How to Know If Your Organisation Has Cult-like Tendencies

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At what point does the behaviour of a tightly knit team become cult-like?Is an extremely cohesive culture with a magnetic leader at the helm a recipe for success?

Are cult-like behaviours good or bad for you?

Let’s find out.It depends on how you define ‘cult’. Let’s be honest most of what we ‘know’ about cults is informed by sensational stories in the media and movies. Suspend your judgement for a moment. Resist the urge to gravitate towards the sensationalised stories and the common negative connotation.

As you can imagine, a mountain of scientific research, theses and assumptions exists on this subject. But there is nothing more persuasive than an account of firsthand experience. Cue The Unmistakable Creative podcast in which host Srini Rao interviews Bob Gower, former cult member now consultant and coach for decidedly mainstream companies.  Go "Inside the Psychology of Cults". is a cracking interview that will dispel some of the bunkum surrounding cults. It will make you pause and think about the culture where you work.If this topic piques your curiosity, do yourself a favour and invest 63 minutes of your time to listen to this entire fascinating discussion about how powerful beliefs drive behaviour – for better or for worse.

Here are 4 key takeaways from this podcast interview.

1. Ditch the stereotypes. Cults are more commonplace than you may think. They are not only found in outlier, off-the-grid communities; but in organisations we interact with every day.In these familiar organisations, leaders develop an ideology around how they see the world and how they carry out their activities. Take a moment and consider established groups in areas such as politics, business, religion, education and your social circle.

2. Ideologically intense. Beliefs are powerfully formed within the community and inspire intense faith and commitment to live and behave in accordance with the belief system.  These beliefs, combined with a seemingly irresistible desire and obligation to comply, are usually entirely immune to any kind of logical correction or challenge.

3. Purpose-led. The leader(s) create an emotional environment fuelled by desire, shared purpose and belonging which appeals to a particular individual or group. They actively set out to design organisational structures and connections to attract individuals who want to contribute to the cause, to make a difference and to be recognised for their efforts.

4. High demand cultures. They operate in stealth mode, increasingly asking for more and more of your time which you willingly give.One day you realise that you have (perhaps unwittingly) signed over all of your time and energy to the group. Your every waking hour is dedicated to the success of the organisation.The closer you inch towards the inner circle and source of power, the need to commit increases exponentially. Meanwhile, your involvement with people and interests outside of the group declines.

Cults are more commonplace than you may think.

How many of these cult-like tendencies do you recognise in your organisation? These characteristics are not necessarily bad. In fact many companies held up as shining examples of successful thriving businesses, share many of these cultural characteristics.

Google. Apple. Virgin. TOMS.

They are known for their captivating, audacious purpose, intense ideologies, shared beliefs and values which unite the employee community in its commitment to the company’s reason for existing.

But this is where it can all go horribly wrong.

"Silence independent thinking in favour of groupthink and a potentially dangerous journey begins."

When independent thinking is silenced in favour of group think, the organisation begins to head down an unwholesome and potentially dangerous path. The first major casualty is your free will – the space to be your authentic self, the autonomy to hold a different perspective, the safety to share your unique point of view. This freedom is given up in exchange for a sense of belonging and membership to the community.This could never happen to you, right?

I imagine you believe that fate can only befall individuals who are already susceptible and maybe even weak minded.Think again!Gower referred to Solomon Asch’s fascinating experiments in the 1950s “The Asch Conformity Experiments” to demonstrate that our confidence might be misplaced.Intrigued, I chased that lead down the rabbit hole.

I discovered that Asch’s (in)famous experiments have been reenacted over the decades; e.g. on Candid Camera, as an advertisement for insurance, in further studies in psychology and human behaviour.Watch these 2 YouTube videos.

The Elevator experiment See how human beings are susceptible to group think and find it nearly impossible to resist following the crowd, even when the group behaviour seems silly.

The Line Experiment The Line Experiment is an eye-opener about how individuals conform to peer pressure – going along with the group even when they know they know they are in the right and the group is in the wrong. For a quick course on social psychology, dive into this short video from the

So what now?

To the leaders and stewards of organisational culture and the health of employee community, here is your challenge should you choose to accept it …

1. Build strong purpose-led communities that are inspiring, transforming and energising. Fire up the hearts and minds of your members with a reason to believe and instil positive values as their guide.

2. Inspire your employee community by leading with a respect for the individual. Remember that people want to feel seen, heard and valued for their individual contribution, knowing that their work has meaning and makes an impact.

3. Protect against the dangerous creep of groupthink and mob mentality by seeking out the views of the different-thinkers, the defectors and, in the bad times, the Whistleblowers.

• What are the ways you protect your team or organisation from groupthink?

• What are the positive or negative cult-like tendencies in your organisation?