In the modern workplace, it is often said that employees are valued for their skill sets rather than their personal lives.
When it comes to sexual desire between colleagues, this can create tension and distractions in the work environment. This can lead to poor performance, low productivity, and a lack of focus on the organization's goals. This paper will discuss how sexual attraction influences strategic decision-making, cross-team coordination, and alignment of objectives.
Strategic Decision Making:
Sexual attraction has a significant impact on strategic decision making.
If two people feel attracted to each other, they may be more likely to make decisions based on their feelings rather than what is best for the company. This could result in unprofessional behavior such as flirting, gossiping, or even engaging in physical intimacy in the workplace. These actions can disrupt workflow, cause conflict, and damage relationships within the team.
Sexual tensions can lead to favoritism, which can negatively impact promotions and advancement opportunities.
Cross-Team Coordination:
When there is sexual attraction between members of different teams, it can also affect cross-team coordination.
A manager may give preferential treatment to an employee because he/she finds him/her sexually attractive. This can lead to resentment among other employees who do not receive similar treatment. Moreover, it can create a hostile working environment where teamwork and collaboration suffer.
Alignment of Objectives:
Sexual attraction can impact alignments of objectives.
When two individuals have a strong attraction to each other, they may prioritize personal interests over organizational ones. This can lead to conflict between the employee and his/her supervisor, resulting in poor performance, absenteeism, and low morale.
This can harm productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
Sexual attraction at work can create many challenges for both individuals and organizations. It can distract from strategic decision making, disrupt cross-team coordination, and misalign objectives. Therefore, employers should establish clear policies on sexual harassment and discrimination that protect all employees while allowing them to focus on their work without being distracted by sexual desires. By doing so, companies can maintain a positive and productive workplace culture.
In what ways does sexual attraction influence strategic decision-making, cross-team coordination, and alignment of objectives?
Sexual attraction is known for affecting interpersonal relationships by increasing arousal, which may result in improved performance in terms of attention, motivation, cognitive functioning, and memory (Harris & Fiske, 2018). The research shows that individuals who are sexually attracted to each other can coordinate their team work better and align their goals, leading to more effective outcomes than those who do not have such an attraction.