The Three Levels of Toxic Culture

In this episode I discuss the three levels of toxic culture and the signs to look out for at each level. I also underline the importance of addressing toxic culture early to prevent it from becoming harmful. Episode takeaways Toxic culture can be categorised into three levels: combatant culture, corrosive culture, and harmful culture. Combatant culture is characterised by high engagement but low emotional intelligence, leading to stress, unclear priorities, and passive-aggressive communication. Corrosive culture involves bullying, harassment, favoritism, and unethical behaviour, and it can cause physical and mental health issues. Harmful culture includes physical assault, emotional cruelty, fraud, and overt discrimination, and it requires a significant effort to turn it around. It is crucial to address toxic culture early to prevent it from escalating and causing long-term damage. What kind of culture do you have right now? Take the free Five Cultures Quiz and find out: www.fiveculturesquiz.com Timestamps 01:55 The Three Levels of Toxic Culture 06:14 Combatant Culture: Signs and Impact 13:21 Corrosive Culture: Bullying and Harassment 18:00 Harmful Culture: Physical Assault and Fraud 21:52 Importance of Assessing and Addressing Culture Useful links 🔗 Connect with Colin on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Culture Whitepapers for managers and senior executives Subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Making Great Work Happen⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ weekly newsletter 🎙️ Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Inside Out Culture Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where myself and Cath Bishop get behind the headlines of cultures making the news to extract the learnings and insights, good and bad.