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The Undercover Workplace- The System Behind the Scenes

You're probably aware of the hidden set of rules everyone follows in the workplace- even if you have never been able to articulate it. I call this system the undercover workplace (if you review research on the topic, it's often called the "informal" workplace), and I have made this topic the centerpiece for The Workplace Unfiltered because it is the very system that allows abuse, corruption, and manipulation to become commonplace- even normalized- within modern workplaces.

And if we are to tackle and finally eradicate workplace bullying and mobbing- we first need to fully understand the undercover workplace- then design new ways of working and interacting that strip the undercover workplace of its power.


So, with that in mind, let's explore what the undercover workplace really is all about.


The Undercover Workplace System

Organizations operate with two sets of values- their espoused values, the ones they say they live and work by, and their lived values, which are the unspoken, hidden rules and actions people actually align with.


So, already we have misalignment, but it gets deeper than this...


Organizations would have you believe they operate through logic, data, and reason. However, the very existence of an undercover workplace- a system driven almost entirely by social norms, politics, and relationships - is logically inefficient, and ineffective. So, why do people find value in the informal workplace structure? Here are a few reasons:


  • Ambiguity allows for plausible deniability, which is why ambiguity is valuable in the undercover workplace: Think about how many useless meetings you've attended. They felt this way because you were picking up on the fact that the topic was likely discussed already in back-channels, and decisions were already made. The performativeness is cringe- but at least those in charge can say they gave you an opportunity for input. See how that works?

  • Power hides itself: Those who benefit most from the undercover workplace structure are not really incentivized to share that power and influence with you. This, if nothing else, is why the undercover workplace must be hidden- the less you know, the more vulnerable you are, and the more you can be controlled and exploited.

  • To that point, those who are aware of the game as they say will work hard to stay in power (social or organizational) to avoid being exposed and exploited by others.

  • Protection: If you are playing the game, this means you're constantly scanning for threats to your position, which could mean testing people (social games), testing alliances, gathering intel- all undercover of course to avoid letting others know your hand.


The Facade of Power

This is why power in workplace systems is so fragile- it's based on illusion. Openly admitting to the misalignment and discrepancy would mean admitting the system is corrupt, which would destroy their facade and destroy the illusion of power they have. So, people - especially those with this illusory power- are incentivized to keep things hidden. Only those privileged and connected are clued into the game early, while the rest of us are left either believing the hype and trying to align ourselves with those with power, or are left scratching our heads at what's happening around us, often with impacts to our social, emotional, and mental health.


The Undercover Workplace and Workplace Bullying/Mobbing

If looking at this through a neutral lens, you might feel that the informal system (the undercover workplace) has merit, and is useful for forming relationships, collaboration, and faster decision-making.


My question to that would be- at what cost? The same informal system that enables legitimate collaboration, harmony, and consensus provides perfect cover for abusive behavior. Abusers can genuinely reframe almost anything they do within the logic of "playing the game".


And if there were true alignment with the formal structure (the espoused values) there would be no need for an informal system. The same things- collaboration, high performance, and consensus can be achieved while being transparent, honest, and fair.


Why Accountability is Rare in the Undercover Workplace

Here are a few ways the undercover workplace provides the perfect cover for manipulative and abusive behaviors- organizationally and interpersonally:


  • HR processes rely on documented, policy-violating behavior: Abuse via the undercover workplace is typically covert and rarely can produce factual evidence of wrong-doing. The behaviors can always be justified as "something else", making it almost impossible to hold abusers and manipulators accountable.

  • Formal complaints require witnesses: Informal abuse often happens in one-on-ones or through subtle social dynamics, with people who are either the abusers or others unwilling to speak up about what's happening.

  • Leadership is often complicit: Either they practice the same, manipulative behaviors, benefit from the abuser's results, or have been successfully groomed by the abuser (flying monkeys).

  • The abuser's coalition will actively discredit you for coming forward, as your truth-telling disrupts the illusion everyone has spent their career upholding.

  • Organizations have strong incentives to protect high performers and tend not to care how those results are achieved.


The people most harmed by the undercover workplace are those without access to informal networks, those who show up authentically, and those that took the formal system- the values posted on the wall- at face value. These are the people who see the dysfunction but are the least positioned to dismantle it. And those that can dismantle it are incentivized to keep it going- they are rewarded for succeeding in dysfunction, so dysfunction becomes necessary for their survival.


The Way Forward

The very existence of workplace politics and this undercover system is a symptom of a systemic failure of the organizational system itself. And, as long as we continue to normalize and justify the socio-political behavior of the undercover workplace, we'll continue to normalize systemic dysfunction and continue to have workplace bullying and mobbing.


When you have strong formal systems, you constrain the influence and illusory power of the manipulators- which is why organizational change in the direction of strengthening formal systems is often resisted. If we:


  • design cultures where honesty is rewarded, and not just verbally encouraged

  • apply accountability to all, regardless of social capital

  • select and train leaders who are emotional secure and stable enough not to need informal power and manipulative tactics to get things done

  • create systems of reward and evaluation that are genuinely bias-resistant, not just on paper


....we can create functional workplaces aligned with safety, fairness, and accountability.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments!

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