Toxic Organizational Culture

What It Is, How to Spot It, and What to Do About It

In a world where work takes up a third—or more—of our waking hours, the culture we’re immersed in matters more than we often admit. Organizational culture isn’t just a buzzword or a box to check, but the human ecosystem we live in every day. It can either enable us to thrive or slowly erode our energy, creativity, self-esteem, and well-being.

At its worst, culture becomes toxic. And a toxic culture eats away at purpose. It drains the people who are a part of it. Left unchecked, it can cause serious long-term harm to individuals and organizations alike.

So, what exactly is toxic culture? How can you avoid getting stuck in one or help shift one you're already in?

Let’s break it down.

What Is Toxic Culture?

Toxic culture runs deeper than stress or having a few difficult personalities on a team. It’s systemic. It’s when the way people treat each other contradicts the organization’s stated values. When leadership decisions, team dynamics, and daily behavior betray what the organization says it stands for, that organization is toxic.

It’s marked by:

• Emotional dissonance

• Public shaming and politicking

• Emotional manipulation

• A fear-based environment where people are constantly on guard

Sometimes, toxic cultures are loud and obvious. But more dangerously, they often look successful. They wear a mask of high performance or "competitive excellence," while underneath, they’re breeding burnout and silent suffering.

The Three Most Common Unhealthy Cultures

Not every dysfunctional workplace is outright toxic. Some are more subtle, but still corrosive over time. Here are three unhealthy cultural patterns to watch for:

1. Transactional Cultures

These workplaces are results-driven to a fault.

• Values: Efficiency, profitability, speed

• Mission: “Delivering results” or “achieving industry leadership”

• Humanity quotient: Nonexistent

People are viewed as tools. Emotional intelligence is optional. There's little space for vulnerability, creativity, or deeper purpose. These companies often hit their metrics but suffer from burnout, disengagement, in-fighting, and turnover.

If you're constantly treated like a resource instead of a human being, you're in a transactional culture.

2. Entangled Cultures

Entangled cultures are messy, ambiguous, and passive-aggressive.

• Mission: Generic and uninspiring

• Values: Present, but superficial or vague

• Communication: Confusing and indirect

• Conflict: Avoided, buried, or politicized

Silos are rampant. People operate in isolated lanes, guessing at expectations. Leadership may want collaboration, but structures, beliefs, and politics work against it. These environments often sound healthy, but they feel chaotic.

In an entangled culture, everyone’s “doing their best”—but no one is aligned or empowered to thrive.

3. Toxic Cultures

This is where dysfunction becomes dangerous.

• Values exist but are actively contradicted

• The mission often revolves around domination or competition in the industry

• Behavior is defensive, aggressive, and psychologically unsafe

People learn to withhold truth, play politics, and protect themselves from blame. Innovation dies. Trust disappears. Meetings become landmines. Employees may still be physically present, but many have already quit emotionally.

In a toxic culture, survival becomes the skill set.

How to Avoid Joining a Toxic Organization

If you're job hunting, vetting a new opportunity, or evaluating a client or partner, do your homework. Culture leaves clues. Here’s how to follow them:

1. Research Deeply

• Read the company’s values, mission, and leadership philosophy.

• Check for consistency between what’s said and what’s visible.

• Look at Glassdoor reviews, LinkedIn profiles, and industry reputation.

Does the organization feel human and alive or hollow and performative?

2. Look at the Data

• Check average employee tenure.

• Investigate where people go after they leave. Are they growing or escaping?

• If necessary, reach out to former employees and politely ask, “What was your experience of the culture?”

3. Ask the Right Questions (Eventually)

Don’t start an interview by grilling the team but as the process unfolds, make sure you get clarity on:

• What is the noble cause of this organization? Does it go beyond profit?

• How are the stated values actually lived?

• How does the team handle conflict and collaboration?

Listen not just for answers, but for congruence. Watch body language. Feel the energy.

4. Observe Their Behavior

In interviews or site visits:

• Do people really listen?

• Is there mutual respect?

• How do they treat each other behind closed doors?

Vibe matters. So does eye contact, tone, and trust.

5. Check In With Yourself

After every key interaction:

• Take a quiet moment.

• Ask: “Does this feel like a match for who I am and how I want to work?”

• Notice your body: Do you feel tense and hesitant or energized, open?

Don’t override what your nervous system is trying to tell you.

What to Do If You're Already In A Toxic Culture

If you're waking up with dread, leaving meetings feeling bruised, or constantly second-guessing yourself, you’re in a toxic culture.

Here’s what to do:

1. Do an Alignment Check

Ask yourself:

• “What is my ultimate intent in life?”

• “Is this culture helping me grow or holding me back?”

Write down the positives and negatives. Name what’s really going on. Toxic environments thrive when we gaslight ourselves into staying.

2. Plan Your Exit Strategically

If the negatives outweigh the positives:

• Start aligning with your core values again.

• Look for cultures with clarity, purpose, and humanity.

• Don’t leap blindly, but don’t wait too long, either.

Build your network. Restore your strength. Then move.

3. Create the Shift (If You Stay)

If you're not ready to leave or feel called to lead change:

• Model what healthy looks like.

• Host honest, safe conversations.

• Build a microculture of trust in your team.

• Know you won’t fix everything but you can be a catalyst.

What a Healthy, High-Performance Culture Looks Like

At its best, organizational culture supports both results and people. Here are the four cornerstones of a thriving workplace:

1. Results

Outcomes matter. Just not at the expense of integrity or people. Healthy organizations define success holistically, not just financially.

2. Self-Actualization

Employees have room to grow, take risks, speak truth, and become more of who they are.

3. Affiliation

There’s camaraderie. Shared purpose. A sense of belonging. People solve problems together instead of battling over turf.

4. Humanity

People are treated with dignity, respect, and care—from the intern to the CEO. There’s emotional safety and space for honest dialogue.

The Three Foundations of a Healthy, Intentional, High-Performance Culture

To lead or join a healthy, high-performance culture, these three elements must be aligned:

1. Ultimate Intent

What’s the deeper reason the company exists? Does it move people? Is it worth getting out of bed for?

2. Environment

Is the environment safe, creative, and collaborative? Is there room for innovation and nonviolent communication?

3. Architecture

How does the organization actually function? How are people hired, onboarded, promoted, and held accountable? Are conflict resolution systems healthy and effective?

Culture Is a Human System

Toxic, entangled, and transactional cultures aren’t created by one or two “bad apples.” They’re maintained by systems and by what we allow, ignore, or reinforce.

Culture is the sum total of human interactions, both spoken and unspoken.It is alive. It evolves. And every person contributes to its health or decay.

So if you're reading this, you're not powerless.

Whether you’re a new hire, team leader, founder, or executive, you shape culture.Every day, through every interaction.

The question is: Are you reinforcing it, tolerating it, or transforming it?

P.S. Want to assess your organizational culture? Take our Free Culture Assessment