In the workplace, professional courtesy is often encouraged to maintain harmony. However, when this courtesy morphs into artificial harmony—where individuals suppress their real thoughts and emotions to avoid conflict—it can have unintended consequences for team performance. While the intent behind avoiding confrontation may be to keep the peace, the long-term effects can be detrimental to collaboration, trust, and overall results.
How Artificial Harmony Impacts Teams
Discomfort with Giving and Receiving Feedback
Many individuals struggle with providing or accepting constructive feedback. Instead of fostering an objective and rational space for honest conversations, feedback is often softened to the point of being ineffective or avoided entirely. Chronic workplace stress exacerbates this issue, as employees fear that open conversations may add pressure rather than contribute to solutions.
The result? A workplace filled with passive-aggressive behaviours and resentment, leads to a decline in motivation, engagement, and team performance. The paradox is that while honest feedback is critical for problem-solving, the fear of conflict prevents teams from accessing their best solutions.
Lack of Vulnerability and Transparency
Many team members hesitate to share their strengths and weaknesses due to a fear of being judged or appearing incompetent. However, this lack of vulnerability hinders trust and collaboration.
When team members do not communicate openly about their capabilities, they may misjudge competence levels, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for collaboration. Psychological safety is the foundation of high-trust teams, and without it, teams remain in a surface-level state of cooperation rather than achieving true synergy.
Leaders Avoiding the ‘Critical Parent’ Role
Leaders often avoid setting clear expectations and boundaries, assuming that because their teams consist of adults, they should naturally understand workplace expectations. However, age does not equate to maturity in workplace behavior.
According to Eric Berne’s Transactional Analysis (TA), the ‘Adult’ ego state is defined by rationality, objectivity, and problem-solving. Yet, many leaders hesitate to engage in their ‘Critical Parent’ role, leading to unclear performance expectations and a lack of accountability.
When leaders fail to establish clear guidelines upfront, performance management becomes reactive at best and entirely absent at worst, fostering confusion, frustration, and disengagement within teams.
Moving from Artificial Harmony to Constructive Collaboration
So, how can teams and leaders transition from artificial harmony to authentic, high-performing cultures? Here are four key strategies:
1. Normalize Feedback as a Growth Tool
Create a culture where feedback is expected and valued, rather than feared.
Encourage regular check-ins where feedback is exchanged in a constructive and solution-focused manner.
2. Cultivate Psychological Safety
Leaders must set the tone by being open about their own strengths and areas for improvement.
Model the vulnerability and trust they wish to see in their teams.
3. Set Clear Expectations and Boundaries
Leaders should proactively establish expectations, consequences, and accountability structures.
Clarity removes ambiguity and ensures that teams operate with aligned priorities.
4. Encourage Healthy Conflict
Disagreement, when managed effectively, leads to better decision-making.
Teams must shift from avoiding conflict to embracing diverse perspectives that drive innovation and problem-solving.
The Business Impact of Authentic Team Collaboration
While artificial harmony may feel comfortable in the short term, it stifles growth, trust, and performance. High-performing teams require:
Honest conversations
A willingness to be vulnerable
Clear expectations and accountability
By making these shifts, teams transform from polite co-existence to true collaboration, where respect, trust, and accountability coexist.
At Circle & Square, we use Transactional Analysis as a tool to build a common language for growth discussions. Having ADULT conversations becomes a priority for every individual.
If your team struggles with artificial harmony and you want to create a culture of trust, accountability, and effective collaboration, let’s connect and start the conversation today.
For your EQ and leadership needs, please feel free to reach out to our partners at Circle and Square, Cindy at cindy@circleandsquare.co.za, or Michal michal@circleandsquare.co.za.
Topics like team harmony will be on the agenda at our must-attend Annual Employment Conference (#AEC25) on the 19th of March 2025. Join Thembi Chagonda (Employment Equity Commissioner), Prof. Haroon Bhorat, John Botha (previous Employment Equity Commissioner), Johnny Goldberg (one NEDLAC), Dr. Simon du Plooy, Dr. Mark Bussin, and many more speakers at the conference. Set your organisation up for success in 2025 and register today! (Register here: https://globalretailoutlet.co.za/showeven
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