“Come all of you good workers/Good news to you I'll tell
Of how the good ol' union/Has come in here to dwell.”
~1930s Folk Song
“Which Side Are You On?” is an old folk tune that recalled the bitter fight of mine workers against management. Please don’t think that VIM Executive Coaching has taken sides. If anything, we wonder (more than 90-years later) how so many sharp divides have occurred in our work places?
Divisiveness
Many organizations barely keep divisiveness under control, and it is no wonder. If the differences aren’t overt, developing into arguing or mockery or worse, they have gone subvert, and may manifest into favoritism, bias and isolation.
Those in organizations are obviously exposed to a torrent of opinions in their private lives, ranging from angry social media rants to relentless self-righteousness on cable and network news. As digital devices are virtually attached to so many people, the stream of half-truths and rage are usually never more than a “swipe” away.
The problem with our news sources and digital exposure is, of course, manipulation. The stories and posts are there to elicit opinion. We are not singling out any one source, but illuminating all of them. The stream of fuming information has forced far too many to choose sides. This is, of course, what the content providers “live for.”
The problem of discord has not escaped those who must manage organizations. Unresolved arguing has sadly boiled over to violence. Even if it is not physical, its judgments become patterns. It should not, and must not devolve into that.
In fact, VIM feels it is the workplace that has the power to end it.
Ryan Anderson writing for Forbes magazine (October 24, 2024):
“In the midst of extreme political polarization in the U.S., workplaces can offer unique and beneficial spaces for people to come together. It is here that individuals with diverse political worldviews can identify with a shared mission, find common ground, and accomplish goals as a team.
Of course, it is much more than politics. It has been noted by many in management and leadership that opinions we once held private and almost sacred, are now fair-game topics.
Said writer Blair S. Walker (July 30, 2025) in comments of research he and his team has put forth out of the University of Miami:
“In the paper, we talk about how there are some general societal trends kind of pushing this. One being that workers in organizations now are expecting, and sometimes even putting pressure on, their leadership to take stances on issues. Once that public pronouncement comes out, then you have a lot more potential for these fires to start.”
Some of the issues (outside of politics) include race, religious views, gender identity and social topics.
Dialing it back
As a friend of ours recently noted, who is the adult here? We might also view the allowance of inappropriate side-taking in this argument as, “Who is the mindful executive here?” Our contention is that if many workplaces are seemingly out-of-control, officious policies and procedures do little to correct the problem.
On the other hand, being mindful, cultivating compassion, allowing authenticity and celebrating honest response over reaction can greatly help to dial back the rhetoric. The implementation of this mindset (we can all note) is precisely the opposite direction in which social media, cable news, politicians and other media want to take us. Indeed, billions are spent in an effort to divide us.
“Which side are you on?” in this present time should not be the question we ask of one another. The mindful question must be, “How can we work together to accomplish our goals?”