Sabotage: The silent productivity killer

Every organisation runs on the expectation that combined effort will generate progress to achieve a shared purpose. Yet in many workplaces, that progress is undermined by a destructive force: sabotage.

Sometimes it appears openly through deliberate obstruction or dishonesty. Other times, it hides beneath subtle actions such as concealing information, delaying work, undermining colleagues, or avoiding responsibility.

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Behind much of this destructive behaviour lies fear. Some fear failure and the embarrassment it brings; others fear success, which invites pressure and higher expectations; some others fear being exposed as inadequate.

These anxieties operate beneath the surface, pushing people to avoid difficult tasks, procrastinate, or set unrealistic goals just to sidestep disappointment. Such behaviour protects fragile confidence in the short term, but blocks personal and organisational growth over time.

The damage rarely stays contained. In one organisation, a single employee’s refusal to cooperate spread tension across an entire department. Deadlines slipped, communication broke down, and colleagues stopped trusting each other. People began spending more time double-checking work and protecting themselves from blame than doing meaningful work. Innovation slowed, decisions stalled, and frustration spread through the culture.

Organisations sometimes reinforce this without realising it. When accountability is avoidable and blame is easy to shift, self-protection starts to matter more than contribution.

Where individual recognition is rewarded above teamwork, employees compete for credit rather than cooperate for results, learning to hide mistakes and exaggerate achievements. The system ends up encouraging the very behaviour it hopes to eliminate.

Sabotage is not, however, unbeatable. Recovery starts with clarity -- clear goals, defined responsibilities, and transparent expectations reduce the uncertainty that breeds fear-driven failure.

Progress also becomes easier when large ambitions are broken into smaller, achievable steps. Small wins build the confidence and momentum that let teams take initiative without feeling overwhelmed.

Psychological safety matters just as much. In healthy organisations, employees can speak honestly and admit mistakes without fear of humiliation. Failure becomes an opportunity to improve rather than a reason for shame, which keeps people engaged through setbacks.

Leadership sets the tone for all of it. Employees watch how leaders handle pressure, mistakes, and conflict. Leaders who admit their own errors, share credit, and address harmful behaviour quickly build trust and accountability. Leaders who let toxic behaviour slide send the opposite message.

Incentive systems should follow the same logic – rewarding collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning makes sabotage less worthwhile and cooperation more so.

Investing in coaching and mentoring helps employees build the resilience to cope with stress in healthier ways, which in turn makes them more willing to contribute openly.

No organisation can sustain success while sabotage persists inside it. Even the most capable CEO struggles to execute when hidden resistance undermines decisions from within. And those responsible are often, as the saying goes, “honey-tongued but cold-hearted,” a wolf in sheep’s clothing that is hard to spot without vigilance and transparency.

Trust, collaboration, and continuous learning are what organisational development is built on. Sabotage breaks all three.

Ultimately, CEOs must confront destructive behaviour directly, enforce real accountability, and -- where necessary -- part ways with those who repeatedly harm organisational integrity.

No plan succeeds where trust is continuously undermined.

The writer is managing director and CEO of NRBC Bank PLC and fellow cost & management accountant.