Dealing With a “Toxic Culture”
In a local website , the topic of municipal management in Amherstburg has been
described as a “toxic culture”. In the burg watch , a question was posed to all
candidates for their answers:
Do you believe there is a toxic work culture at Amherstburg Town Hall, and if you do,
how will you work with town Administration to make sure the work culture is fixed?
The same issue appears in a recent article entitled “The Cost of Office Politics”, by
Evert Akkerman , a human resources professional and writer.
Akkerman states that an unhealthy work culture can lead to lost productivity and
even total paralysis of an entire organization. As he explains further , “a symptom of
a sick organization is a ‘gotcha’ culture.”
There have to be ways of combating this situation to limit it, or channel it .
Otherwise, the symptoms of a culture of mistrust will persist. Akkerman believes
that a good way of dealing with negative behaviour is to expose it. “Sunlight is the
best disinfectant”.
This article was printed in The Municipal World, an Ontario-based municipal-affairs
magazine for elected officials and administration personnel alike. It would be a useful
read for all council candidates and others .
Another four-year term is almost upon us, and it is helpful to reflect upon the public
expectations of standards of excellence in our community.
Source: Evert Akkerman, “The Cost of Office Politics” Municipal World October 2014
Pages 9-10