One of the most important social institutions is that of the family. This is so widely acknowledged that more than few organizations have attempted to overlay many of the elements of family life onto their organization, or at least describe themselves as being “a family.”
Most of these efforts are understandable and no doubt well intentioned, but as the old saying goes, these good intentions may be paving the road to organizational and cultural hell when applied to non-family social groups….like a business.
This short article from HBR explores and warns against “The Toxic Effects of Branding Your Workplace a ‘Family’.”
