Sarcastic To Downright Mean

Sarcasm and cynicism often go hand in hand, both revealing an unappealing bitterness that can cripple morale, and they are on the rise in American workplaces.

A number of recent studies show that cynicism is a growing-phenomenon in organizational settings. Organizational cynics have negative attitudes about their companies, believing that values of honesty and fairness are often given up for convenience and self-interest and that these things will never change. Some companies and their leaders certainly contribute to cynical attitudes by establishing a history of failed programs aimed at solving morale, production, or quality issues. Although their intentions are often good, leaders may lack the skills necessary to make real changes or have a habit of shifting gears too quickly, jumping from one trendy management technique to another while never really creating a lasting effect.

Do you make sarcastic comments that reflect a cynical attitude about a colleague, your team, or your organization? If so, you may be breeding suspicion and apathy and seriously affecting your credibility. Organizational cynics often behave in ways consistent with their negative beliefs, disparaging those around them and even impeding the success of change agents (“An Upward Feedback Field Experiment,” by Leanne E. Atwater, David A. Waldman, and David Atwater, Personnel Psychology, Summer 2000, pp. 275–298).

Another kind of destructive comment goes really too far, actually taking on qualities of meanness. “Sometimes she is downright rude,” a sales rep said about her boss. It is hard to know what to make of a person who is very caring most of the time and then, for whatever reason, is cruel.

We are all getting a little mean lately, according to C. Leslie Charles, who points to people who practically “snarl ‘excuse me’” when someone gets in their way or is pushing others aside. In her book, Why Is Everyone So Cranky? Charles illuminates the serious nature of an anger epidemic and cites 10 trends that are making people angry, including competition, compressed time, communication overload, and disconnectedness. It may be impossible to change the complexity of your world, but you can sort through the controllables and uncontrollables. Charles suggests simply taking the time to question what you are doing and why and then choosing the best alternative when you are overwhelmed, overcommitted, or overspent. Ultimately, however, no matter what difficulties you are experiencing, there is no excuse for meanness ( Why Is Everyone So Cranky, by C. Leslie Charles, Hyperion, New York, 1999).