon Smith brings an upbeat, witty approach to the challenges of workplace health and dysfunction. 
Very good article and so true. It is very hard to cope when your nature is to want to help everyone, as well as the company, while also surviving.
Never know who you can trust. Very true that those who are collaborators, team players and strong work ethic often let go, as I’ve experienced. I didn’t like how political boss wanted to pit sales against ops. Coercion and bullying to adhere to his tactics put me in a no win situation. When I did what he asked (which I didn’t agree with) it did result in what I expected but I didn’t expect this boss to throw me under the bus too (political)– Cut throat people will do anything to keep their high paying jobs. I was darned if I did and darned if I didn’t follow his unwise direction.
It seems that a lot of companies are “reforming” their culture to reflect this. Workplace egos, bullying, fear of losing one’s job, and being stressed out to the point of physical sickness is no way to live. It’s unfortunate that many state laws regarding employment do not have any provisions for this. What’s worse is if you leave a job with these characteristics, you run the same risk of hiring into another company with the exact same or possibly worse culture. What has American business culture devolved into? Absolutely sickening.
It has definitely gotten unhealthy over the last 5 years, but I have hope that things will improve. Rising leaders that have gone through this experience will make sure things are never done this way again… at least that’s my hope!
I was stunned when I read this article. Not because it’s far-fetched but because that’s EXACTLY what my company’s culture has become: cut-throat. Four years ago it was a different story all together. Then a new department manager was hired and that was the end of the teamwork environment. We work four shifts: 12 hours with four teams. In the beginning, each team was a fourth of the entire unit. Now, the new manager has us pitted against each other not just between the shifts but also between the areas on each shift. He points fingers at people and has a security monitor on his desk to watch everyone’s movements. And everything is about what “he” wants. It’s hell, to be quite honest. Several good people have already left, and I’m not far behind them. As soon as I get set, I’m gone! Thank you, for putting into words what I couldn’t.
Unbelievable read that smacks you in the face when you hadnt realised what the battle was all about.how i blamed myself for their actions
Mark,
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Good luck on making a healthy transition!
Thanks for this. I think the decline in spirituality is partly the cause. Consider Quaker founded company like Cadbury’s. In first 50 years they had prayer and bible readings every morning. There was concern for spiritual development of workforce. They set standards in labour relations and employee welfare.
I have been through a cut throat work environment where I was heavily gaslighted and my perception, personality, life and confidence was being drained out of me. I nearly became one of them. I was being pressured to sleep with some of the women and now I am being perceived as weak or being judged as not being “manly” enough in the corporate environment. I couldn’t defend myself in that environment. My former boss got away with sleeping with some of the younger girls and that kind of addiction was being encouraged in that environment where people had various levels of depression and they used trauma bonding and love bombing as tactics to get close to you to see what I was hiding or anyone else. I couldn’t defend myself in that environment and my fears were used against me and I was being targeted as the crazy one. The department I worked with got away and I still struggle with trauma it was such a dehumanising work culture I cannot enjoy the things I used to enjoy as well.