Anomie
One of the biggest issues that I observe within team cultures is what sociologists refer to as ‘anomie’. Anomie is defined as the ‘breakdown of any values, standards or guidance for individuals to follow.’ Put more literally, it is ‘a lack of rules’ and it's the silent killer of great work. It's what happens when nobody knows which standards matter anymore.
Most organisations will have policies and new employees will usually have to sign a document to say that they will abide by these policies, despite this anomie continues to be an issue.
That’s because culture isn't defined by what's written in your policies. It's defined by what happens day-to-day. What's practiced daily becomes your culture. When behaviour and collaboration lacks boundaries, toxic norms establish themselves with remarkable efficiency.
In order for cultures to eliminate anomie, they have to do two things:
Deliberately build culture to define what it practically means to live shared values. Which behaviours are acceptable? Which communication styles build trust? What does collaboration actually look like on your team? When organisational values become foggy, people experience anxiety and actively disconnect. Without clear cultural anchors, people will drift away – mentally first, then physically.
Hold people accountable to the agreed definitions. When someone acts against the culture, leaders must respond immediately. Not just a ‘process’ that can be followed, but a continual reinforcement from leaders about the consequences when someone acts in contradiction to the culture.
Anomie particularly flourishes during rapid organisational change, mergers or leadership transitions when established norms collapse before new ones solidify.
Anomie is avoidable, but only if leaders are prepared to invest in deliberate culture building and then demonstrate that it means something. The culture you end up with isn't the one you wrote down. It's the one you allowed to happen.