Why It's Best to Avoid Cliques in the Workplace

We're going to consider why it's best to avoid cliques in the workplace. Let's start with a definition of "clique":

"a small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them."

Cliques exist everywhere. As a rule, the term has a negative connotation. As we focus on cliques in the workplace. We'll see how cliques can be disruptive to a business in two basic ways. 

First, though, let's weigh in with the Rule of St. Benedict.

"Care must be taken that no monk venture on any ground to defend another monk in the monastery, or as it were to take him under his protection, even though they be connected by some tie of kinship."

The term "clique" isn't used here. Indeed, the focus seems to be on two individuals rather than a small group. But if you multiply what's being described by St. Benedict, you'll wind up with your basic clique. Allow us the liberty here.

Clique or no clique, St. Benedict's concern is the peace and stability of the monastic community. And a community that follows the Rule, and obeys the Abbot and other superiors has no place for this sort of relationship. 

A workplace might be said to form a kind of community. Rather than the monastic vow of obedience and stability, there's still a common bond amongst its members. It's most basic expression: the success of the enterprise. This applies to any enterprise, whether a for profit company or a non-profit organization. 

The success of for profit company will naturally include operating at a profit. But it could - likely will - include other factors in a determination of success. These might be, for instance, customer and employee satisfaction and/or material contributions to the local community,

A non-profit differs in that it typically focuses on it's mission rather than making money for owners or shareholders. Of course, it still ought to operate in a prudent manner, albeit not necessarily by turning a profit. 

Both organizations will need revenue of some sort to compensate their employees in a just manner, such that they're not spending their time seeking employment elsewhere because they're not being paid fairly. For profits sell products and services. Non-profits vary in how they obtain revenue. Non-profit hospitals, for example, charge for their services. Other non-profits may depend solely on contributions from donors.

While a clique may not necessarily have a serious negative impact on the ultimate success of an enterprise, it can. A simple example (from personal experience): A company decides to cut costs by cutting one or more employee benefits, e.g., the 401k match; or they downgrade the model of company car salespeople drive. Individual employees don't like it. They may or may not grouse to other employees. Cliques are more likely to add the element of larger numbers of discontent by grousing as a group.

Bad enough.

Worse may be the effect cliques may have on other employees. If you're not in a clique, you're an "outsider." While not the end of the world, it can have a disruptive effect on employees who are more sensitive to what others think of them. 

Frankly, our focus should be to accomplish the tasks that contribute to the company's success. We shouldn't concern ourselves with what other employees think either of our personality, or the work we produce. While occasional polite conversation may promote a collegial atmosphere, our primary focus must be our job. Cliques can create an "us against them" dynamic, even promote gossip about others, even lead to outright detraction (which is a sin). These can distract employees from attending to their work. They might even undermine cooperation among employees whose job entails collaborative work.

So while cliques won't cause the company to hit the skids, they can inject an element of distraction, maybe even disrupt workers' efforts to go about their business without having others talk about them. Again, ideally we don't care what others say about us; but we all know that it's at best an unpleasant experience, one that can at the very least be distracting.

If we're trying to create and maintain an ordered and peaceful environment in the workplace, cliques can undermine or even actively oppose that effort. Having no cliques is best. Short of that, don't create or join one. Stand up on your own, do your job, and provide whenever possible a good example from which others may benefit. 

Unless I'm mistaken, cliques contribute nothing to either the success or the stability of the workplace.