The red-zone organization

"Are you stymied by the collaboration void in your workplace? Wonder why, when you’ve struggled to hire the best and the brightest, tempers flare and productivity often grinds to a halt?

Your workplace may be a “Red Zone”—an environment where turf is guarded and defensiveness abounds.

Red Zone organizations are made up of individuals who are short on “Green Zone” qualities such as trust, optimism, and goodwill. When a project fizzles or fails in a Red Zone workplace, people turn to shame and blame—focusing not on what went wrong, but on who did wrong.

A Red Zone organization isn’t a fun place to work. People aren’t excited to be there. Most everyone favors victory over solutions. And they waste more time and energy on self-preservation than they spend on bottom-line priorities.

To stand a chance of keeping their stars, Red Zone organizations often dangle carrots such as bigger-and-better pay, perks, or bennies. Still, productivity and morale suffer because Red Zone attitudes fog the corporate culture.

A Green Zone environment, in contrast, is a fun place to work. Employees work together to pursue a shared vision. They value collaboration and get the job done with a strong sense of teamwork and excellence.

Sure, Green Zone qualities can’t save a company that makes lousy products or offers crummy customer service. Yet, studies show when all else is equal, Green Zone organizations enjoy long-term profitability and growth, while their Red Zone counterparts suffer in all areas. Some companies even “Red Zone” themselves right out of business."

Jim Tamm, en "The Red-zone organization"