Does the organization you work for suffer from ODID—Organizational Dissociative Identity Disorder?

Of course, such a disorder isn’t real. Michele Williams, professor of management and entrepreneurship in the Tippie College of Business, borrowed the term from psychology, where Dissociative Identity Disorder is the diagnosis of a person with multiple personalities. Similarly, ODID describes a business that seems to have multiple management personalities, where managers give inconsistent directives, go back on earlier promises to employees, or contradict themselves. 

When ODID happens, employees stop trusting the organization and doubt the ability, benevolence, integrity, and often the fairness of their employer. This leads to lower morale, less efficiency, and ultimately affects a business’ bottom line.

Williams says businesses are most apt to show signs of ODID when going through a merger, bringing in new leadership, or experiencing some other significant change. But she said organizations can also unwittingly meander into a state of ODID when leadership simply fails to pay attention to how consistent their plans and directives are or as a result of mission drift—when its direction slowly diverges from its original mission through multiple small decisions made over time.

How can organizations avoid ODID?

• Communication is key. Williams says that like anything else, communication is most important. Communicate openly and transparently from the beginning to maintain trust and to shape perceptions of responsibility and intentions.
• Start small. Springing big changes on staff suddenly and expecting them to adapt will likely lead to failure. Solicit input from employees to gain insight into the effects of a change or a new initiative on employees’ relationships and perceptions. Assign staff to communicate these findings in small groups of employees to assess the plan’s impact, including perceptions of inconsistency and unfairness. Fix any problems before rolling out the strategy firmwide.
• Solicit feedback so employees can provide suggestions and opinions. This demonstrates an organization’s sensitivity to the unintended consequences of the change and shows empathy with staff. These might be formal focus groups to virtual suggestion boxes or lunches that bring together employees from across an organization.